Namaste Family and Friends!
Jerad and I have been thoroughly enjoying India; the people, the culture, the food (yum), the beauty, the energy, the music, the colors (oh my, the colors). First let me explain the later:
It just so happens that Jerad and I were in India for the Holi Festival. The Holi Festival is one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals which mostly celebrates spring. It is celebrated for two days; the first night involves bonfires and rituals that symbolize the destruction of the evil demon Holika, and the next day is known as the color day and is celebrated to the extreme. Color day of Holi was like no other day or celebration of my life. Jerad and I can attest to the wild exuberance of Holi, in fact I am writing this blog with skin that is still dyed pink and hair that looks like more like a rocker's rainbow (though the dominant color is deep purple). I have scrubbed and showered and washed and washed, and I am just not sure when or if my hair or skin will ever be the same :). You must look at the pictures to get a better idea, though keep in mind that at a point in time we had to put our camera away to keep it from getting ruined...so just imagine the things we couldn't get pictures of. It was wild! Everyone throwing buckets of colored water and colored powder on each other, and the local men in particular targeting the travelers. Jerad and I were the first "victims". We came down form our room for a breakfast and thought we would be safe until we finished eating, but we were mistaken. I ended up eating pink porridge due to that fact that my face and lips were so caked with color that it went from my face to the spoon to my food. Jerad and I surrendered (you really have no choice) and laughed our way through all the madness. I was a constant target of the locals and found myself being smeared with color and doused with water every few minutes. I was able to sneak up behind and dump buckets on a few of the local guys, while Jerad was a part of the team that went after each traveler when they finally had to come out of their rooms to eat. It was very fun and we were able to combine the celebration with Jerad's b-day a little (as colors of Holi was yesterday the 22nd).
Last thing I have time to blog about at this time, is the sweet-sweet Indian family that I in particular became very close with. I do believe that when I look back on our visit to India, my new friend Meenu and her family will be what I truly remember and feel in my heart. I first got to know Meenu and her mom Chandra by taking a cooking lesson with them. It was wonderful, the three of us just sitting on the floor of their kitchen talking and making yummy dhal, chapatti, chai and kheer (rice pudding). Jerad and I spent some solid time everyday that we were in Udaipur City over at their home, myself spending more time there. I got to know Meenu really well, and had a lot of fun giggling with and playing with her son Harshal. Harshal is quite the artist, but had only pencils to "color" in his masterpieces. One of my favorite moments of this trip so far, was when Harshal took my hand to walk me down to a store to buy him some colored pencils for his birthday (which I had been trying to find all over town). He walked me down, sweetly holding my hand and so excited while all the locals looked on in interest. I bought him a Power Rangers art set with markers, crayons, colored pencils, pastels...the works. The pure excitement and joy that emanated from that child was a gift to me. Jerad and I sang happy birthday to him, while they all looked at us wondering what we were doing. (I am working on getting the pictures of this wonderful family up soon, so make sure you check again soon please.)
It was so nice to get to know a family and be invited into their home, and the food, oh my was amazing. Chandra works her magic over those two small burners. I was in heaven. It was truly hard for me to say good-bye to Meenu and her family, though I do believe Meenu and I will keep in contact with each other and maybe I will see them again someday.
India has been really wonderful. We have had a nice mix of family, nature and wild-wild times. It is currently Jerad's b-day here, and we will be celebrating by eating pizza, swimming in a pool and watching a movie (other than Chai in bed this morning and me wearing my new India outfit). We will be on an overnight bus to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and do a nature walk, and then on an overnight train that night to start making our way to the Nepal border. We plan on arriving in Nepal on the 26th or 27th, and staying there for 4 1/2 weeks.
Jerad and I are being mindful of doing this trip more as travelers and not tourists. We are making an effort to try to be a part of the culture and "blend in" as much as we can; always being respectful of each country and their ideas/traditions/behavior/etc. Traveling like this makes for some really authentic and fantastic experiences.
I hope you all have faces full of smiles and are able to enjoy Easter with your families, we are there in spirit (and in color!).
Happily,
Amber Allison
P.S. Happy early Birthday to Julie and Ali! And thank you Julie for birthing Jerad.
