Mom's and my adventures!

Khublei!

My mom is here in India with me now, and it's been a blast so far! We went around the Golden Triangle her first few days here (my second time, but hey... I can deal with seeing the Taj Mahal twice!!!). Now we have flown to the far north-eastern Indian states, and we've been exploring Assam and Meghalaya. We couch-surfed in Guwahati with a super cool family, Krish and Mandira! Their house is amazing, and they had their personal driver pick us up from the airport, how cool is that?! Krish is the most hospitable person I have ever met, and he has effectively cured my homesickness with his kindness. I am so happy to be in this region... it's very different than the rest of India, and the people here are incredibly friendly and laid-back. I LOVE it here.

Krish gave us his personal chauffeur, and we had the most incredible day ever! We went to a museum that showed us what life in the local villages is like (these are cultures that used to have head-hunters, wear loincloths, and tattoo their women so that other villages wouldn't kidnap them!). Then we visited a hilltop temple with a view of the whole valley. We spent the afternoon in Pobitora Nature Reserve and went on an hour-long elephant ride, to look for wild rhinos!!! We saw about 20 rhinos, the birds that sit on their backs (I thought that was just in cartoons), bright yellow and bright blue birds, and wild boars. We also went to an exhibit of puppets from all over India (they claim to have invented puppets thousands of years ago) and we ended up chatting with some puppeteers who were visiting for the huge puppet festival this week. They invited us to come see (and play with) their marionettes, and they gave us a short demonstration of their marionette who played the drums. You never know what sort of people you're going to run into when you travel, and it's so exciting to share even 10 minutes with people who have interesting lives!

As we were driving through the countryside that evening, we passed an Assamese village holding a huge springtime festival called Rongali Bihu, so we stopped to watch the dancing. Some people welcomed us in, and wouldn't allow us to sit down on the ground like everyone else, but instead brought us to the place that the village leaders were sitting, and gave us front-row seats of honor! Then they brought out red and white handwoven scarves called Gamoshas, and presented them to us. Gamoshas are given as a sign of honor and love, and as they put the gamosha over my shoulders I felt extremely honored and lucky to be among such lovely people! Then they handed me a microphone, asking me to tell the hundreds of people gathered there where we were from and what we thought of Assam (we LOVE it). Then they resumed the festivities. They played energetic music with drums and flutes, and the village girls and boys performed elaborate dances with graceful hand-gestures, dancing in a circle around the musicians. I've been to many folk-dance performances before, but none of them could compare to the authentic experience of celebrating with the locals, for whom folk-dancing is an essential part of their culture and lives. The kindness of the Assamese people is something that I hope to always remember in my heart.

Today mom and I went on a helicopter ride! We flew in an old Russian helicopter, and the ride was exciting because we went through a small storm, up and over some mountains to the city of Shillong! Shillong is built on a hill, with brightly-colored houses and narrow winding roads. It's only 60-70 degrees here and it feels surprisingly cold to me, since I was in 108 degree weather just a few days ago. Now I need a jacket! Our day included a trip to a huge cultural museum and some terraced waterfalls. This area is a cultural mix of Indians, Tibetans, Chinese, and many independent villages, so it's a wonderful change. We're spending the next few days in nature to get energy and recover from Delhi and other hectic cities, so I'm grateful that my mother suggested visiting this region!

Updates again next week. Love from India!