Feb 13-17, 2020

Nothing prepares you for India. It is not for the faint of heart. But now, it holds a very special place in our heart :’)

The busyness of the streets where people, taxis & rickshaws alike disregard street lanes and fight for their right to traverse the road. Uber rides that last an hour to drive a few miles cost <$5 and personal drivers are available a dime a dozen. The way to cross the street is to confidently walk despite oncoming traffic with your arm straight out. Can’t touch this!

We decided to visit India because Steven’s close friends from graduate school at IU were getting married just outside of Mumbai in a city called Pune! Attending an Indian wedding (in India no less!) has been a dream of ours and we figured this was our big chance :)

Our first meal in India, our tour guide dropped us off at an air conditioned restaurant and let us have at it. We made the newbie mistake of not asking for non-spicy dishes on the menu and ordered chicken tikka masala with biryani. Big mistake!!! Our mouths could barely take it and we chugged water, which made it worse. Turns out the kind Indian lady next to us was visiting from New York and her brother owned the restaurant. She helped recommend some non-spicy options and shuttled us some samplings from her dishes. Such a sweetheart and our stomachs so appreciated it.

The best and most impactful day in India we spent with Reality Tours & Travel on a full day Dharavi & Mumbai city tour. Dharavi is one of the largest slums in India. Why visit a slum, you might ask? Because it’s life-changing. Our tour company has an NGO arm called Reality Gives that provides families in the slums access to healthcare, education & job opportunities to make better lives for themselves. They don’t allow you to take photos to respect the privacy of the people who live there, which we absolutely respect.

Many of our Indian friends who grew up in India have never even visited the slums. The true definition of a slum: when citizens build their home on land technically owned by the government. It doesn’t actually mean the ghetto like we originally believed, although it was a very poor and crowded area. Our friends, the Jacobs, took the tour and said it changed their lives. I have to say…it did nothing short of that for us.

Over 1M people call Dharavi home. It houses tens of thousands of industries ranging from melting down plastics to make car parts to baked goods to Samsonite-like suitcases. Dharavi generates ~$600M+/year from its industries alone. Many of the people who live there are migrants from rural areas who are fighting to make a living. During flood season in the summer, they go back home and when it’s dry, they return to Dharavi to work. We have SO much respect for the people who work in slums. They live wall to wall and perform hard labor jobs just to earn <$100 USD/month.

Last year, Bollywood released the first movie ever about a boy from the slums called Gully Boy. After seeing and experiencing the slums, it was so empowering to see the boy who grew up in the slums become a rap star. We watched it on the airplane flying back from India and I think it’s one of my top 5 favorite movies.

Another really cool part of our tour was Dhobi Ghat: the world’s largest human laundromat. Constructed in 1890, people, hotels, and other businesses can take their clothes there for cleaning. Everything is washed and hung by hand under the hot summer sun and it is truly extraordinary.

We visited the home of the richest man in India (Mukesh Ambani). He has an estimated net worth of $58B and his home is the 2nd most valuable property in the world after the Buckingham Palace. It has 400,000 sq ft and employs 600+ staff to upkeep the home for his small family. Six floors are dedicated to his fleet of cars and he has his own police force that drives nicer cars than the actual Indian police.

One thing we thought we’d never do, but did, was ride the train for fun in Mumbai. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is a historic terminal train station and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Millions of people ride the train every day and it feels like family. Our tour guide said the same people intentionally sit in the same cars and will have birthday parties on board for their friends.

We spent a day in the beautiful Hill Station called Matheran for a little Valentine’s Day getaway. Hill Stations are pretty much beautiful country getaways for people who live in the bustling city of Mumbai. Matheran doesn’t allow vehicles so the only mode of transportation is walking or horse. Steven and I rode the sweetest pair of horses around the city to lovely lookout points and had butter chicken for lunch. Yum! Never felt more like a basic American, but it was delish.

After our day in Matheran, Steven surprised me with a spa experience at Myrah Spa. This was the nicest spa experience I have ever had for such an affordable price. We had a couples massage that included a foot bath and and shower afterwards that felt absolutely incredible.

We had an incredible dinner at a Burmese restaurant called Burma Burma. My favorite meal in India by far! I can’t rave enough about Burma Burma — their design, the food, the unique bubble tea…everything was impeccable and they had cute balloons everywhere for Valentine’s Day.

Avi & Devina’s wedding took place on top of a hill in Pune. Their wedding colors of orange, yellow, and pink adorned the venue and it was unforgettable! On Friday night, we attended a smaller ceremony that primarily consisted of family and friends that traveled from abroad. I got bedazzled bangles and mehndi henna as part of the fun traditions! We had a delicious Indian buffet and the night transformed into a medley of dance performances and games before we hit the hay for the big day.

We learned of a new concept known as “Indian Standard Time” where Indians arrive late to everything. Looks like all Asians are similar in that way ;) My favorite part of the wedding had to be the “Baraat” where the groom makes a slow but steady procession to his bride in the midst of his dancing friends throwing money at him with a loud drum beat in the background. In some weddings, this procession can take hours!

After the wedding, our friend, Adnan, took us on a whole day Mumbai tour! We visited Lonavala, another beautiful country getaway known for its chikki fudge.

We even ate street corn! Actually super yummy and we had some entertainment of cows crossing the street as we enjoyed.

Our friend, Adnan, took us to Juhu where he attended university. We visited the beautiful beach and drank coconuts while he had a gola (flavored shaved ice) and it felt like heaven.

India, you have a very special place in our heart. We hope to be back after this COVID craziness, to Delhi next time! :)