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Back in the U.S.A

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We checked out of the O by Tamara around 12:30 am and headed to the Trivandrum airport for our Qatar Airways 3:50 a.m. flight to Doha. The view from the flight was amazing.  I know I was looking at a desert but was still blown away by it.  It was so barren and desolate. This view is landing in Qatar. We were able to see the sunrise over the Persian Gulf. Qatar Airways was excellent.  Our flight to Doha was only 4 hours.  The Doha airport is excellent. Then we boarded our long flight...14 hours.  Marshall and I were in the Q-Suite.  We were able to lower the wall between us so we were in a pod together basically.  We both watched movies and slept.  We had dinner and a breakfast.  Overall the flight was not bad at all because of the comfort of the space we were in. Sunrise over Philadelphia We were both happy to be back in the USA It was strange being in a place where we didn’t stand out.  We were seeing other Caucasians.  It really changes your perspective and outlook on life. I will sa
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Niraamaya Resort (August 26 - 29, 2023)

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We left our home and moved to the Niraamaya Resort for our final 3 days in India.  At the time we planned the trip, we didn't know that Marshall's office would be closed due to Onam at the end of August.  That turned out to be in our favor so we could actually take a vacation and enjoy our final days in India. We were greeted with coconut water while they took our luggage to our room for us. Drinking coconut water.  It is supposed to be good for you.  I don't really love it so I take a few sips and then I am finished.  So far, I've been offered it 3-4 times and never have finished it. I am standing in front of Bungalow Gardens 2, our room for the next few days. It is Kerala architecture and modeled after the palace in Trivandrum. They are old buildings that have been salvaged and moved to this resort and restored.  Very historical and we loved that. Our bed is a four poster bed with mosquito netting all around.  We didn't really need the mosquito nets, thank goodnes
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Goodbye to Kovalam

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On Saturday, August 26, we decided to walk through Kovalam one last time.  Here are a few of the sights.  We passed this lady every morning.  She was selling fresh fish under the overpass as we got onto the bypass from Kovalam to the Technopark in Trivandrum. We always looked to see if she was still there at the end of the day.  Some days she was still there. This man is carrying milk on his bicycle. He would get it from the farmers and would ride to your house and then dip it out into whatever container. We watched him go house to house  For us, we bought milk in plastic bags from the market.  It was still very fresh and we would get about a pint per bag.  Our home is near Venganoor.  We turned left after leaving the Bypass.  If we turn right, we can go to the fishing village. The road signs are in Malayalam and in English.  We lived on the border of Kovalam and Venganoor. This is the last view of the fields across from our house. The women work crew had just cleaned out all the canal
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GenPro's Onam Celebration (Thursday, August 24)

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  Shabna and Limna told Marshall about the Onam celebration and they invited me to attend their celebration.  They informed us that we would need to wear traditional Kerala attire.  They took us both shopping in early August to help us find the clothes that we needed. When Marshall arrived on Monday, August 21, his office was decorated and they were beginning Onam preparations.  He soon found out that the work week was going to be scattered as others had other responsibilities to help with the preparations. They had a dance committee, a flower committee, a music committee, a games committee and more. On Wednesday night, most everyone stayed late and prepared the flowers for the Pookalum.  Two of the guys drove to Tamil Nadu the night before to buy the flowers that were needed for the Pookalum. This was an overnight excursion and the arrived back at the office at 9 in the morning.  Marshall invited me to come in to help and I helped with the purple flowers.   Marshall bought KFC and piz
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