India 2018
Off onto another adventure with Shannon and Shail. This time to India where I will get to see so many amazing things plus I get to be a part of an authentic Indian wedding. Come along on this awesome journey.
Monday 1/29
My wonderful mother got up at 5am to come over and take me to the train station. I picked Newark Airport because I thought that the train stopped right at the airport. Wrong! It stops in Newark, but then I had to figure out how to actually get to the airport on the metro. Then I had to get on the Airtrain to get me to the terminal - nothing is ever easy as I think!
I was bringing along some of Shannons stuff that she didn't have room for when she was in the states last October.
My huge suitcase weighed a ton! Well not actually - it was 65 pounds. The weight limit for a bag is 50 pounds so I had to take stuff out of my big suitcase and transfer it into another bag. One that I had bought specifically for this purpose - it folded flat to fit into my suitcase because I knew I wouldn't need it on the way back! 2 bags are free on international flights...Btw - I never have this much stuff when I travel!
I thought I had planned plenty of time but there was such a long line..ugh. Luckily I had checked in on line so I got to move to a shorter line but as Murphy's law has it, I got behind a group of travelers that apparently were having a problem so it took me at least 15 minutes in this line to get to the front.
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Before traveling to India, everyone must apply for an Indian Visa to be admitted to the country and I thought I had done it right... but no...I didn't print out the right paper, and only found out when I was checking in - epic fail!! I was scared that I wouldn't be allowed to go.
Luckily, the agents at the desk were awesome and printed it out for me, however this also took another 20 minutes.
By this time, I had to get through security and walk all the way to my gate. I made it with about 45 minutes to spare to grab a bite. The 14 hour flight to Mumbai was uneventful except that it was long and boring.
When we got into Mumbai, the 2 hour layover turned into going through customs and TSA again, and then right back on to the plane - this time only 2 hour flight and I finally arrived in Delhi where Shannon and Shail were waiting for me.
We took an OLA (like an Uber, but cheaper) back to their apartment in Gurgaon. It was so cute and they had decorated with some adorable furniture. I had my own room with the most comfortable bed and my own bathroom. I was living in luxury!
Wednesday 1/31
Shannon had to work today so I decided to go out exploring. I didn't have an internet card yet and I needed to go to a bank to get some money out so I mapped out the route beforehand and just used my map/GPS. Of course, that never works and I ended up walking all around for hours, starting out in the wrong direction and finally ending up at the bank only to be told by the guards that all the banks were closed today because it was a holiday! Go figure.
I then walked towards the mall area, which again seemed to take me forever, taking turns that didn't seem to go where I thought they should. I could finally see the malls across the street!
Oh my, I now had to cross this very busy street, no break in traffic, wait, there is a little one, nope, they are coming fast so I watched the locals do it and now its run like hell and dodge in between the 4 lanes of traffic and oh no...please don't hit me!!
With my heart racing, I finally made it - oh crap, NO, this is only half way across...here we go again! To the other side - yea I made it alive!
Apparently pedestrians have NO rights and no one will stop for you! I eventually learned some tricks that made it easier - I'll tell you about this later.
I did a little shopping and finally found a bank that was compatible with my ATM card, but it was across the street. Oh my ...back across the death trap! I had to get some cash so that I could take the Ola back to the house because I was tired of walking.
I asked the guy how much to go to where I pointed on the map - the apartment – it was about a 5 minute ride. He said 100 rupees which is about $1.50 so I said ok but I had to go get change. I'll be right back. When I got back the original guy wasn't there so I asked the other one, he was standing right there when I asked the original guy the price, and I tried to give him the money and he waved me off. I got in, expecting a short ride but he had no idea where to go and ended up stopping to ask 3 times.
I wasn’t exactly sure of where we were going but I had a pretty good idea. Anyway, I had him stop about halfway down the street since I didn't exactly remember the house number and figured I would walk the rest of the way, I remembered the gate out front and our guard.
I tried to give him the 100 rupees and he said "no its 500". I said "no way, you told me it was 100", he said "ok just give me all the money you have" and I looked at him and said "take this or nothing" and I shoved 200 rupees at him and started walking the rest of the way to the apartment. Yes...I know...I should have given him only 100 for his arrogance, but I didn't want to get into an altercation on my first day in India!
When I told Shannon and Shail about this later that evening, they were furious and told me that the ride should have only cost about 30 rupees, which was about 50 cents. Oh well...my first rip off lesson of the trip!
Farzi Twist was enjoyable and their menu was packed full of clever sayings and our check was brought to us in the typewriter.
I wanted to take the kids out to dinner tonight and Shannon and I decided to go into Cyber Hub to look for a restaurant. Shail was working and met up with us later.
Cyber Hub is a big business complex with lots of restaurants and shops. We decided on a cute place called Farzi. Shannon and I were starving so we ordered an appetizer to hold us over until Shail got there. When we decided on food, we had no idea what it was we were ordering, but it ended up being all good. This place was so cute and the food was presented in the most wonderful way.
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Thursday 2/1
Shannon and I took the metro into Delhi to do some shopping for some clothes for the wedding. Going to the markets is an experience in itself. There is absolutely no “just looking”. As soon as you even take a little interest in anything, actually if you even just look at them, they are on you, “What can I show you?’, “Come in, look at what we have.” “This would look great on you.”, etc.
Needless to say, anyone who knows me, knows I am not of a fan of "shopping". Shannon, on the other hand, loves to look and make everyone show her all their stuff. After about 2 hours of this, I had had enough, although, I knew that if I was going to survive, I needed to just go with it, smile and say no and just keep moving, which I learned to do as we went to other markets during our trip.
We found some really cute Kurtas and scarves and some other items. We got mani/pedi's and had tea and lunch at The Big Chill Café. This was upstairs away from the hustle and bustle of the market. It was a Hollywood themed cafe and of course we had to take pictures, but the waiter quickly came over and told us that no pictures were allowed. Luckily we got some good ones before we were found out.
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Friday 2/2
Shannon worked again today so I went with her in the morning to the metro station and I went into Delhi alone on an adventure.
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I ended up just walking around and taking in the essence that was Delhi and making mental notes for when Shannon came with me.
At one point a couple asked to take my picture with them – HUH? Why in the world would they want my picture?
I found out later that we, as Americans, were like celebrities to them. I got many stares as I was walking around. I tried to ignore it, but sometimes it was uncomfortable. Now I know what celebrities go through!
Saturday 2/3
We got up at the crack of dawn to get to the train station for our 6 hour ride to Ajmer. We got into town around 5 and went right to Shail’s parent’s house. We were greeted warmly and enjoyed a cup of Chi tea, the first of many. A few relatives started arriving towards evening. I could tell that this was going to be fun.
Sunday 2/4
Shannon and I went into the market in Ajmer in search of bangles for our wedding outfits. We had a great time searching for the “perfect” bangle set.
Shannon is a very particulate shopper. She looks at everything to find just the right item at the best price. She must have looked at hundreds of bangles and finally found a shop that would make up a set for us. They looked great and would look spectacular on our arms.
So...even though we were told – well not me, but Shannon knew better – but that still didn't stop us - there are lots of cows roaming the streets so I said:
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“Hey, Shannon, take a picture of me with this cow.”
One of the guys in the market stall was feeding it and I wanted a picture of the cow with me so I “snuck” in beside him. The guy swatted his butt and the cow moved and pushed into me. Of course that didn’t stop me. I smiled while Shannon snapped photos. Well, that cow decided he didn’t want to be any part of this and head butted me with his horn. He got me right in the side and fortunately it didn’t hurt or impale me.
We laughed hysterically as we walked away while all the locals had their mouths open in shock and asking if I was ok.
Dumb tourists!
By the time we got back to the house, a lot more relatives had arrived. I was introduced to them all, but I just couldn’t keep track of everyone. Mats and blankets were brought in to accommodate everyone and a kitchen was set up on the second floor balcony with some wonderful ladies to prepare all the food for the coming week.
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About 35 people were guests in the house and it was so wonderful to be able to enjoy the festivities. Some of these people had not seen each other in a while so I enjoyed watching them interact. Even though I didn’t speak Hindi, there were quite a lot who spoke English. Music was put on and we had a dance party and so much fun.
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Monday 2/5
We all woke up and hung around the house until afternoon when it was time to start the wedding functions. Today was the first procession down to the temple for blessings. Two guys arrived at the house with drums and played as we all waked down the street and then back to the house for more dancing.
Tuesday 2/6
Today was like yesterday. Another procession down to the temple and back to the house for dancing.
I am just so thrilled to be here to experience this awesome event.
Wednesday 2/7
Shannon and I went into Pushkar, a little town just up the way from the house. We got sucked into going to the lake to get blessed and then they asked for money, lots of money. They couldn't understand why we didn't want to give them money since they took us to the water and blessed us. The thing was - they kinda found us walking the street and maneuvered us down there, taking no for an answer when we tried to not go! We got a little testy and ended up walking away.
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 Pushkar |  Beet salad for lunch |
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 Overlooking the lake |  Chaos that is the street! |
 Beautiful Door |  Camel just waiting to take someone for a ride. |
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We had a full band accompany us on our walk to the temple today and this time, Frooty did not go with us. When we got back to the house, there was more porch dancing and then we all went inside for Mehndi.
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Mehndi is a celebration for the ladies, which is a form of body art. Mehndi artists came into the house and used a paste made from dried henna leaves to paint intricate patterns on the hands of us and also the feet of Frooty.
The designs were intricate and beautiful. The henna is drawn onto the body and left on to dry and then peeled off to leave the designs on the skin.
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Today was also the Haldi Ceremony.
This is where the married women take turns rubbing a mixture of turmeric, oil, and water into the skin and clothes of the bride. A priest is also brought in to perform blessings on the bride. Everything is taken out of the room and it is set up for this special ceremony.
Thursday 2/8
The bus arrived this morning to take us all to the hotel for two nights for the wedding celebrations.
The special concoction that is used in the Haldi Ceremony is supposed to simultaneously bless the bride and moisturize their skin.
This ceremony is meant to delineate the bride from her former life and prepare her for their new one. After this ceremony, the bride is not allowed to leave the house and may not do any chores. She is to be waited on for her every need.
Most people believe that the reason for applying haldi is to ward off evil spirits from affecting the bride and the groom. This is why the bride and groom are usually not allowed to leave their home after the haldi ceremony, till their wedding.
The engagement ceremony is the first of 2 functions today.
This was also exciting for Shannon and me, because we finally get to wear our Sarees. I tried wrapping mine but it was such a mess that we had to go find help!
The engagement ceremony is a pre-wedding ritual where the bride and groom come face to face and are formally betrothed to each other by their families.
During the ceremony the fathers of both the bride and the groom vouch for the virtues of their child and make a formal announcement to all the party guests that their children will marry and their families will be joined.
This also involves the groom’s family giving their words to the bride’s family that they will accept their daughter and will be responsible for her future wellbeing. It is sort of an exchange of pledges between the families and a chance of getting to know each other’s customs or rituals.
The bride and the groom exchanged rings during this party to solidify their engagement.
Many gifts are also exchanged between the bride and grooms families. There is plenty of food and tables are set up outside where we are served with delicious food.
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Frooty and Dhruv looked amazing.
 Frooty and Dhruv at the engagement ceremony |  Shannon and Friends |
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 Chitra guarding the gifts |  Shannon having fun |
 Delicious Food |  All the food you can eat. These guys kept coming around trying to get us to eat - finally I had to say "no more"! |
Tonight is the ladies Sangeet. This is a wonderful party where friends and family perform songs and dances on stage to celebrate the union. This was so much fun with so much talent.
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Friday 2/9 Wedding Day
The wedding kicks off with the Baraat, the all-singing all-dancing wedding procession of the groom and his family.
Dhruv came riding in on a beautiful decorated white horse as live music is played by a band and dancing by his friends and family as they walk along.
Frooty and Dhruv are brought together by the pool for the ceremony.
The ceremony begins as the priest, groom, bride and bride's parents sit beneath a canopy called a mandap.
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The bride and groom both repeat the prayers spoken by the priest. These are usually promises to be humble and faithful to God and each other.
 Dhruv arriving on the white horse. |  Waiting for Frooty to Arrive |
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 Band playing for Dhruv |  Looking Handsome! |
 The wedding ceremony |  Frooty and Dhruv |
The ceremony took a few hours and when it was over, we all looked forward to the reception later that evening.
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We had time to rest a little and then we had to change into our wedding reception Sarees. Shannon wore the traditional Rajastani dress (a beautiful skirt and tunic with a shear wrap) and again, I tried to do my saree
(I insisted that I had watched the other ladies enough times to be able to do it!) and failed! Off to the bridal suite for some expert help.
My lame attempt at wrapping my Saree!
At the beginning of the reception, Frooty was walked in to the area under a canopy carried by her brother and cousins.
She looked so beautiful.
Frooty and Dhruv sat up on stage while friends and relatives came up to congratulate them and take pictures.
 Frooty getting ready. |  Beautiful Bride |
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 Frooty being escorted in |  |
 Escorting Frooty into the reception. |  Family Selfie |
At the end of the reception, a long table was set up for the families to sit down together for a meal.
I felt so special that I was a part of this dinner. We ate so much and had a wonderful time.
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Reception pictures.
Saturday 2/10
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This day marks the end of the wedding celebration for the brides side of the family.
Before they left, Dhruv and Frooty played a series of wedding games .
One of the popular games they played was having the couple compete to find a ring at the bottom of a pot filled with colored or milky water. It's best out of three. Another game has them tied together at the wrist, and they must work together to untie each knot.
Now it is time to say goodbye to the couple as they leave to go to Dhruv’s family house.
Sunday 2/11
Today we leave Ajmer to go to Dhruv’s town for the groom’s reception. It was a long 4 hour drive but very fun. Bol and Chitra rode with us. We got to the hotel and got ready for the groom’s reception.
The venue was set up with food and fun. Frooty and Dhruv sat up on stage where everyone came up and congratulated them.
Family Picture
Waiting for the festivities to begin
End of the night family dinner.
All fun times must come to an end. Goodbye for now
Monday 2/12
Loaded up the car from the hotel and stopped at Dhruv's house for a family breakfast. So much delicious food and wonderful hospitality. It was such a wonderful end of a lovely week.
Our next stop was Chitor Fort.
Click on India 2 for our adventures at the fort and more.
