In October, my ma and pa-in-law decided to come visit Chris and I in India for Christmas and New Years. We decided to plan a whirlwind trip through parts of Southern and Northern India to highlight some of the best that India has to offer.
Our trip started in Mumbai. Chris and I arrived a few days early to visit a friend who lives there. On the first day, Chris caught me staring at an Indian girl in shorts and a spagetti strap tank top. He said, "Far, what are you looking at?" I didn't even realize I was staring! I soon discovered that I actually had not seen that much skin (she was not wearing anything slutty by any means!) since I was last in the US, four months earlier. In Lucknow, I barely see women in the streets and if so they are very rarely wearing jeans let alone shorts!
Mumbai is hectic and awesome. We ate good food, went out, and met some great people. The city had crosswalks with walk symbols and taxis on demand. Women and girls were out at any time of the day or night with not a care in the world (quite unlikely in Northern India). There were bars, clubs, and lounges. Our friend was quite surprised at the extent of our culture shock, I told him he'd have to come visit us in Lucknow to fully understand it.
After our fun filled Mumbai weekend, we met our parents at the airport and began our journey into the heart of Maharastra. We visited old family friends of the Taylors who run a community health project in the district of Jamkhed. Shoba and Ravi, the daughter and son of the Arole family who run Jamkhed hosted us most graciously! As it was a few days before Christmas, our rooms were decorated with colorful lights, trees, and streamers. We enjoyed delicious meals, a tour of a local village (I was shocked as to how clean it was, my conceptions of an Indian village were totally incorrect), an unbelievable fireworks show on Christmas, sing-a-longs, and were able to participate or observe the workings of the community health project which was really an enlightening experience! Not to mention, Ravi called a snake charmer one evening and Chris got to play with a cobra! (I was too chicken.)
After leaving Jamkhed, we headed to Udaipur in the heart of Rajasthan. I immediately fell in love with the city. I had read that it is called the "most romantic city" in India and I totally agree. The city is built around beautiful lakes and the City Palace is absolutely stunning. We took a boat ride, explored pretty gardens, and ate scrumptious food. Udaipur is known for its miniature paintings so we scooped some of them up and then made our way to Johdpur, the blue city.
In Johdpur we explored the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort (definitely recommend getting the audio tour) and went to what we thought was going to be an authentic Rajasthani dinner evening for New Years Eve but ended up being a "Jungle to Rainbow" (no matter how hard you think, there is no rhyme or reason for the theme) themed all you can eat buffet party which we promptly left after some Indian adolescents got a bit carried away with my pa-in-law on the dance floor. I wish we could've spent a bit more time in Johdpur and gotten lost in the streets of the old city where most of the homes are painted blue. Fun fact, some people believe the homes were painted blue because the indigo in the paint was a mosquito repellant. The next morning we left the blue city to head to the pink city and capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
In Jaipur we explored the Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds), Jantar Mantar (A collection of ancient architectural, astronomical instruments), City Palace, and the Amber fort. We spent two fun filled days in Jaipur touring, shopping, and eating. Then we headed back home to the City of Princes, Lucknow.
It was actually awesome showing my ma and pa in law where we lived and how we spent our days. Although it was absolutely frigid in Lucknow for the three days they were here we indulged them with our favorite sights and foods. I think Kulcha Nihari, the Indian equivalent of biscuits and gravy is now a family favorite!
Overall, we had a blast. I really got to know my in laws a lot better without the pressure of planning a wedding. I am a firm believer that if you really want to know someone, you must travel with him or her. I'm actually looking forward to the next trip the four of us can take! The beautiful sights and awesome hospitality we experienced through this trip, reminded me of the reasons why India is so incredible (Cue Incredible India commercial). India has so much to offer, it's breadth of history and culture is mind-boggling (or as Indians would say mind-blasting)!
