7: 38 am: Whatsapp message: The kids bounced out of bed this morning, took one look at this beautiful campus, and Anand declared, "I think we are going to have an exciting time here!"
And so, just like that, our roadtrip ends in our new home! Vellore to Madhepura....
And so, just like that, our roadtrip ends in our new home! Vellore to Madhepura....
Our sturdy SX4 has held up well. God has been good! The trip-ometer says we have done around 2677 kms.
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| 2677.3 kms. Well done, Maruti SX4! |
I think this has been one of the best trips we have made.
Here are the Roadtrip related blogposts:
Lessons learnt:
What we did well:
1. This was not all about getting to our destination. Instead, we enjoyed the journey, and made this a trip to remember.
That reminds me of Michael Card's song, "There is a joy in the journey!"
I wish we could remember this everyday. Life is not just about the heaven to come in our future. Instead we can experience abundant life in the Kingdom today. There is, indeed, joy in the journey!
2. We planned our journey in small bites, travelling about 300-400 km everyday, so that we had plenty of time for breaks and picnics.
3. We left early everyday, while the children were still asleep. This meant that we could usually do about an hour's worth of driving before they woke up for breakfast.
4. We spent the evenings with friends. We thank God for the many friends who opened their homes to us. Visiting with them and enjoying their hospitality has been very special and meaningful.
5. We packed the car with stuff for the children to keep occupied. Exam boards, plenty of paper and color pencils and crayons, books for Anand to read, puzzles and ideas for indoor games. All carefully packed into a organiser that hung from the back of Arpita's seat. In addition, we had a lot of stuff downloaded and ready on our iPod. The children especially enjoyed the storytelling of Jim Weiss, and the music of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann
6. We had great company. It was a real privilege to travel from Vellore to Bhubaneswar with Arpita's sister, Ashita
7. We had a great bunch of friends (and, of course, our families), who kept us in prayer and kept cheering us on, keeping us going. They kept in touch over Whatsapp and Facebook, and it was such an encouragement to us to get their messages and experience their love and concern throughout the journey.
8. We had a great car. The Maruti SX4 exceeded expectations. A smooth comfortable ride on the highways, and the ability to take the rough with the smooth. Great music system and air-conditioning. Plus, ample storage space for our luggage. It was always a surprise to see how much stuff could actually fit in the boot!
What would we do differently next time?
1. I think we were slightly overpacked, which meant that Ashita and the children in the backseat were probably a little cramped for space. Next time, I would try and ensure we did not have any luggage inside the sitting space of the car.
2. Next time, I would be a little less trusting of Google maps! It worked well most of the time. However, when it goofed up, it did so spectacularly!
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