The excitement of an impending adventure!

As much as I love traveling, I love the months, weeks and days leading up to a trip almost as much.  Dreaming about a new (or familiar) place, researching all of the exciting things to do, packing and talking about it.  This excitement can keep me going for months!

On December 1st, I will be taking my parents and nephew, Vilas, to India with me for the first time!  This is a big deal for many reasons:

1.  Because INDIA!!!

2.  My parents finally get to meet Farhad's family, friends, and people who took such amazing care of me in India.

3.  They get to see where I spent so much time, where I fell in love, and they I think they will get a better sense of how far Farhad has come to be with me.  It's easy to look up the distance on Google (8,268 miles to be exact), but how far is it in time? How far is it in culture?  How far is it in ideology and traditions?  It can't be measured, but it is far.  

4.  We will attend Farhad's nieces' Navjote, their entry into the Zoroastrian faith.  Along with the ceremony, there will be a grand celebration with Parsi food and drinks and dancing and Bollywood and family and friends.  

5.  FOOD.  INDIAN FOOD.  Need I say more?  I'm not talking about butter chicken from a buffet.  I'm talking about fresh tandoori chicken and hot garlic naan and shwarma and fresh squeezed mosambi juice.  And chicken Afghani and Kingfisher beer and, and, and, I can keep going.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

When we starting booking our flights and planning our itinerary, I felt like 3 weeks was too much.  But now that it is coming closer, I know it's never long enough and I know we will be rushing from place to place, in hopes to take it all in. So far, this is what we have planned:

-December 2-10 in Mumbai, meeting friends and family, sight seeing (although I have been to Mumbai many times, I never got to enjoy the touristy things since I was with Farhad.  We did local things, apparently), Kyra and Janet's Navjote, Elephanta Caves and who knows!!!

-December 10-16:  Fly to Udaipur, Rajasthan for horseback riding in the Aravalli Mountains!  This was our compromise to get my dad to join us.  It will be a good break before going on to the Golden Triangle, a good rest from the intensity that is India.  

-December 16-22:  Udaipur to Jodhpur to Jaipur to Agra and the Taj Mahal, to Delhi and back home just in time for Christmas!

My Aunt Tat has spent a considerable amount of time in India as well, and when I asked her for some advice for my parents, she said that whenever we are feeling overwhelmed to find a 4 star hotel and have some tea.  Just relax, regroup and head back into the wild.  She gave me that advice when I went to India for the first time as well.  I don't remember doing that exactly, but there were times when I needed a break.  From the noise and the smells and the sights and the stares.  So I would find the closest hill station and hide out for a few days.  The air was cleaner, the weather was more mild, almost cool sometimes.  Fewer people, and everything that comes along with them.  I'd order room service, take long hikes and decompress until I was ready to face the world again.  Thanks for the great advice, Tat!

What advice do you have for us as we step out on this grand adventure?

Farhad and I at India Gate during our last trip to Mumbai, February 2016