What to Expect on Your First Trip to India

As much as I love India, it’s not for everyone. I’m not just saying this – Indians have told me this (specifically my fiancĂ© and his family) as a forewarning to prepare me for my first trip which occurred in March 2022. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the people – ALL of these aspects differ greatly from those of the United States, the environment that I was born and raised in. Monish’s sister actually told me that she’s had friends come visit her in India from different parts of the world, and that some of them are just overwhelmed by everything this incredible country has to offer. Understanding this, Monish began preparing me for my first trip to India back when we first started dating, which happened to begin right before the 2020 pandemic lockdown occurred.

India Trip: Day 1 (Part 2) – Exploring Mumbai (March 14th, 2022)

As Moni and I laid there for a moment, allowing ourselves to fully become awake, we began to notice sounds from the streets below as Mumbai was also beginning to wake up. We ate breakfast in the house prepared by Auntie, then Tanvi walked us down the apartment building and up the street so that we could catch a ride in an auto (also known as an auto-rickshaw) to take us to Westside, a clothing store local to India.

India Trip: Day 1 (Part 1) – Arrival (March 14th, 2022)

We landed at the Mumbai airport at 2:30am. By this time, we had spent about 18 hours total in flight (14 hours from Houston, TX, USA to Doha, Qatar then another 4 hours from Doha, Qatar to Mumbai, Maharashtra, India). Both myself and my partner, Monish, were incredibly exhausted, hungry and…