Our colleague invited us to his wedding in India. Bastian and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to explore the country and learn more about its culture. Together with another colleague from the company, we started our brave excursion to India.
The first impression of New Delhi: When we arrived at the airport, there was a total blackout. For a couple of minutes, there was no light at all, people started panicking and running around in the dark. After they fixed the light, the view was not better. The bad quality of the picture is not due to the camera, but rather because there was dust all over the place.
After we checked in our hotel (a four star hotel with no TV, no running water in the shower. The letter we solved by buying water from the supermarket, cooked it and washed ourselves with it), we enjoyed some good food in the Shangri La. On the first day, Bastian still seems to look very happy and excited....Wait for more :O)
Our colleague's daughter Arwen already seems to be very sceptical.
Bastian and I infront of the Gate of India.
There are many ways of transportation in India. One is the elephant...
...transporting some ice blocks with the bicycle.
...another way is the traditional Tuk Tuk.
Bastian and I preferred this option.
Visiting the Redfort.
Typical for Indians: They love to hug each other all the time. I think our guide likes Bastian :O)
Some traditional market in Delhi.
One of the most impressive sights on the tour was definitely the Taj Mahal. The long drive of five hours was absolutely worth it.
The actual event and the highlight was the wedding of Sumit and Veruma.
The wedding started with a traditional ceremony for the groom.
Sumit and his family. In total, over two hundred people were invited to the wedding.
The groom was then brought to his bride on a white horse. He was accompanied by all the other guests, who walked and danced alongside him.
A big band took care of the music...
...and after an hour of walking and dancing on the street, we arrived at the venue. Here the groom met the bride for the first time.
The venue was the garden of the best hotel in Delhi. Everyhing was decorated with thousands of flowers and candles...
And here comes the bride Veruma:
Everybody had to go on the stage and congratulate the bridal couple. With over two hundred guests, this can take a while....
So, while the hosts were standing on the stage and receiving their presents, the guests could already start with the buffet. After three hours and while Bastian and I have finished our desert, the bridal couple was still standing...
It is one o' clock in the morning and the ceremony still goes on :O)
While the wedding buffet was really good and tasty, we had our troubles finding clean and hygienic places to eat elsewhere. Generally, even in five star hotels, you are not supposed to eat the salads, nor the fruits and always drink from sealed bottles. That is why, we have sometimes just eaten some noodle soups that we brought from Singapore.
You remember when Bastian was smiling on the pic at the beginning? Well, here is one of him after half ouf our trip: He definitely looks more tired and a bit skinnier. By that time, he already lost 1 1/2kg because of the so called "Delhi Belly" which is a nice expression of diarrhea, mostly suffered by foreigners.
The other side of India: While India has some beauiful spots and sights to see, it is frightening to see how close poverty and wealth live together. Bastian and I drove by the slum, where the movie " Slumdog Millionaire" was filmed. This is supposed to be the biggest slum in the world.
India was definitely a trip, we will remember our lifetime. It has its highlight with the visit of the Taj Mahal and the wedding and left other impressions that we will never forget. It is an experience to see how people can suvive without infrastructure, running water and electricity. Once back in Singapore, we appreciate even more to live in a safe place, not to worry about water or food. For those who have not seen the movie " Slumdog Millionaire", go and watch it. It is a pretty realistic movie that shows how miserable life can be in the slums of India.
When we arrived at Nikoi Island, we had a terrible storm and it was raining heavily.
We went for some sailing....
No holiday without an accident. My mum stepped into this sea urchin....
In the evening, we went for some fishing.
Unfortunately, we were not successfull this time.
We ended the day with a bonfire and some yami marshmallows :O)
