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Published: September 7th 2020
Wedding
This picture tells you all you need to know about an Indian weddingI am finally getting caught up to 2016. Yeah, I know this is slow going but the memories are still fresh and I am enjoying writing these so as long as I can do this I will keep going. I have been drooling trying to get to these next few blogs because this was probably one of our craziest trips we have ever done. Background: I have several people from India who works with me and we have become good friends. One of them was getting married (in India) and maybe he was just trying to be nice, but he extended a wedding invitation to everyone. The wedding was in India so yes no one on my team was going to accept that, but they did warn him that I am crazy enough to do it. And low and behold Nikkie and I decided that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend one of those famous/ infamous Indian weddings in India. How difficult can it be with a 5 month old? Even better question - what reasonable and sane parents would take a 5-month-old to India.
And so tickets were bought and the process of trying to
JFK Airport
The new normal get visas were completed - even though a seemingly easy and straight-forward process turned out to be very time-consuming and cumbersome. It's a seemingly easy process of just entering information online and paying a $30 fee, but the network crashed every single time I tried to make a payment and finally 2 days before we were supposed to fly it went through - disaster averted. Everest has always been an easy flier and this time was no different. Emirates was awesome and the stewardess even carried him around and took him off our hands for 30 minutes or so at a time (we are pretty sure he made it to the 2nd deck first-class a couple times). This was also the first time we got the front seat with the baby bassinet - game changer. After a 3 - 4 hour layover in Dubai we finally made it to NEW DELHI 20 or so hours later.
At the New Delhi airport it was actually pretty easy to get through customs and into a taxi. I found a really cheap hotel close to
CONNAUGHT PLACE which seemed like it was the best place to be as it seemed to be the
India
16+ hours???? Are you people crazy? most centrally located place with decent shopping. We arrived at the Metropolitan Hotel & Spa and this is where the - overwhelming at times - hospitality and welcoming started and never ended until we got on the plane again to leave the country. We got to our room and changed quickly and got Everest ready and off we were in a tuk-tuk to Connaught Place. We honestly just did not know how much time we would have on our trip to buy wedding clothes, so we wanted to go shopping. Connaught Place was really busy and we walked back and forth trying to find places. We finally found a couple places that came recommended to us. This is where our first story comes. The Indian people loved Everest. Loved is an understatement. The kid was a little freakin celebrity and was probably trending on social media with all the pictures people took of him. And so here we were in a two-story department store (it was a smaller type store) and a bunch of girls shopping is all over this kid. They grab him, Nikkie asks me to come look at a sari, and next thing we know he was
India
Even less personal space now a floor below us being passed around. Yes, we are responsible parents, but we do not believe in overprotecting our kid. Looking back though this was probably not the smartest thing to do. We got some shopping done and found a Starbucks. The manager was on duty and was so excited to hear Nikkie works at Starbucks and had been a partner for forever, so he gave us the royal treatment. He called one of his workers to watch Everest (only a few seats away this time) and gave us a great coffee tasting. We love this stuff. We took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel and here our next experience just happened very spontaneously. Right in front of our hotel they were celebrating some deity and we are not ones to pass up on a local street party. It was a big massive block-party and there was a sort of shack where people were lining up and they were just handing out food. We got in line - why would we not? They just scooped the food out of these huge-massive pots that who knows where it came from, what was in it and who or what touched it.
India
The greatest invention ever? We found a spot on the street and watched the spectacle. What a first night. We were pretty sure the infamous "Delhi-belly" was surely to follow based on us eating food from the street.
We woke up the next morning and we were actually totally fine (Everest was the one that suffered most from the runs on the trip). Breakfast was a buffet with lots of yogurt, fruits, and then tons of savory dishes such as cous-cous and curry. With our stomachs full the next adventure started. Prior to leaving for India we decided to rent a car and drive the golden triangle (to follow in later blogs). Now this does not come recommended at all - even the staunchest of Indians will tell you that you got to be a little crazy in the head to drive in India. I looked into the option of just renting a driver with a car. There were lots of positives and negatives and the prices did not seem too crazy to be honest for a full-time driver for 4 - 5 days. But at the end of the day we treasure our freedom and being able to drive at our own
Delhi
We made it pace and at our own leisure. What can go wrong?
Similar to our experience in Malaysia I did not completely think this one through. I figured we would just go to the location of the car rental and we are good to go as would be the case in all countries. Oh no. This is not how it works here. There was no address on the reservation. There was no e-mail. There was a phone number. This was a Hertz - FYI. The phone service was spotty. The accents were thick - the English somewhat passable. I even got the concierge and help desk at the hotel involved. Apparently, they were waiting for us at the airport since I was required to put an "arrival time" when I booked the car. This arrival time generally is just to give them a heads-up to plan - I did not know they were literally going to wait there for us. And finally, three hours after I started the process we got to an agreement and they were going to come and pick us up at the hotel. When we got to the "car rental" I fully understood why this was so
Delhi
What are you guys doing to me? difficult. I mean this was no car rental. I was not sure legitimate car rentals exist in India because who is crazy enough to rent a car in this country - no demand. I mean the location and lot and office was the shadiest, dingiest car rental I have ever seen. To just get there we turned off the main paved road and went left and right in a couple alleys before getting there. I left it to Nikkie to figure out a way to pin-point this place for our return. After lots of documentation and lots of signatures I also was told that they do not sell insurance. So we were in what could be considered the most dangerous country to drive in in the world and we don't have insurance. Oh well - that's not going to stop us. We have come this far. And unfortunately this is where I need to stop this saga as this will continue in the next blog.
Fast forward 4 days to the real reason we were here. We made it back to Delhi in one piece (the car did not). The wedding was at the
Grand Hotel and this is where
Delhi
Trying on some saris we were to spend the next 2 nights - compliments of the wedding party. Craziness. We were welcomed by the families when we got there and they were all over us. They wanted to make sure we were ok and offered to get us anything we needed. We had a quick lunch and checked in with goody bags waiting for us. We had 3 - 4 hours to kill before the festivities started. I still had to take the rental car back. Nikkie gave me directions and I headed out and actually found it quite easily. I had to explain to the guy that I am obviously returning the car without the passenger-side mirror. You'll hear the story in subsequent blogs. He just shook his head and said "ai yai-yai" and "very expensive". If this was anything like any other car rental I have ever dealt with then I was looking at 4 figures easily. Somehow the scrapes on the car did not bother him (again more stories in later blogs). He made some calls and came back and same story "very expensive sir". At this point I was starting to panic. Is he setting me up for the mother
Starbucks
Coffee tasting of all rip offs? Then he came back again after several calls "sir I have to go to dealership and that really expensive". At this point i was just ready to get out of there. So, he finally came back and said "sir - 3,500 rupees is cheapest I can find" (I think this was his first number). I was blown away because I did the math in a split second and was astonished at the price - at the time just under $60 I believe. I had to hide my surprise and played it cool. I shook my head and acted like it was a ton of money and asked him if he could do anything for me. So, he knocked it down to 2,500 rupees (just over $40). I could not believe it. I paid and got out of there. A story for the memory banks.
Back at the hotel Nikkie was already getting pampered. She loves henna and this was like a henna orgy (sorry no other way to describe it). All the girls gathered in one of the hotel rooms (the henna room) and they were doing Nikkie's henna while all the girls played with
Starbucks
The store manager grabbed one of his staff to watch Everest while we did the coffee tasting and kept Everest busy (he loved it). The festivities were supposed to start outside at 7. We got dressed and got there right at 7 and not a soul. Like not a single person. We walked around and headed back - I guess we will try again in 30 minutes? Were we in the right spot? We headed back around 8 and there were some people. I think the ceremonies started around 9. We were getting chewed up by the mosquitoes, so we threw Everest under a table (the tables had long table clothes so he was just fine). After all the ceremonies there was a small lull in the proceedings. We met some friends of Ashish and Akanskha (groom and bride) and they took us under their wing and answered all questions we had and explained all the proceedings to us. After the ceremonies (which involved lots of pretty clothing and rituals) we kind of looked at each other and wondered - is this it? Yeah there is a lot of people but a pretty subdued affair. Ha ha. Next thing I know the bar opens up (we were not sure whether there would be alcohol or not) and
Delhi
The servers of the street food on our first night in Delhi all hell breaks loose. Right after that the "family dance-off" is announced. Now mind you at this point it is probably 10:00 or so and there is no sign of food yet. But back to the dance-off. This is choreographed dancing with one family against the other. And yes, they have been practicing for this for a while. Music blaring, techno lights, bright saris and moves I cannot even fathom. So, this goes on for about an hour and I have to tell you - this was incredible. Song after song with the families rotating in different groups of dancers. By the end of this we are touching about 11 or a little after and we (and everyone else) have been drinking like crazy and survived on finger foods. And then the full buffet gets presented and I kid you not - there is food as far as the eye can see. Warming station after warming station. Welcome to Indian food heaven. We dug in and probably said our goodbyes around midnight. And that was day one of the wedding. The real wedding is tomorrow. What is in store for us tomorrow?
Well the next day was definitely a
Delhi
Trying to get work done with this one recovery day for the first part of the day and by 6 we were ready to go at it again. We followed directions and made it to a couple of the smaller ceremonies (inside) before being told to go outside. Now what follows next was absolutely crazy. It's in essence a parade through the streets around the hotel celebrating the wedding (I believe it is some sort of hat parade where all guys wear a pink hat). Ashish was all dressed in gold and got on his white horse. There were 4 guys carrying these massive lights to light up the parade-party (they formed sort of an area around Ashish that everyone who wanted to join in the festivities had to be inside). Then you have a full-blown musical band that walks around him and blast music while everyone dances like crazy. You can play the instruments if you want - you can pretty much do whatever you want. You are just dancing your way up the street as you see the older guys stop every once in a while at a car with an open trunk pouring some unknown liquor into a cup from a massive jug. And out
Wedding
Initial henna of nowhere the fireworks start and it is all complete pandemonium until you get to the other side of the hotel before things settle down (this walk/ parade is a good hour plus). Wow - Mardi Gras on steroids. At the hotel it is all rituals again and around 11 they started serving another completely over the top buffet followed by lines and lines of desserts. By 2am they were still not officially married so we unfortunately called it a night like a lot of other people (I think they officially tied the knot around 5 am since it is all done based on the phases/ timing of the moon - I think).
The next morning was a blur for everyone and we were all hurting. Breakfast was pretty quiet. It was time to check out so we said our goodbyes to new friends who treated us so incredibly and were so generous to us. We grabbed a taxi, since we were staying one more night, to the
MANOR HOTEL. A little boutique hotel in what definitely looked like the more well-to-do area of Delhi. After a quick change we grabbed a tuk-tuk and was on our way to the
Wedding
Final product - Nikkie was so happy Chandni Chowk market. A massive open-air market that stretches for blocks and blocks. It was hot, it was dirty and I am sure we did not start in the best section of the market. Getting cash was again sort of a problem but we managed to find some at the second ATM we found. We walked the stalls and definitely got a lot of stares and Nikkie really did not feel very comfortable. At one point she needed a bathroom and we asked if there was one anywhere and we were pointed to a corner. Upon getting to "the corner" we found what looked like the foundations of a small room built to a height of about 4 feet with 5 or 6 urinals and guys just standing there peeing in the open. I think that was about it for Nikkie so we headed back to the hotel. I would have loved to explore more, but we were definitely not in the most comfortable of places/ situations as the men were just staring at Nikkie the entire time as well.
After a well-deserved afternoon nap we got ready for the real reason we came to stay at the hotel
Wedding
Ready for the first night of festivities -
INDIAN ACCENT restaurant. The chef is known for his innovative modern Indian cuisine - right up our alley. Since we found out about the San Pellegrino top 100 restaurants list, we have made it our goal to try and start eating at these restaurants. Well this was on the list. We were seated and this was our first real top meal with another person - a 5-month-old. The waiters did not let anything on, but most people probably think this is a crazy idea since this is a tasting meal and not just your garden variety "let me get in with a drink and a main course and desert before the kid loses it" type of meal. Well here was the meal (we also did opt for the wine pairing) and I will be honest I remember it was good and we loved the food, but I don't remember much from the actual dishes we had except the second dish which I know was the highlight of our meal:
1) burratta papdi chaat w/ tamatar chutney and a Brut rose
2) duck khurchan cornetto w/ herb yogurt and chilli chutney and a chianti (an incredible dish served in a type
Wedding
Even the little man got his outfit of ice cream cone)
3) tandoori bacon prawns w/ wasabi malai and a pino grigio
4) meetha achaar spare ribs w/ sundried mango and toasted kalonji seeds and merlot
5) kulfti sorbet (palate cleanser)
6) kathal podimas w/ tempered potatoes and butter popcorn upma and a chardonnay
7) chettinad chicken keema w/ curry leave lemon seviyan and sago puffs and a sauvignon blanc
8) daulat ki chaat w/ tandoori figs and warm doda burfi treacle tart w/ vanilla ice cream and an Indian chenin blanc
9) various chocolates and sweets
An incredible meal and a little guy that was as sweet as can be. Yeah, he got fussy a couple times, but there was no crying and we were definitely relieved that the night went so well with him in a 2 and a half hour meal. The next morning's breakfast was a little bit of a letdown after the previous night's meal, but it was still ok. It was time to pack up and say goodbye to an incredible country and an incredible journey. The ride to the airport was uneventful and we were looking forward to a longer layover in Dubai. We got to Dubai and customs
Wedding
This was an incredible experience was pretty straight-forward after we got a taxi and met my cousin at one of the malls. He took us on the grand tour for a couple hours before we sat down for a gourmet meal at Shake Shack. Yes, we just wanted something other than Indian food and a burger sounded great. The 4-hour layover was a good break and it was good to see my cousin but it was time to head back home.
Good - the people were just phenomenal and so welcoming, warm and receptive
- I am not sure there are any other culture whose weddings can even compare to an Indian wedding. What a privileged to have been a part of this wedding.
Bad - the market was definitely a very disappointing experience. We love markets and compared to most markets we have been to this was a big disappointment.
- the process for getting the rental car was a pretty big mess and time waster, but I was also partly to blame for this
Advice - get that visa early (maybe the process is easier now, but when we applied it took a good 5 - 6 days to
Wedding
Some incredible food get it done online)
- unless you are adventurous and don't have a queasy stomach I would definitely not recommend renting a car (for me personally I had the time of my life driving around - it was pretty thrilling)
We only spent 3 days in the city with 2 of it spent at a wedding. As will all big cities it had its moments, but we generally don't care too much for the big cities. The fact that we spent most of our visit in Delhi at a wedding resulted in us not checking anything off our list. So, for the second straight blog still 333 down and 5,448 to go.
Til next time from a once-in-a-lifetime experience
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Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
Keep on posting!!!
This blog was great. I can't wait to read the others...especially your driving experience. You really are nuts!