Retirement Travel (4 month travel plan)
by AV, Missouri
Quote from Anand's Email
It is good evening here! I am in India, relaxing in a resort by a famous river in southern India, with my wife. We left the US on July 1st on a four month travel plan, covering India, Singapore, and Malaysia. I was getting tired of sitting at home and complaining about the boredom of retirement. So I decided to take the plunge and get out for a change.
It has been going well so far. I have my laptop with me and internet wherever I go.
My sister, lives across the river, and we get together every day! You might wonder why I am not staying with her! Well her house does not have all the conveniences we are used to in America; but here in the resort it is pretty close to home – with good air conditioning, running hot water, a dry bathroom, all that have become essential to us over the last twenty five years that we have lived in America.
If I have to come back and live in India again, it will need a lot of adjustments. I will have to substantially lower my expectations!! In spite of all the great things you hear about India’s achievements, it is still a developing country with all the drawbacks. Rampant corruption slows down all developmental efforts. Lack of sanitation in public places, extreme air pollution, contaminated and unsafe drinking water, and chaotic road traffic without any regulation are the most predominant irritants. There are hardly any toilets in public buildings, gas stations, or malls and the few that are found are disgustingly dirty. So much so that whenever I have to leave home to go some place, I make sure that I finish my mission and am back home ASAP J
We will see how it goes. Two more months here and then we are off to Singapore, which is really a fantastic country!!! It is technologically as advanced as America, if not more, with well developed infrastructure like roads and highways. It is a highly disciplined society, that some may not like. But the law enforcement is so strict that there is zero crime there. Drug offenders are promptly punished, with death penalty!
Life is very peaceful, and people are happy and content. The government operates very efficiently to make sure that all systems work to perfection!! I have always told friends that If I ever have to leave America, which is the best place in the world, my next choice of a country will be Singapore!
