Hello Reader! Between December of 2011 and January of 2012 I spent a few weeks on vacation with my family in India. I was debating for a long while if my experience should be cataloged as part of this blog since it wasn't exactly Peace Corps related. However my family is a huge part of who I am today and you can still get a great view of another culture. There are 38 pics so stick with me here:
I met my parents at the airport in Newark and we flew over to Bombay (now called Mumbai), India. On one of our first road trips I caught this great image. If you don't understand the painting on the truck is trying to say try reading it with an Indian accent. (Hint: Blow Horn)
During our road trip we saw hundreds of pilgrims walking the long miles towards Nasik a religious destination. According to my Uncle it could take them a month to get there on foot.
I was stunned when we turned a corner and saw windmills stretched out to the horizon; apparently the government is starting to look towards renewable resources.
India is a massive country with various types of terrain, in Maharashtra its more arid with lots of plains
The picture above and below are a part of Bombay called Mulund (I was born around here). As you can see the city is still growing and seems to be rebuilding itself every time I visit.
My mom's oldest brother measuring how tall I had grown in the years since he had last seen me. Same guy used to carry me around as a kid.
Spending New Years with the family sharing a little bit of Nicaragua with them (that is Flor de Cana on the right)
We then packed up and went to the south of India to visit my Dad's mom's side of the family. This is how well I fit into a train compartment.
One of the many stops the train takes on its 16 hour trip down south.
The entire family in one compartment playing cards to pass the time. When its time to sleep the seats fold up to become multiple sleeping berths.
The pictures above and below are sunrise the next morning as we get close to our destination.
Kannur (Cannanore as the British called it) is located in the state of Kerala. It seems that everybody who lives in Bombay has a "gao" or native place. Somewhere your family comes from and you spend your summer vacations during school. You can see the name in English, Hindi (National Language) and Malayalam (the local language).
My mom, my cousin, my aunt and I in the back yard 
Drawing water from the well to bathe
My mom making crab curry for lunch 
My cousins first child (first for the next generation on our family tree) 
Cute kid
My parent's dancing at the family reunion 
My cousins and I grew up together like brothers and sisters 
This ingenious contraction is a giant copper pot that is set in concrete. It is filled with water and then a fire is set under it in the morning. The insulated pot keeps the water hot all day for anybody wanting to take a bath. My mind was blown.
Victoria Terminus (now called CST) made famous for the ending scene of Slumdog Millionaire 
My dad and I decided to go have High Tea at the Taj Hotel. Amazing. 
The view of the Gateway of India from the Taj
Downtown Bombay near the waterfront 
Catching the train home from Victoria Terminus
This trip was particularly amazing for me because it was the first family reunion (my paternal grandmothers side) we had ever had. I saw people who hadn't seen me since I was two and were pleasantly surprised. I am officially the tallest member in my family.
We had a family reunion of everybody on my paternal grandmother's side of the family. See if you can find me.
It's funny because on my dad's side I'm the youngest and on my mom's side I'm the oldest
This is most of my direct family on my dad's side (with one of my mom's brothers there also)
And there was cake for my parent's 25th wedding anniversary!
Hope you enjoyed, next post is already in the process of being made since I have a bunch of pictures. I'll just give you guys some time to enjoy this one.
Thanks for reading!
Nish
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