thoughts on india
i just got back from my first trip to india! we visited 6 cities (yes, it was a lot 🥲) in 2 weeks alternating between family time in the south and sightseeing in the north. the trip was beautiful, inspiring, and a little overwhelming.
some highlights~
meeting & reuniting with family members
this was my first time meeting a lot of v's extended family! i loved seeing the communities they're a part of and the homes they've built. my aunt in law's collection of clay(?) objects:
being inspired by all the colors & architecture
as someone who LOVES color, i anticipated loving jaipur and i did! in fact, it's nickname is actually "the pink city."
one of my favorite parts was seeing the astronomical instrument site, the jantar mantar. everything was so geometric which made my designer heart happy 🥰
seeing the taj mahal
it was weird seeing this irl because it's so famous. when i saw it, didn't seem real at all. it really glows against the sky.
eating all the food, but also not all of it to avoid food poisoning
somehow, i left without getting any sort of food poisoning (yay!) i tried indo-chinese for the first time, ate too many dosas, and craved iced beverages every day*.
- it's important to avoid ice in india because it's not always made with filtered water! one of my favorite restaurants called "jamun" was inspired by all things jamun (aka the Indian blackberry). look at how cute these puris are 🥺.
what makes a good trip?
i've been reflecting a bit on the question: what makes a good trip? for me, you leave a good trip with...
- memories~ you should leave with some feelings of 🥰, but also maybe a little bit of 😬 depending on what experiences you have. the hiccups in the trip make for good storytelling later!
- inspiration~ when i come back from a trip, i know it's successful when i'm inspired to make something!
- quality time~ with people you care about, but also not too much haha.
- a good haul~ people always ask me where i go shopping and the answer is that i love collecting garments when i travel! i got some beautiful block printed dresses this time around!
p.s. i decided to switch my writing to lowercase mode for this blog because i want it to feel more casual like how i chat with my friends on a regular basis 🥰.