Day 1 Arrival: We had a smooth flight to Amritsar, then made our way through massive lines in customs to get into the city. Before we could get through with our bags, we had to go through another customs security checkpoint, and this is when we experienced our first queue in India, which didn’t resemble any queue I’ve ever experienced. Some people were lined up orderly, but many others came in brazenly with massive boxes, packages, and enormous luggage carts, trying to cut their way in as if they were completely inconspicuous.
People began shouting to get in the queue, but that didn’t seem to do much. A woman behind me started complaining that this was what she didn’t like about her home country, and this was why she didn’t look forward to traveling back home during the holidays. Then her husband started shouting and then decided to cut the line from a different angle.
As this was our first experience in a new country, we weren’t trying to break the rules; the problem was that we weren’t sure at this point what the rules were. Jeremy started to follow one of the lines, which I didn’t know was the right one, but the goal at this point was to stay together. Although both my kids have become true rule followers, so were hesitant to step out of line. So I looked at the kids and said, “Listen, we are New Yorkers; we are trying to follow the rules, but we are not getting pushed around.” So we inched our way through the line that was no longer a line to get to the front. The kids loved it and said this was just like the lunch line.
Day 2 in Amritsar:
Our second day in India was set to be quite packed, so we started the day with a great breakfast that had a mix of Western and Indian food, but once I had my first taste of gulab jamun and rasmalai. I was sold!!
Our first stop was the Golden Temple. We parked and walked to this nearby store and noticed how packed the roads were to the temple. There were many merchants, many people heading to the temple to pray, and many people begging on the street side, but crowds nonetheless.
We make our way, holding the kids tightly so as not to lose each other, to a shop to buy head coverings for the kids and Jeremy and take off our shoes. Before visiting the temple, we have to wash our feet in a stream around the temple before being allowed to enter.
The amounts of people is overwhelming for us all but especially for the kids who are so used to orderly Singapore. My only worry at the time was losing one another and having the kids freak out when it got so crowded. Although there were so many people going into the temple, I didn’t have this sense of not feeling safe, just overwhelmed by the intensity of the crowds trying to get to specific lines or parts of the temple. Trying to see this temple on the Guru’s birthday is not advisable as a tourist, but this was the only day that we had to do it, and I’m so glad we got to see it with all the decorations and celebrations that were taking place that day.
Once we got back to the hotel, we went up to get changed and meet up with our friends Preeti and Bikram and a couple of their friends. It was such a welcome gathering, and it was nice to speak to people who lived in town to understand what their “small town” of 2 million people was like.
After lunch, we got ourselves changed so that we could see the Border Guard Changing Ceremony. This was an incredible experience, held nightly on the border of India and Pakistan. People lined the outdoor stadium, clamoring to get a good view of the guards as they displayed their prowess, agility, strength, and pride in their countries before one another.
While the entire event is coordinated by the military guards, who are stern and ensure everyone follows directions, civilians participate in their country’s pride, with children running with their flag and women dancing to fun Punjabi music and dance moves that may also be found at a wedding.
We didn’t think we could top that for the day, but we still had other things planned! We headed back to the hotel for a quick change, then headed out to meet our friends at their friend’s home so we could all go out to eat. We were then served so many delicious foods that we assumed that dinner out was not needed. Silly me! That was just “nibbles;” the real dinner came next.
We went to a gorgeous restaurant behind a gated wall. It featured al fresco dining and an indoor restaurant bar with a mix of modern Gatsby meets Casablanca vibes. It was entirely unexpected and also seemed to have been transported from another place. Our hosts were delighted to show us that India was not only what we may have seen in the media but with this knowledge of what the outside world perceives about India.
We ended our day very late into the night, but it felt like that one day had encapsulated an entire week of adventure and experiences.
Day 3: Amritsar to Chandigarh
On day 3, we drove with our friends to Chandigarh. First, stopping for Poori with sweet potatoes & beans and sweets for the kids. Then, I drove 3 hours to the Oderoi Suk Villas, which are these incredible glamping tents that are elegant at another level. The “tent” is a really huge villa, equipped with a backyard, pool, and all of the incredible amenities you would expect out of a 5-star hotel, including a smart Japanese toilet, claw bathtub, and steam shower. We wanted to permanently move in.
The best part is that they have an incredible kids club (one of our top priorities these days) where we could drop our kids off and head to a spa that rivaled any spa we’ve found in Asia, equipped with incredible steam rooms, an invigorating pool, and warm marble slabs to rest even before we headed off to our own massages. By the time we were done, it had become dark, and we rushed to the kids club to see that our kids had learned to become experts in darts and archery. (how long were we in there??)
It was the perfect way to end the day, except we still had an Indian dinner awaiting us to top off the evening.
The kind of hospitality we experienced surpasses almost any place we’ve gone throughout the world. Maybe Japan rivaled it in the level of hospitality, but the warmness of the Indian people we found to be unmatched. Even our son, who became beyond a picky eater on this trip, was catered to, although I fear that as he gets older, he will really wish that he had been a bit more adventurous, as the food was simply divine.
Day 4: We had an incredible breakfast and one more dip into the pool before getting picked up to meet up with our friends at their Coca-Cola bottling offices. We were meeting up to go out for lunch, and then my family went with our friend’s son, our neighbor in Singapore, to visit the Rock Garden in Chandigarh. Our friends were so gracious in giving us transportation throughout India so that we didn’t have to worry about how we would get from one place to another (such a relief when you are trying to do so much in a limited time; we are sure we wouldn’t have been able to do nearly as much without such help facilitating our way around)
Once we were done at the rock garden, we visited our friend’s home for a “small” high tea, which was so intense that I was more than full after we ate so much incredible naan, lamb biryani, and lentil curry. Then, a whole host of desserts were so rich that I felt guilty eating as much as I did, but I was consistently told that I didn’t eat enough. How is this possible? I need another stomach to help me keep up!
Our friends then said that we should let the kids continue to play, go out to see the town, and stop off for dinner (not more food…I can’t!).
Of course, it was a great idea, as we got a good look at all of the different areas in Chandigarh that we hadn’t seen before and were able to eat al fresco under these beautiful lights. The great thing about spending so much time together is that we were able to really explore so many topics as a couple, not just politics, but our views on relationships, the countries we are from vs. the host country we all live within, what we all see for our children, what excites us about the future, places we’ve loved traveling, work, parents, friends. We never seemed to run out of conversation, even though we’ve already spent so much time together.
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