A year ago, I left my heart in India…

Have you ever felt, almost like a need to visit a country?

I cannot explain this, but there are two places that I always felt like a special ‘connection’ to. When I was five years old and my parents asked me what I’d like as a present for my sixth birthday, I replied with a trip to Scotland! It sounds like a ridiculous demand from a five-year-old. I was fortunate enough that my parents actually obliged! I still remember that trip and Scotland still holds a very special place in my heart. Another dream came true last year when I finally got to visit Mother India! This destination had been on my bucket list since my teen years, and it took a drunken night with a friend to finally get me to go (… erm, but that’s another story). I’ve been meaning to publish this post since that time, but on our one-year anniversary since the trip, I’m reminiscing on the memories, and I thought I should finally share them.

Whilst acknowledging that the places we visited were truly remarkable, I think that what I found most fascinating was the love, respect, and hospitality shown to us by even complete strangers. We were particularly lucky to be hosted by a family who, not only welcomed us into their home but treated us like part of their family. Upon arrival, we were picked up from the airport and found flowers waiting for us in the car. Our host, Savvy, told us, “These are from a friend.” We were totally surprised, thinking, ‘Why would someone send flowers to people they’ve never met?’ But again, that just goes to show how truly welcomed we were. This is just one example, but the level of hospitality that we experienced throughout our trip and by anyone we met was something I’ve never experienced before.

Something else that left quite an impact was the food (and its abundance). There wasn’t a single meal that we managed to finish. Each dish we tried was so soulful and rich. The spices just tickle your tastebuds in a completely different way. One thing that really impressed me is that I was actually feeling healthier with the food we were eating. Of course nothing beats the homecooked meals prepared by a mother’s love! Same goes for the Chai. One other thing that I’ve been missing are a certain square-shaped pistachio biscuits. (If anyone knows where I can buy them from in Malta, please let me know.)

But what did we actually see and do?

Bear in mind that we only had a week there, so we were very restricted with time, and the trip definitely left me longing to discover more, but this is what we managed to ‘fit in’, in this short timeframe.

The infamous Taj Mahal

Seeing the building upclose and personal, and stepping inside it leaves you truly mesmerised by its grandeur. But I have to admit, getting to it as we made our way through the incredibly narrow streets of Agra, was quite a culture shock that gave me a bit of anxiety. We had tractors, children on motor bikes, cows and donkeys coming towards us… not to mention the stares we got being three white people with one Indian in the car. I think we shocked the locals just as much as we were shocked by the street culture. But once we entered the grounds of the Taj, it felt like we were transported into another world. It’s difficult to describe how majestic this building truly is. Just the thought of it being built so long ago with limited technological advancements, and the relatively short time it took to complete, is truly mind blowing.

Keeping in mind that Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned this as a symbol of love for his wife, makes you wonder can someone actually love somebody so much, or was it actually portraying his insecurities? Either way, and despite the controversy he created, which is still a hot potato, no one can deny the architectural splendour of this marble mausoleum.

I do wish that we could have experienced it in a quieter setting with less people around, but I guess I can’t exactly expect to have the place all to myself!

One truly weird and embarrassing experience for me was becoming as much of an attraction as the Taj. Not only am I white but I’m also sporting this incredibly bright red hair which seems to have rather fascinated the locals. People kept stopping both Sarah and I to take photos with us, but I had what seemed like a whole class of students ask me for photos. I felt rude saying no, but I also felt really shy with all the attention.

Jaipur – experiencing the food, culture and elephants!

The restaurants we visited were absolutely fabulous. Unfortunately, I didn’t take all their names to share them here. One interesting culinary experience was at Choki Dhani, in Jaipur. We walked into this beautiful fort with an artisan market in its centre, but we instantly made our way to the restaurant. We took off our shoes and washed our hands before walking inside and sat on the floor around a table. We were handed a big, round, empty plate, and around 6 small bowls and all of a sudden food just started pouring into our plate… quite literally… and it wouldn’t stop. We didn’t have a clue what we were eating, so Savvy kept explaining to us, but honestly, it didn’t really matter because everything we tried was like fireworks for our senses – an explosion of flavours, smells and textures, that just blended perfectly together.

Following dinner we visited the artisan market that had magicians, potter makers, weavers, traditional dancers, even elephant rides. Sarah and I bought a small perfume from there, made from the essence of flowers, herbs, spices and other natural ingredients and blended together with oils. No artificial scents. No alcohol! I got a Rose Musk, I believe it is. It smells absolutely incredible and it just lasts on your skin! I’m already dreading not getting more because I’m quite sure it’s going to run out way too soon! (I’ve been trying to savour it and only use it on very rare occasions, but it is almost finished. If anyone is reading this and has access to this perfume, please send some over 😛)

Mentioning elephants, what I think was the most memorable experience from this trip came on our second day in Jaipur, and that was indeed spending a few hours with elephants, in an elephant reserve. I had my reservations about elephant rides, but boy am I glad that the gang convinced me to do it. That experience was truly magical! I felt so at peace as the elephants took us around their sanctuary, and being so close to these magnificent creatures in all their grandeur, makes you feel like a tiny mouse. Yet they show you utmost love and care and they just leave you in awe of their gentleness. I think they’re the true definition of ‘friendly giant’. I dare say this was one of the best experiences of my life, and sharing it with Sarah, Savvy and Mike, made it all the more special.

The Sheesh Mahal, within the Amber Fort in Rajasthan, was another spectacle! This ‘Palace of Mirrors’ was built around the time that the Knights of St John were in Malta, but the architectural structure encompasses a whole other level of beauty, and the engineering skills are unbelievable for their time. Apparently they even had ways to have running hot water for their baths! The views are breathtaking, as are the gardens. I just cannot describe this splendour in words.

Back to New Delhi…

The visit to Swaminarayan Akshardam back in New Delhi is also worth quite a mention. I don’t have photos of this temple because visitors are not allowed to have phones or cameras inside. Whilst this worried me a little, in case we get lost in the crowd, it was actually wonderful to be completely cut off for a while. Again the architecture and sculpture of this temple is out of this world! Walking the grounds, learning about its history and about it being built as a tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, who’s story reminded me of Mother Theresa (having been brought up with Christian faith), rather fascinated me.

Visiting the village where Savvy’s family comes from was another incredibly enriching experience. Seeing life in a traditional rural village that differs quite significantly from urban city life was rather humbling. Experiencing ‘pet cows’ in the back yard’; a basil tree that is actually considered a god, and that is covered with a beautiful veil and worshipped; trying home-baked snacks; meeting the village women who will not show their face outside of their homes; and trying sugar cane (and understanding why elephants love it so much).

Weddings and family time…

Two of the most memorable moments for me, that I’ll definitely keep treasuring were actually very family oriented. The first was when we were attending a local wedding, and Savvy’s mum came personally to dress Sarah and myself in traditional Sarees. She literally brought bags of outfits out for us to try on, picked an outfit for each of us, and taught us how to wear it. No outfit is complete without accessories, so she literally brought us everything from jewellery, to a bindi and even shoes! Like that wasn’t kind and generous enough, when she finished dressing us she turned to us (and with the help of a little interpreter) told us, “Everything you have on right now, you’re taking home with you.” This is the same woman who had been cooking for us and spoiling us all week. Clearly her kindness, generosity and love know no bounds!

On the final day of our trip when Mrs Gaur came to bid us farewell, I had a very emotional moment which is probably the moment when my heart was stolen and kept safely in India. Whilst trying to thank her with gestures, more than language, to show her how truly appreciative I was for her kindness and for welcoming and accepting us into her household and her family, Mrs Gaur hugged me tightly, and after, she grabbed my hands in both hands and kissed my forehead in the tenderest of ways that transferred love that I haven’t experienced in a very long time (probably since my Grams was alive). Even thinking about this moment brought back tears to my eyes (and reminded me of how much I’m missing this incredible family), let alone what I truly felt in that moment.

Since we mentioned the wedding… my oh my, that was an otherworldly experience! We believe that we have big weddings in Malta because the average couple would probably have around 500 guests. In India it seems that a normal wedding would have 5000 guests! I swear, I never saw such a massive buffet table (erm I mean tableS) in my life! And the outfits! We felt like we were at an Indian fashion show, each dress being more stunning than the previous one we’d have just seen! As we were leaving the wedding, we were given a ‘little token of appreciation’ – this massive box of traditional sweet treats. (Mum and I only opened it on 13th December. They’re absolutely delicious, but this box is soooo big, the sweets are never ending! I get a sugar rush just thinking about it!)

Another special memory (or memories) is the time we spent with Savvy’s niece (apart from his sisters), and our little Hindi lessons. I have to admit that Aashvi absolutely stole our hearts from the first few minutes that we spent with her. She’s a bubble of energy and yet the politest, most respectful and highly intelligent girl I’ve seen in a very long time. It was genuinely such a pleasure chatting with her, even though she’s just 11. I’ve failed to mention what an incredible teacher she is! As the nerd that I am, I still look at my notes every now and then, to make sure I don’t forget the few words and statements that we learnt.

I think the one slight personal disappointment is that we didn’t have time to visit Rishikesh! This was quite a high priority on my ‘to visit’ list. Unfortunately our limited time just didn’t permit it. That is only encouraging me to start saving up and planning my next visit, however. There are way too many places I’m interested to see, to consider this as my one and only visit to India… and if I’m perfectly honest, a few souls touched my heart way too much not to see them again.

One person that hasn’t been mentioned enough is the man who although I only got to know on this trip became like my sidekick (or perhaps I was his… either way, we were spending a heck of a lot time together). Mike is another great soul and I feel honoured and blessed to have gotten to know him. Moreover, he was a personal photographer on the trip (aren’t we lucky?!). So all the incredible and wonderfully edited photos you see in this post are because we literally had a professional photographer with us! All the ‘less amazing’ photos, are ones we either took each time we ‘borrowed’ Mike’s camera, or ones we took with our phones. Nonetheless, it was super fun playing around with a camera, so thank you Mike… and thank you for the great company and friendship! 😉