Did you think I fell off the blogging bandwagon? Well, I did take a bit of a sabbatical. We'll blame it on the jet lag.
My trip to India was full of a lot of "firsts," starting with my first flight on a propeller plane.
India is incredible, and unlike anywhere I've ever been before. Previous to this trip, I hadn't gone anywhere that was considered "Eastern." I had been to Western Europe and various places in Central America, but I didn't realize how different an Eastern culture would be until I saw it for myself. It was eye-opening.
People of India
Below are some of my favorite people in India. This photo was taken during one of our video shoots on the trip, and I shared this image on Instagram with the caption "These people are brilliant, wise, humble, and hilarious," and I believe it to be true of everyone in the photo. Our Indian friends felt like family within a few hours!
Okay, enough about my Indian friends. Indian people in general seem to be very hospitable and well-educated. Many people speak (and write) 3 or 4 languages fluently, and there are several hundred languages that are spoken in India. Wooooow! Here are some school kiddos who are currently learning languages.
Currency of India
Indian currency is called the rupee, and 1,000 rupees is a little more than $16. I think their currency is so pretty! There is an image of Gandhi on the back of each note.
Cuisine of India
Prior to visiting Kolkata, I had never had Indian food! Not even in the States. So, there's the whole "rice and curry" thing, but I am pretty wimpy about spicy food, so I didn't eat a lot of it. I did learn some about drinks in India.
Indian lime soda was the first thing I ordered when I got to Kolkata (my brand-new friends were gracious enough to tip me off to what was good), and I loved it! You can order the lime soda either sweet or salty, but I was hooked on the sweet after one sip.
Another common drink in India is chai. (Side note: Indian nationals will laugh at you if you call it "chai tea," it is simply chai. Learned this one from experience!) Many Indian people drink tea rather than coffee. There are lots of places to buy chai on the street. You get the chai in a little clay cup, which you break on the street after you are finished with it. This is the way the cups are disposable, so you always know you received a new, clean cup!
I'm off to dream about chai and lime soda, but I'll be back soon with part two!
My trip to India was full of a lot of "firsts," starting with my first flight on a propeller plane.
India is incredible, and unlike anywhere I've ever been before. Previous to this trip, I hadn't gone anywhere that was considered "Eastern." I had been to Western Europe and various places in Central America, but I didn't realize how different an Eastern culture would be until I saw it for myself. It was eye-opening.
People of India
Okay, enough about my Indian friends. Indian people in general seem to be very hospitable and well-educated. Many people speak (and write) 3 or 4 languages fluently, and there are several hundred languages that are spoken in India. Wooooow! Here are some school kiddos who are currently learning languages.
Currency of India
Indian currency is called the rupee, and 1,000 rupees is a little more than $16. I think their currency is so pretty! There is an image of Gandhi on the back of each note.
Cuisine of India
Prior to visiting Kolkata, I had never had Indian food! Not even in the States. So, there's the whole "rice and curry" thing, but I am pretty wimpy about spicy food, so I didn't eat a lot of it. I did learn some about drinks in India.
Indian lime soda was the first thing I ordered when I got to Kolkata (my brand-new friends were gracious enough to tip me off to what was good), and I loved it! You can order the lime soda either sweet or salty, but I was hooked on the sweet after one sip.
Another common drink in India is chai. (Side note: Indian nationals will laugh at you if you call it "chai tea," it is simply chai. Learned this one from experience!) Many Indian people drink tea rather than coffee. There are lots of places to buy chai on the street. You get the chai in a little clay cup, which you break on the street after you are finished with it. This is the way the cups are disposable, so you always know you received a new, clean cup!
I'm off to dream about chai and lime soda, but I'll be back soon with part two!
Oh I am terribly jealous!
ReplyDeleteThough I'm traveling myself right now, it's the same as you said - they are "western" countries in Europe. Which are fabulous, of course. But I'm longing for a taste of something entirely different, which I figure would be Eastern countries like India, or the Asias. That last photo has such wonderful colours, looks like you had quite the experience!
Just came across your blog and I love it! Love the pictures of India- although I was born and raised in Canada, my background is Indian and often find people either love it or hate it when they visit...glad your trip was lovely! Gorgeous pictures as well :)
ReplyDeleteThose are some great pictures. You should consider stepping into photography
ReplyDeleteThat's so flattering! Thank you. :)
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