Around the World with Grandpa

  •   Fri, Apr 05 2013
  •   By Anita Britto, Auckland

April 5, 2013

Around the World with Grandpa

My Grand Dad took me round the world, we travelled far and wide

Exploring several places without a tourist guide

From snow kissed mountains that we scaled to Rocky Mountains high

I soaked up all the sounds and sights which money can not buy

 

Like Phileas Fogg we went around from one place to the next

And learnt of different cultures which got me quite perplexed

And while we moved from place to place my Grandad spoke a lot

About human diversity which sure was food for thought

 

Some cities caught me unawares and some just freaked me out

While some exuded poetry – Of that I have no doubt

While California Dreamin far from the maddening crowd

I saw a landscape beautiful – diverse and well endowed  

 

We trekked the Mighty Andes well off the tourist trail

While Grand Dad did impress me with every small detail

Journeying through these townships I learnt about their past

And Grandpa had the answer to every question asked

 

In Petra near the pink hewn rock, I dreamt of Indy Jones

While Grandpa tried to tell me there was history in those stones

In Venice on the Gondola I heard the prisoners’ sighs

Though when we went to Ibiza I had to close my eyes 

 

On Anatolian crossroads we travelled time in Troy

And when we were in Russia we watched the famed Bolshoi

The time I spent in Africa I never will forget

I loved the Crimson-clad Maasai and Bushmen whom we met

 

The killing fields in Phnom Penh sent shivers down my spine

Like Buchenwald, Khmer rouge and the Mason-Dixon Line

The Big Five on Serengeti who roam the endless plains

Live in perfect harmony unlike some with more brains

 

The lights in Shanghai beckoned while we sailed the Great Yangzi

Our tummies were quite tough and we were Delhi belly  free

We fed the gentle pandas and fell for Ho Chi Minh

Attempts at Sumo wrestling made my   gracious Grandpa grin
 


Apart from showing me the world my Grand Dad made me see

That Human beings from all over connected to one tree

God’s paintbrush was at work I'm sure in each mind-blowing scene

Some places were enchanting -   breath-taking and pristine

 

I miss those awesome trips we took when I was six years old

There's no way I would trade them for Platinum or gold

For every day at 4:15 when it was time for tea

I’d get my Oxford Atlas which my Grandma bought for me

 

I’d point to any random place I felt I’d like to see

Cape Town, Capri or Kodialbail or far off Tennessee

And soon I’d be transported to some strange exotic land

With captivating beaches and no fear of getting tanned

 

We didn’t need no passports and didn’t stand in queues

Couldn’t Parlez-vous in francais but we had fun in Toulouse

We didn’t make Grandpa’s wallet weep or care about jetlag

And didn’t have aching muscles or a heavy travel bag

 

Every day before each trip I’d sit on Grandpa’s lap

A memory I cherish - of which I have no snap

My Grandpa, born in Karkal now lies in Kalpali

The greatest armchair traveller the world would ever see.

 

Anita Britto Archives:
By Anita Britto, Auckland
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Comment on this article

  • Fortesa, HMUX5Z0XAi

    Tue, Jul 14 2015

    I love the pictures in your blog! I wish we could do this more often. We shuold have thought about this before they were born and we could have done pictures every 3 months I had NO idea that there was video! I LOVE it!!!

  • Merlyn Brito, Orlando

    Sat, Apr 06 2013

    Hi Anita,
    My Dad took me places too & gave me his desire to 'see' the world.What would we do without the power of visualization & the art of storytelling? Our best tribute would be to carry on their legacy.
    I enjoyed your poem & I am sure it is an inspiration for many others.

  • Vincent, Mangalore

    Fri, Apr 05 2013

    Sweet!

  • R.Bhandarkar, M'Lore

    Fri, Apr 05 2013

    Dear Anita
    Now an arm chair Commentator
    I know very well...
    How it can be..!!
    Oh! To be in the lap of my Grandpa or Grandma! Yes Anita! Will not trade them for anything! Alas!I'm not that rich now.....


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