Being excited seems to be my permanent state these days. The major factor contributing to my excitement is the fact that already in two weeks I am going to India. I am thinking about this trip almost all the time and I already know that I will love it.
The major purpose of my trip to India is to meet Anil's parents, see who they are and how they live. Therefore, I am not going to travel that much and I will be mostly staying with them in Hyderabad. I feel truly blessed to have this unique opportunity of getting to know a new culture by being a part of somebody's else family. I am sure that thanks to that my trip will be even more interesting than if I were to travel in India by myself. Anil and I are also planning two short trips (one 2-day and one 3-day) to the nearby World Heritage Sites at Hampi, Ellora and Ajanta. I've read so much about those places that I truly can not wait to see them.
Other excitement in my life comes from the fact that almost everybody that I know, love and care about is pregnant or just had a baby! This coming weekend I am going to San Diego to visit Manja and Bartek, and to see their not-even-two-weeks-old-yet baby boy, Jakub!
In general, it was a fabulous year thus far. I started it in Europe, with my family and other close friends, which was wonderful enough. During spring I went hiking to the bottom of Grand Canyon and visited several interesting sites, including many ruins left by Anasazi Indians. Also during spring several close friends (Marta, Bartek and Manja) visited me in SF. For the Memorial Weekend Anil and I went for a short but extremely nice road trip to Mokelumne Wilderness, Mono Lake are and Yosemite Valley. Then, my parents came to spend a whole month of July with me! Together we traveled to Hawaii, Sequoia, King's and Yosemite NP (and few other places in California: Monterey, Napa and Sonoma Valleys, Point Reyes NP, Muir Woods NM).
It seems that future will be equally exciting. Tomorrow Anil and I plan to go hiking on Angel Island (yes, it is wonderful to have flexible working hours!). On Saturday I fly to San Diego for three days to meet little Kubus. In the middle of September I go to India for two weeks and in the middle of December I go to Poland again. If everything goes well Anil will join me on that trip. I do not have precise plan of the trip yet (and I am open to your suggestions, dear friends in Poland!). I definitely need to go to Warsaw (to prolong my visa) and after that I thought about going to Krakow, Krynica Gorska, Wieliczka and Oswiecim. Of course, I also plan to stop in Poznan for a few days, as my very dear friend should have a baby by then! Christmas I plan to spend with my family and after that I probably will try to travel somewhere in Europe, not sure where yet. If somebody wants to join me during my trip in Poland or elsewhere, let me know! The more, the merrier :)