In Udaipur, we stayed in an Airbnb with a host, her family, and a few other guests. We intentionally timed this part of our trip to celebrate Diwali with our host and her family, which turned out to be a great decision!
Udaipur was a highly recommended, smaller city that we chose as a place to settle down for a little longer and attempt to acclimate to Indian culture. We started to get used to the crowded roads, with cows, people, tuk-tuks, scooters, and cars. We noticed and started to understand this interesting nod that is not quite a yes or a no. Our stomachs got accustomed to the food, which is spicy and delicious. And we learned that some Indian people love to take photos with foreigners. The lighter your skin and eyes, and the taller you are, the more photos requests you’ll receive. So, that meant quite a bit for us.
By the end of our week there, we’d learned so much about the Indian people and felt a little more comfortable navigating on our own. We really think this long stay in Udaipur allowed us to enjoy the more hectic parts of our India trip even more.
Bouncing Around the City
Indian Cooking Class with Hari
Our Airbnb host, Hari, led a cooking class for us and it did not disappoint!
Her cookbook is available here!
Diwali – “The Festival of Lights”
Diwali is the biggest celebration of the year for Hindu, Jain, and Sikh people all over the world. Since we were celebrating with our hosts, we experienced the Sikh traditions, including offering small foods and coins to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. We helped decorate the house with sand art, flowers, and candles, with the hope that that Lakshmi would feel welcome in the home and bless the family with good fortune in the coming year.
