Hello world, happy new year! Ok maybe its not that new anymore but its our first post of 2024! We have been MIA and we are very sorry about that. We spent the last two months in India spending time with family - which while so very lovely, does not really make for good blog content. We did go to a wedding and take a couple sightseeing trips, which we'll share here!
So our first update is about Su's knees. Su unknowingly tore her meniscus (or inflamed an old meniscus tear 🤷🏽♀️) by overwalking in Japan. Just woke up one day with swollen knees the size of grapefruits, and very confused. Blood tests, X-rays, and an MRI later - doctor prescribed rest, and physiotherapy. So the last two months have been dedicated to RICE (not just the tasty kind), physio, and a lot of quality family time - which was the best silver lining.
So very glad to have signed up for health insurance, just did not expect to use it only 1 month later 😅
Udaipur
Before all this started though, our first stop in India was Udaipur for a family trip with Adi's parents and siblings. Udaipur is one of those cities in India that is famous worldwide for its many lakes and palaces in the middle of the desert. Many famous weddings happen here every year and many Bollywood movies are shot here as well, at the fanciest hotels in the country. Udaipur is all about the Lake scene and we stayed at the Lakend hotel which was pretty nice.
Udaipur was built by the Rajputs and more specifically the people of Mewar. The most famous of these Rajputs is Maharana Pratap who while emperor was too busy fighting the Mughals to ever spend any time in Udaipur. His lesser known descendants are the ones who built much of Udaipur including its famous palaces and gardens.
City palace is the standout sight in Udaipur and is the largest palace in Rajasthan that has been partially converted into a monument and museum. The rest of the castle is split between a hotel and quarters for the descendants of the original mewari royal family.
Besides the sights we also got to soak in the local culture through art, dance and food.
Udaipur overall lives up to its reputation for major oasis vibez and justifies repeat visits.
Family time
Our family time started off with our cousin Akshath and his wife Ashima's wedding - was such a blast! Adi's cousins reunited from India, US, and Canada and since we all don't live in India, we really value this time to spend with these crazy and amazing people.
Kerala
Our last tourist stop before leaving India was Kerala. Dubbed "God's own country", it’s a state at the southern edge of the country with rich culture and landscapes. Its been on both of our bucket list for a while and boy did it not disappoint.
We spent two days in Munnar exploring this hilly town known for its tea plantations and lush greenery. Locals visit Munnar up in the hills to beat the heat but we found it quite warm even in January (thanks global warming).
We got to see a local dance performance (kathakali) and even a demonstration of Kalaripayattu which is an ancient indian martial art.
One thing Munnar takes seriously is tea. We found a small café that ran tea tastings off the record and just managed to squeeze in a booking. We actually learned quite a few interesting facts about tea:
The most expensive tea is loose leaf tea (often white tea or green tea). Loose leaf often has the best taste but is more expensive to produce (less processed).
The best tea is "brewed not boiled". In order to preserve the best flavors without going into bitter territory, just steep tea in hot water for 1-2min.
The finer the tea (ie granules vs leaf) the higher the caffeine content
From Munnar we drove down to the Kerala backwaters in Kumarakom. This area is one of the most stunning areas we have seen with lush greenery interspersed with beautiful canals and lakes. In the olden days, most folks would get around almost entirely by boat!
Other things we found special about Kerala is the mix of religious buildings and cultures. Because historically it's been drawing traders, explorers, and travelers to its shores since the 1400s, there is a beautiful synergy of influence and architecture here. In one street, you can find a church, next to a 450 year old synagogue, next to an ancient mosque!
Many of the buildings and houseboats have a Portuguese and Dutch colonial-era look to them. This is because a Portuguese merchant sailor named Vasco de Gama landed on the Kerala shores in 1501 in search of spices and building a spice trade route. The Rajah (king) of Kochi told Vasco de Gama that if he helped him defeat the king of another region (Calicut) nearby, he will give Portugal permission to trade and build in the area.
200 years later, the Dutch took over the spice route to create the Dutch East India Company, worth over 8 trillion dollars today!
Lastly, Kerala cuisine has been called "history on a plate" because the state's location on the Malabar coast has had regular interactions with many other places around the world, thus influencing it's cuisine. Food from Arab countries, Portugal, and British regions have all played a role. All the food tastes immensely fresh and delicious because the people from Kerala have a wonderfully deep connection with nature and attempt to use any fruit and vegetables grown from their land in creative ways as a "no-waste" way of life. Their location on the sea also provides abundant and fresh seafood, while the lush lands give a variety of of produce, spices, tea, and coffee.
So that's the update! If you'd like to see more photos, we added two more albums in the "Photo Albums" page of the blog. We are heading to Africa next, excited to share stories from our Safari adventures :)
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