I am moving to Vietnam now ..1967 December.
I was living with my grandparents and uncles in Calcutta. Christmas holidays ...am packed off to Saigon . My aunt and uncle take me to Dum Dum Airport late at night ...put me on a Lufthansa flight ...I had never been on a plane before ...it was always by train or by sea.
I had tears in my eyes ...an 8 year old travelling alone to meet parents and kid brother ...On the flight, the airhostess was very kind gave me story books and games. We reached Bangkok, where my parents' freinds ...an old Bengali couple took care of me for many many hours till my next flight by Thai International to Saigon. Again, the airhostess was very kind and I had the best food ever ...I had tasted many cuisines by then and believe me ...it was delicious..and again they gave me toys and books and bracelets. I sat by the air-hostess all the way to Saigon.
Once we landed, I was dying to see my kid brother, who I had not seen for over a year. So when my dad came to receive me, my first question was Bhai kothai (where is my brother ) and there was by bro . 2 year old , running helter skelter all over the airport as if he owned the place.
The next few weeks were good fun....meeting my dad's colleagues and their families ...all part of the UN Commission for Supervision and Control ( India, Poland and Canada ) We went to Cambodia as well with my dad's army colleagues ...A trip to Angkor Vat . Historical ...amazing piece of architecture...never ending corridors ...depicting stories from the Mahabharata ...very tiring for a kid at that time ...but today I can still smell the old walls....feel the carvings...
Back to Saigon ... My mom and dad played tennis often ...I would watch them and play badminton with someone who was trying to keep me busy ....
More to follow !!!!
