India

LOL I last blogged in Spring 2017 #Peaktimes.

I haven’t been able to sum up my journey to India so here goes…

I was told so many negative things/myths before I had even gone to India. Anupriya, you’re going to get loads of mosquito bites, you will go dark, you will get ill, the pollution is so bad, it smells etc…the list can go on. I got 1 mosquito bite, I didn’t get ill, the pollution did not affect me (same as London tbh), my skin colour didn’t change, and it did not smell whatsoever. And I travelled to 4 different cities. FYI I had the best time of my life. An experience I will never forget.

I am thankful to those who showed their concerns for me and to those who kept stressing for me to be careful and not to trust anyone because I was travelling alone. I am so grateful that God was with me at all times. At challenging times He protected me and He did not let anyone harm me even if people tried.

I went to Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarth and Amritsar and met some truly inspirational and amazing people who I’m lucky enough to call my friends.  My journey was spectacularly spontaneous from beginning to end- I never expected to be booking random flights a day before LOL. A tip on travelling to India airports- ONCE YOU GO INSIDE THE AIRPORT, YOU CANNOT COME OUT. I fully wish I knew this before going there. It’s not like airports here where you can freely enter and come out as you wish. (You can get a visitors pass for 100 rupees lol). I did gather that the people of India love people from London LOL so that was a bonus for me! My Hindi became so on point that I forgot Gujarati lol. I couldn’t even speak to my parents in Gujarati on the phone LOL.

At times when I was stuck or there was a problem, people are always willing to help you. I remember a lady in Chandni Chowk, Delhi who helped us with a rickshaw guy who was trying to rip us off. She was busy working but she took time out to speak to us and she started shouting at the guy in front of everyone telling him to charge us with the correct price LOL. I gave her a huge smile and shouted back in front of everyone ‘Thank you so much- you’re amazing’ and it made her smile so much. She replied with ‘you’re welcome’ in English even though she didn’t speak much English. I will never forget how much my words meant to her and how her face just lit up. It’s the little things man.

What really made my trip was seeing The Golden Temple in Amritsar on Shivratri. I had a vrath that day (fast of not drinking or eating) for Shiv Ji (Lord Shiva). So seeing the temple on Shivratri made me feel at awe. It's a beautiful place where you feel at peace. I highly recommend you visit at least once in your life. I still can't believe it happened.

On the last day of my trip I decided to do what I really came to Mumbai for…to see The Gateway of India. I spent it alone doing exactly what I wanted to do. But of course...spontaneously. So, I saw The Gateway and it was so beautiful, exactly how I imagined it. I spent a good 15-20 minutes admiring it. As I walked towards the back of The Gateway, I found a few people asking me something but I ignored them. Then, they caught my attention again when they said 'boat ride'. I decided to speak to them and they told me it's a one hour boat ride with a return journey which costs 200 rupees (roughly about  £2). I was intrigued as I never anticipated a boat ride in Mumbai. I asked where the boat would be taking me and he said 'elephants'. I asked him what that meant and he said a word in Hindi which I couldn't understand but I was like who cares, it's a boat journey. It should be fun! So I just got on the boat without thinking twice. After a beautiful 30 minutes of being on sea, a thought came across to me. Where on earth was I heading? LOL. I was deeply enjoying the whole experience I had no idea of my destination so I decided to Google it. I had a sudden rush of adrenaline and then a feeling of warmth. I was being taken to the Elephanta caves which was an island dedicated to Lord Shiva. I had absolutely no idea about this place. Shiv Ji clearly wanted me to visit him before I came back to London haha. Not that I was waiting for a reward or anything but it felt like I was being rewarded after my vrath. I walked up 120 high steps in the heat and when I finally reached the top, it was breathtaking. I'll leave you with a few images of the caves:

To top this off, I visited the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, went to Mumbadevi Mandir and stayed at JW Marriot Sahar on my last night as a treat to myself. I was away for 2 weeks and really missed my family and friends. I can't even tell you how much I learnt in my first trip to India. All I know, is that people were put in my path, blessings were taken from Morari Bapu on the first day of my travel in transit at Abu Dhabi who happened to be on the same plane as me, and I was spiritually guided along the way for a beautiful experience. Thank you India. You've empowered me.

My last words before ending this post...

'There's beauty in the strength and determination of a girl who follows her own path...A girl who doesn't quit when life throws her obstacles.
There's inner beauty in a girl who's confidence comes from experiences, who knows she can fall, pick herself up and move on.'

Be the change you wish to see.

Boh Prem
Jai Shri Krishna
xxx