It was my first international visit alone without any family members. The thought was exciting and a bit unnerving at once. When I landed in Cario, I followed the flow of people to my terminal and found my gate. I could feel the freshness in the air when I stepped out of the airport, the people were friendly and helpful. The Egyptian Arabic language was a problem since I did not speak or understand it. On the way to the hotel, the cab driver explained the sites we were passing. I could barely understand what he was saying, but Google Translate helped gasp snatches of his commentary.

During my drive to the hotel, Cairo announced  itself in layers. Ancient and contemporary at once held together by the slow, eternal flow of the Nile. The river cuts through the city like a living memory, its banks busy with  feluccas gliding past concrete skylines, palm-fringed islands, and cafés where Cairenes (Cairo residents) pause for tea as the water catches the evening light. In Cairo, the Nile is not just a scenery, it is a pulse that that held the nations for many a mellenia.

My second trip to Somanathapura, home to the architectural marvel of Chennakeshava Temple (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas) happened suddenly, resulting in a bike ride with the boys.

We took the Kanakapura Road (now on NH 948) out of Bangalore and rode beyond Malavalli towards Bannur, guided by the yellow boards of Karnataka Tourism, and peppering the ride with several stops.

After a humble lunch comprising ragi balls at a wayside hotel outside Bannur, we set off to Somanathapura that’s 7km away. Outside the temple stood an old multilingual board to tell us that we had arrived, having covered 130km in friendly weather!