For as long as I can remember, I have always loved visiting India. My parents have taken me to India almost every summer, or every other summer. I absolutely love seeing all of my family and relatives back in India. We have a pretty big family and it’s always nice to spend time with them. When the pandemic hit, I wasn’t able to go to India as often due to the travel restrictions and starting college.
Finally, after five years of not visiting I was able to go back over this past winter break and it was absolutely amazing. Some people have been complaining that our winter break was too long this time, which it certainly was. However, for me, I think it was the perfect amount of time because I was able to spend one month in India. When I go to India, my parents usually take me to see family and we don’t usually travel and explore much. This time, I told them that I wanted to explore the country because it’s so big. I have been to India about ten times now and I haven’t even seen the Taj Mahal!
India is such a lively and vibrant country, as there is a huge population. I love cities and the busyness, so it was the perfect location for me to spend my winter break. It was definitely a sharp contrast to Amherst which is pretty secluded. Each and every single day brought something new. I stayed at my aunt’s house in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, which is where I always stay. Despite living in a completely different country, I am as close to them as I am to my parents because I have grown up visiting them. I enjoyed their authentic home-cooked Indian food which tastes a bit different from the Indian food cooked in the US.
We also visited my uncle in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Chennai, on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is regarded as a metropolitan city so it was pretty developed and modern. Chennai was as busy and populated as Vijayawada was.
We also went to Hyderabad, Telangana to visit distant relatives and family members. My mom and dad dragged me to the homes of about seven different families, most of whom I had no idea who they were. Regardless, it was still a great experience to explore the city and meet all of my relatives and family members.
We went to Tirupati, Tirumala which is home to one of the biggest and most spiritual temples which resides on top of seven hills. You can either walk or drive up to the temple. There are two walking paths — one which takes about three hours, and another which takes about six hours. My parents wanted to take the three-hour path because they couldn’t walk and climb that far, while I wanted to take the six-hour path. We ended up taking the three-hour path. The view from the temple was absolutely breathtaking and it was crowded with so many people. People from all over India travel to Tirupati to visit the temple because it’s so religious and spiritual, and provides a feeling and sense of serenity, peace, and calm.
Finally, we went to Udaipur, Rajasthan, which was my favorite place out of everywhere we visited. Rajasthan and Udaipur are regarded as the city of lakes and palaces and are often referred to as the “Venice of the East.” It is quite a renowned destination and home to massive palaces, ancient forts, beautiful lakes, lush green gardens, age-old temples, romantic backdrops, and so much more. Udaipur is set around a series of artificial lakes and is known for its lavish royal residences. City Palace, overlooking Lake Pichola, is a monumental complex of eleven palaces, courtyards and gardens. As a fan of water and nature, I absolutely loved Rajasthan. One area that we went to even reminded me of the scenery and vibe of a street in Paris because it was surrounded by water.
All in all, I was able to visit five places in India over the course of a month during winter break!
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