Returning to India After a Decade

Taj Mahal, India 2015

India is located in South Asia and is home to the world’s largest population with over 1.5 billion people! India is a huge subcontinent with 28 states covering deserts, Himalayan mountains, some of the world’s largest cities, and about 5,000 miles of coast. India was colonized by Great Britain and gained their independence in 1947. The most commonly spoken language is Hindi but there are 22 official languages in India. English is commonly spoken as well. Out of everywhere we have traveled, India has been the easiest to navigate as far as the lack of language barrier most of the time. India is the most multilingual country in the world with 121 languages spoken and over 19,500 dialects. Hinduism is practiced by the majority of the population (79.8%) followed by Islam (14.2%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.7%), Buddhism (0.7%), and Jainism (0.4%). Their cuisine is my absolute favorite with all of their bold spices - some of which will set your mouth on fire! Their culture is so unique, so distinct, and in a lot of ways, quite different from what I’m used to back home. Travel in India is not for everyone as it can be chaotic and overwhelming at times, but I love it and hope to return every decade of my life forever. 

I’ve been dreaming of my return to India since the day I left back in 2016. When I was 18, I took a “gap year” in between high school and college to spend 5 months living and volunteering in a suburb of Delhi. It was the most transformational experience I’ve ever had and I left knowing I’d return one day. That day finally happened and the best part is that I got to share it with Atticus.

First snack in India, a samosa of course

Our journey began in Mumbai, India’s most densely populated city that lies on the western coast of the subcontinent. Mumbai is home to Bollywood (their version of Hollywood), Asia’s largest slum, and most of India’s wealthiest citizens. One of my good friends lives here, which is why we chose to start our adventure in Mumbai! We checked into our hostel and immediately had a series of odd interactions with the staff. I had warned Atticus of strange behavior that we’d likely encounter but didn’t expect to experience it so soon lol. There was a significant language barrier but we think the 2 men checking us in were trying to gauge Atticus and I’s relationship status. I wish I could explain the situation better but it was kind of a “you had to be there” moment. After we parted ways with the staff, we took a seat on Atticus’s bed and Atticus took off his shirt because it was very hot. Not even 15 seconds later, one of the staff members abruptly entered the room, pointed to the security camera in the corner and said “you are on CCTV” then again, in broken English, tried to figure out if we were siblings or dating. He totally thought we were about to do the unthinkable right there in the public 12-bed mixed dorm hostel room LOL. After a rocky night of sleep, we found a nearby cafe for some coffee, but we had to play the most intense game of real life frogger in order to get there. Out of all the places we’ve been, the traffic here is the most insane by far. I actually got hit by a car back in 2015. I was running from a monkey and ran into the street without looking both ways. The craziest part was that the driver didn’t even get out of the car to see if I was okay nor did any bystanders react after I was knocked to the ground… which I guess goes to show that traffic collisions, even pedestrian ones, are quite common here. Luckily, I was okay and only walked away with a little road rash and some bruising.

"Tuk Tuk" or "Auto" / "Auto Rickshaw", very common form of transportation

After some caffeine, we took a tuk tuk to meet my friend, Himani, who I hadn’t seen in 9 years! To be honest, I was a bit nervous about this reunion. I was only 18 years old when we met and I feel like a different person after almost a decade, so I didn’t know what to expect. But we reunited and it was like no time had passed. We picked up where we left off so naturally. Friendships like this are so special. I also got to meet her sister for the first time and if you didn’t know the 3 of us and saw us together, you would’ve thought we were all lifelong best friends. We spent all of our time in Mumbai with them. Himani’s sister, Gunjan, is a chef and cooked us the best homemade Indian food! The first day we caught up on the past decade and I learned about Himani’s new career as a flight attendant. It felt SO good to have some quality girl time. To end the day, we went to a very nice part of town where Bollywood stars frequent and had a delicious meal of India food and also the best fish and chips we've ever had!

Gunjan & Himani <3

The next morning we decided to ditch our hostel after a couple nights of rough sleep and weird vibes from the staff. Our decision was finalized when the hostel manager approached Atticus in the bathroom while he was shaving and showed him a message on Google translate that said “you pay now.” First of all, we offered to pay on arrival and second of all, why did he decide to approach Atticus in the bathroom of all places? SO strange. It only gets weirder… We packed our bags and went to pay knowing they’d still charge us the full amount for 4 nights even though we only stayed for 2. We still asked but the answer was no. THEN the hostel manager followed us into our room and asked for a tip. Like dude, we just overpaid and now you want a tip? I told him no and explained that we paid 4 nights and stayed for 2, so we’re definitely not giving extra money. He then stood there and watched us finish up packing our bags. We were so stoked to get the heck out of there. Just to clarify, none of the staff’s behavior ever felt threatening or dangerous. It was simply just weird. Very weird. Luckily, we were able to find the whole situation quite comical. 

We booked an Airbnb that was much closer to my friends’ apartment - a 15 minute walk versus a 35 minute tuk tuk ride. The building looked condemned from the outside but the apartment inside was beautiful, clean, and cozy! We were so happy with this switch. 

We met up with Himani and Gunjan and had another delicious home cooked meal- our favorite, butter chicken! We learned that this dish is typically only enjoyed in restaurants because it’s so much work to make, so the fact that she made it meant the world to us. 

Later in the day once it cooled down, we went into the center of Mumbai and saw the “Gateway of India” then watched the sunset along the coast at a popular viewing spot with dozens of other people. We stood out among all the locals and Atticus got to experience all of the stares for the first time. For those who don’t know, it’s very common for white people to get stared at in India. If you look at someone staring at you, they usually don’t stop. They just continue staring shamelessly. It’s one of many things I don’t quite understand about their culture. After the sun set, we went to a great spot the girls knew of for some chai and street food. Then we check out Colaba Market, also known as “Fashion Street” before having dinner at, Leopold Cafe, a restaurant that's been in business since 1871! 

The next day was Holi, a Hindu festival that marks the beginning of spring. It’s also known as the “Festival of Colors” and is celebrated by throwing colored powder and water. Last time I was in India, I left a couple weeks before Holi and really regretted missing out, so to get to spend it with my friends was such a treat. Himani’s boyfriend, Tarun, joined us and Gunjan made us a special lunch with a really unique Indian dish I had totally forgotten about: Dahi Ball, fried lentil fritters served in a creamy yogurt sauce full of spices. Yum!

We walked to the beach for sunset then went out for dinner and drinks at Social, a well-known chain in India. We let the girls lead the charge on what to order and they did not disappoint. We tried some “dumplings from hell” that lit us up, but we loved them! Even the girls struggled with the spice level so we were proud of ourselves. I love testing the limits of spice and Atticus enjoys it even more than me. There was a live DJ playing a mix of American and Indian hits, which was so entertaining! I love Hindi music and it was neat to see locals getting down to music I’ve been listening to since middle school. 

We had plans to do the traditional color-throwing, but we lost track of time. I was totally okay with this as I was afraid of inhaling toxic particles. It’s a good thing we didn’t partake because the next day, I came down with a respiratory infection, so I can’t imagine how much worse it would’ve been had we covered each other in artificially dyed powder. After 3 special days together, we said an emotional goodbye. Himani and Gunjan gave us the warmest welcome to India and I feel so grateful to call them my friends! I’m already looking forward to my next trip, which will probably be for their weddings! 

The next day we had to wake up pretty early to catch our flight to our next destination: Varanasi. Before heading to the airport, we wanted to part ways with a package we had been carrying around since Vietnam. It was a box of stuff we were no longer using that we compiled to lighten up our packs for the final leg of the trip. We stopped by the post office and had the most wholesome experience. We walked in and stood out like sore thumbs and clearly didn’t have an understanding of the India post system. We were approached by a friendly man who welcomed us to India and showed us which line to get in. He informed us we’d have to untape our box to show the clerk what was inside. He said he was going to take a seat and wait for us in case we needed any help. Thank goodness because we sure did need help… the post office didn’t have any tape for us to retape the box or add our shipping label (which was written on scrap paper), but this kind stranger happened to have a roll of tape on him that he generously let us use. We used quite a bit and he refused to accept any payment in return. We were blown away by his hospitality. India does have some bad apples who don’t have the best intentions- like everywhere in the world- but the sense of hospitality that a lot of Indians have is so heartwarming. 

Funny story about the box- I sent the box to my brother and sister-in-law's house and it was so beat up and falling apart by the time it arrived that the delivery driver acted concerned about the contents of the package and they had to sign for it lol.

Atticus saw a man pooping on the beach right before this was taken :-)

Bamboo scaffolding 

The sweetest reunion <3

There are Hindu temples all over India. Big, small, official, makeshift. 

Next stop: Varanasi, an ancient city along the Ganges river that serves as a pilgrimage site for Hindus. It’s the most otherworldly place I’ve ever been.