After a good long break of 1.5 months again it's time to get back to my other home in Muscat. Both the places Mumbai and Muscat are good to live but my heart is always stuck up in Mumbai. Time in Mumbai always feels like it's flying away at super speed, while time in Muscat feels so slow. I keep travelling to India once in 3 to 4 months and it feels like a very long gap to me. I wonder for those who travel once in 2 years back home, what it must be like. I am not in a full-time job so I can afford to get these breaks at my convenience but for people who are employed full-time they have policies to follow. In many companies for expats the rule is that they get 2 months leave once in 2 years. This is majorly followed by small-sized companies. And I feel it's an exploitation.

In Oman the employers have to pay for the airfare once a year for the expat travel back home, and to save that the rule of 2-year leave is enforced. Nothing can be done about it, because it's legal. Also, I see that a lot of expats prefer that because they get 2 months leave together which is a long period that they can stay back home and attend to things. Then there are these home workers, in the jobs of helpers and cooks, they do not go home for years. One of my previous helpers, he had not been to his home for 8 years and I would tell him, why would he not go. He would say, if he went it will be a big expense so he does not want to, because he needs to save money.

Life is so different for people, some can live in all the luxuries and some struggle. My cook, she does not want to travel back to her home for a long period, so when she goes it's only for 1 or 2 weeks. She fears that if she goes away for long time, she will lose her jobs. These house jobs are on hourly basis, so in their absence people replace them with other helpers and sometime even after they return back, they would not continue with them and choose to continue with the new helper. Then again, they have to hunt for another work, which is not easy to get. These things are not controlled by the government; it is purely individual's choice. People do not travel back home for long periods just so that they can save on money. It is about what is more important for them. For people coming from very poor backgrounds, they want to save on every penny they earn. For few years they save up, make things better for them back home and then travel.

I always consider myself blessed that I have no such struggles and I can freely visit my home any time I would desire. Anyways now that I am back, it's going to be a wait for another 4 months to travel back home again. What I do not like about this part of the year is, it's very hot and outdoor activities are not possible, so it gets boring for me.

Some pictures I clicked during the flight. As always my favorite views