Consigned Design: Long Flights and India Nights

Well, we survived! Our trip to India was quiet the adventure....

Where to start? I'm not going to go into full detail of every day, because I could write a book about our trip. But, I will say that we were full of emotion from the time we landed in Delhi to the time we took off. It's overwhelming for a not so seasoned traveler. And by that, I mean I LOVE to travel but I've only gone a few places. I love throwing myself into the different day to day activities of other cultures. I've hung out with the natives of Costa Rica in their local bars, I've walked high street morning and night of a small British village to pick up a pastry for breakfast or a bottle of wine and some fish and chips for the night's meal. I've danced to the music of the Dominican and taken shots of the most awful tasting liquor I have ever tasted, but the locals always insisted. But I didn't consider myself seasoned, until this trip.

The flights were long....very long. After traveling for 22 hours, Hubs and I were ready for a nap. But first we had to fight the morning's traffic back to our hotel room. Wow! I thought Houston traffic was bad but boy was I wrong. Traffic signs and laws are just suggestions...cars going anyway they please. But the funny part is, I think the traffic moved a little better than Houston traffic. If you get in a grid lock, you just push your way through the crowd, tap on your horn to let people know you are there, and come out on the other side. Cows in your way? No worries, just give them a little nudge...they'll move! Ha! So amusing, but it works. Finally we reach our destination and we immediately started in on the wedding festivities. The ceremony's for India weddings are like nothing you could ever imagine. The rituals are filled with the most wonderful colors, unforgettable scents, and some of the most genuine people I have ever met. The food was bold and full of flavor and the music wouldn't let you sit still. Everyone was constantly making sure we were comfortable, we couldn't have asked for a better experience. Oh, and if you want to taste Indian food, find a wedding to go to - I thought my family liked to eat but our meals are nothing compared to these all night feasts!

The poverty in the city was a hard pill to swallow, but that just comes with it. I don't think I fully understood poor until I walked the streets of India. And honestly, Hubs and I were a little uncomfortable until some of our new friends took us out shopping around the markets and we learned more about our surroundings. Yes, it's poor, and yes kids are begging for food and money right along side the dogs roaming the streets, but they survive, they make it work. It's really beautiful to see families working so hard together and seeing how much love and support they have for each other. We learned quiet a bit walking the streets of Ghaziabad. We learned that the coconut water and fruit juices are amazingly fresh and completely take over your taste buds, that you can bargain for anything, and we also learned to love riding on the back of a rickshaw (picture below - basically an over sized basket on the back of a bicycle).

I would say the most stressful day of our trip was when we set out to see the Taj Mahal. Agra is an interesting city that sits about 150 miles south of New Delhi. Kind of quaint but at the same time it's a busy busy place! Monkeys are EVERYWHERE. I saw more monkeys in the middle of the city of Agra than I did in the rain forest of Costa Rica. And they were very mischievous! Did you know that the Taj Mahal (translates to the Crown Palace - one of many things I learned!) isn't out in the middle of no where? I always thought it was! But it sits in the middle of Agra. Once we got onto the grounds, we were overwhelmed with the amount of people wanting to help us. After meeting our tour guide, picking our ride into the park (camel or golf cart? Which would you choose?), and buying our entry tickets, we were walked through the most amazing gates and finally got our first glimpse of the white gem. It nearly takes your breath away. Gorgeous! We were very thankful for our tour guide as he really helped with picture taking and showing us around the property. That was our last day in India. On the drive back to Delhi, Steven and I were reflecting on our trip and all the memories we made with our new friends. We had some minor "bumps" in the road on the way back to Delhi that day....that lead to a complete meltdown later on....but we made it and we were SO ready to catch that plane home...oh, and eat some pizza!!

We will never forget the experience we had in India. The food, the people, and most of all the memories we will have for a lifetime. Below are some pictures of our trip. I hope you enjoy!