Going Away On Holiday

I think every human being in the world has an urge to travel. I know my parents most certainly did. I don't mean only in the touristy sense, but also for a need for change, to break the monotony in life that tends to quickly set in. My Mum used to work for Southern Railways and always got great travel concessions. She has travelled India a lot with my Dad even though I was conceived very soon after they married (she was blessed to have my Grandma take over so she could work). When we came to South Africa, they practiced a rather frugal lifestyle (or so we felt). Indians are all about saving their money, not spending it, and my folks were the rule, not the exception. All first gen immigrants are I think. They gave us the best schooling they could afford, and decent (if not always fashionable) clothes, good food and a safe environment. My mother constantly stressed about finances (in hindsight, needlessly) and worked extra hard for promotions whilst Dad took over the home front after his teaching job. 

Their only travel "abroad" was to India, once every two to three years. In fact our first trip to India was after 4 years. They tried their best to choose the cheapest airlines so they could visit their family, whilst ALSO showing us some part of the world. As a result, my brother and I have been to Addis Ababa, Muscat and Salalah, Dubai (a frequent one) and Abu Dhabi, and Colombo as stopovers to India. In fact, the ONLY holiday my parents ever took, was a group tour with their friends to Israel in 2011. This is how much they have sacrificed for us. For ALL the trips they COULD have easily afforded, they never did, but tried to make do with what they COULD give us. Apart from these stop overs, in the early years of our childhood, they tried to show us a different part of India in every trip, whilst also trying to visit every possible relative so as to not offend them. I cannot go into how much of India I have seen thanks to them (Hampi, Agra and Jammu are some), but I have the urge to see even more because of what they have instilled in me. I never realized how blessed I was until I recently spoke to a Mallu childhood friend who told me her childhood family trips to India have ONLY been to Kerala and could I please suggest some non-Kerala trips to her. The years we did not go to India, we travelled South Africa a lot too. Again, I never realized how blessed I was until I overheard a South African colleague (who has been to Mumbai!) mention she had never been to Cango Caves (I have been twice!) and another colleague told me she has NEVER BEEN TO CAPE TOWN (again, twice!). [Both are in good professional positions and are upper middle class. And both Cango Caves and CT are top tourist destinations in SA.] Holidaying in South Africa is very expensive. One could probably go to Thailand for a week than spend four days on safari in SA. That is the truth.

My first SA holiday memory was to Cape Town when I was 10. We went as a group of four families and we drove all the way (in a Toyota Corolla that had no AC, in December - hottest time of the YEAR). My Dad was the trip planner and everyone had to follow him - in a time when we had no cell phones or GPS. We stayed in the student residence of The Uni of Belville (if I remember correctly) which is empty during the Christmas hols. It probably wasn't a holiday in the true sense for the mums who cooked up a storm (the best tomato rice and fried chicken of my life!) so we could save on eating out - but man, what a memory! I will cherish it forever.

We have seen a lot of SA, but in the touristy sense - see max number of places before dark, and not in the lie-on-the-beach/put-your-feet-up-with-beer-and-braai sense. I imagine with children it must have been difficult. But we still had amazing time. Holidays are an integral part of family life. Wonderful are the memories you can look back on with a smile in your heart. Thank you Dad and Mum.