Exploring the Motherland (India, 2007)

This was the first trip to India that I remember and we took it during the Diwali season in my kindergarten year. My parents actually de-enrolled me for a month and enjoy the Indian festivities and then re-enrolled me when I got back.

We landed in Mumbai and saw some family members and went around the city. Diwali is the festival of light that commemorates the return of Rama and his brother Lakshmana after a 14-year exile and defeating the demon Ravana. To celebrate, we lit fireworks, which are larger and louder than their American counterparts. Next, to see more family on my mom’s side, we hopped on a 4-5 hour train ride to Vadodara in the state of Gujarat, where we lit pretty lanterns (again, lights!).

From there, our big group (family + both sets of grandparents) went to Mount Abu, a hill station with lots of nature. I remember we had to drive on mountainsides of the Aravalli Range on a pretty skinny road, which was a little anxiety-inducing. We saw the 3 padaas, which were 3 demons that used to drink ghee from the adjacdent lake (that was a ghee lake back then) but were shot by Arjuna and were cursed to turn into stone bulls to remind people of their evil nature. I remember the middle padaa having a larger hole than the others and spent weeks figuring out how that could have happened (did the arrow twist? did the bull move?). We also saw Nakki Lake, Toad Rock (affectionately called the mascot of the Mount Abu), the Adhar Devi cave temple of Arbuda, and the Dilwara Jain temples. My most vivid memory from this adventure is when my nana (maternal grandfather) and I climbed up Guru Shikar peak, the highest point of the Aravelli range at 5,560 feet (1,722 meters). I remembered we counted stairs (I counted 1000, Google says 300, so believe who you will) and made it to the top, where there’s a temple and a cave where you can do darshan, or prayer. During the climb, there was a lot of wildlife and a monkey even took my mama’s (mom’s brother’s) glasses! On the Abu trip, a lot of family members got sick in some form (normal for India trips), but I remembered I was congested so I couldn’t taste much. This led to me drinking the spiciest sambar ever that my famously spice-tolerant nana struggled with, and I felt like I had magic powers.

Unfortunately, my powers were only temporary and returned to normalcy as we got back to Vadodara. We took a short trip to Ahmedabad, another city in Gujarat to meet some more cousins and family. After relaxing in Vadodara for a couple days, we headed back to Mumbai, where we saw more of the city and went to Inorbit Mall. We had a famous Bombay Sizzler, which is like Indian fajitas, and headed back. On the second flight from JFK to DFW, I remember I fell asleep as the plane took off and woke up at landing, so it felt like a 5-minute flight. I went back to class and proudly proclaimed that our return flight took 5 minutes, and my teacher was so confused she asked my parents what had happened. Causing trouble since 2007.

Overview

• Diwali is a beautiful festival with lots of lights, food, and colors that is magnified in India. Must-see!
• Mount Abu is really pretty, but watch out for monkeys and spicy sambar!
• Sizzly food is always elite, no matter the culture