I am so looking forward to my upcoming sabbatical. We are going to India. This is going to be right in the middle of the monsoon season, so it's going to be very interesting. I never missed the sweaty, humid and dusty springs and summers in Mumbai while living here in Pacific northwest, but I miss the monsoon. Sure, monsoon is messy and inconvenient sometimes--when it disrupts travel plans because of flooded roads-- but I still like it. Monsoon is nothing like the constant drizzle you see in Pacific northwest. On the west cost of India, when it rains it pours. I am looking forward to get soaked in the monsoon rain.
We'll be celebrating our second daughter's first birthday in India. Besides that there is no other big event or place to visit. Just see family and friend and have a blast! That's the plan!
We are also planning to visit south east Asia. The details are not finalized yet, but will be once we arrive in India. We (me and my wife) will be leaving our kids with their grandparents and going on a little trip to Thailand and Singapore (and may be more, time permitting).
I'm well prepared for this vacation. I am carrying my new Nikon D80 camera to take some nice pictures. My wife will be carrying her Panasonic GS-400 mini-DV camcorder. But then just a week ago I realized that with rampaging monsoon season in July, it'll be impossible to lug around my D80. So I ordered one more camera. This is a rugged all-proof Olympus Stylus 770 SW. Shockproof. Waterproof. Freezeproof. Crushproof. And the image quality --while no match for D80-- is pretty good too. Can you ask for anything more? Check it out. With a camera like that I won't have to worry about missing some nice shots when it's pouring. I am also hoping to go on a monsoon hiking trip my old buddies when I'm in Mumbai.
My plan is to write a few lines everyday (given I get access to the net) and upload a few photos every now and then when I get a chance. Let's see how that works out!