The India trip was absolutely fantastic. I can't believe I'm just getting to write about this but prepping the blog with 100 pictures isn't easy I'll have you know and I've been a little under the weather and traveling as well.

This was my 3rd trip in 2007 to India, the previous two being happening on not the best circumstances but this one felt sort of cathartic in a way to undo and redo my recent history in India and it was just doubly wonderful to be there with my new husband and be surrounded by family, his and mine that just showered me with so much love and attention.

We had family from both his side and my side come to visit us from far away, some came for just a day or two. Himanshu's mom's brother and his wife came literally for just a few hours and they rode on a bus all night to come see us. There is a lot of similar warmth in India, the best part of being there. A lot of things grated at me in India on this trip, filth being the biggest but really the amazing family and friends that we met more than made up for that.

We visited 11 cities and 4 states in 3 weeks...Mumbai, Indore, Omkareshwar, Maheshwari, Jaipur, Agra, Udaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Ranakpur & Jaisalmer and it was amazing. We started out visiting my family, then his for a bit and then he and I went on our Honeymoon and it was amazing beyond words. I had anxiety I must admit. We have never been alone 24 hours a day straight for more than a few days so to spend 10 days together alone was a little daunting and may I say, there is a reason why they call it a honeymoon. It was fantastic. We got along great, and did everything we wanted to do our way and didn't fight once. I was a bit sick part of the trip, thanx to the pollution in Indore and taking antibiotics but other then that it was just an absolute dream. To top it all off we had just fantastic weather the entire time, not to mention we aparently were "off season" because we encountered no crowds at monuments and we were able to leisurely walk around everywhere and take our time taking pictures.

I think the best way to tell the story is with pictures. I actually took nearly 1000 pictures but you don't want to see all of them so here is the gist of the trip...

I met most of Himanshu's family for the first time. The most adorable of them was his cousin Namita who spent a lot of time with us in Mumbai. Namita is Himanshu's mom's sister's daughter and they all came from Pune for a few days to visit us. We went out shopping and ate out and partying and it was just a fantastic time.

My family (mama and mami - mom's brother and his wife) threw us a really nice outdoor reception in Mumbai where Himanshu got to meet my family and I got to meet some of his Mumbai family.

I think one of the most adorable group I met on this trip was these ladies below. They are aunts of Himanshu's cousin and all sisters and all I can remember is their sweet smiling faces. They were so happy to see him.

Marine Drive in Mumbai sometime around midnight.

We went out with my cousin, her husband and Himanshu's cousins into town in Mumbai. We went to a club called Shiro and all I can say is New York's got nothing on Mumbai. It was a cross between Buddha bar & Buddakan and oh the Cosmo cost nearly $15 yes US dollars!! But man we had a blast. The crowd was great, the music was fantastic and the drinks weren't bad at all but the best part of the night was being out with my family and his and everyone bonding.

My cousin Anoushka with Ankit and my neice Mihika.

Mmmmm yummmy Biryani in my honor! I love this stuff from a special place in Mumbai and my aunt always gets it for me whenever I go to Mumbai.

OK I took lots of pictures of food. I had foods this time around that I never had before. Below is Garadu a vegetable from the Potato family that is double fried and then go on the spices and salt and god knows what else. This was in Indore. The street foods were the best in India though I must say I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. We didn't get sick once (OK once but that's a story for later) and we ate street food all thru the trip.

I met Himanshu's grandma Maiajji for the first time. She's 90 and fiesty and absolutely the cutest most adorable thing ever.

Temples at Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh...

Sailing the river Narmada...

The handlooms at Maheshwari, Madhya Pradesh. Maheshwari was the capital for Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, ruler of the region for a long time. It is also known these days for fantastic saris and handloom fabrics.

So back in Indore Himanshu's uncles hosted a really huge reception for us (yeah we've been celebrating our wedding non stop since we got married and the celebrations couldn't be over soon enough!!)

Himanshu's family home in Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Visiting the family farm with my family and his...aunts uncles the works. It was one of the highlights of the trip.

OK some of them looked like lemons and others looked like limes and I didn't get clarification which tree it was but there were lots of these trees.

And like any real Indian road trip we had a flat in the middle of nowhere. It was kind of fun.

Ready for another party in Indore.

A dinner hosted for us by the Majumdars in Indore was quite spectacular. We were served drinks outside on the terrace of their beautiful home, then went inside for a grand welcome where Himanshu and I were the guests of honor.

Rangoli adorned the front step to welcome us.

Our dinner was served on silver utensils and a lot of special touches were added just for the two of us.

Dinner was followed by a bonfire outdoors and dessert and a spectacular 1/2 hour fireworks show in our honor. Wow what an evening that was.

Indore airport. Yeah it's little and you walk to the plane!

How cute are these two? Niece and niece's cousin

Live crab in Mumbai...yeah we ate him after!

With my cousins Manjiri & Mithali. Mithali was one of my bridesmaids.

Surmai...a fish native to Mumbai.

We finally embarked on our honeymoon trip. As soon as we arrived in Jaipur we were whisked away to Amber fort where we were taken up to the fort by Elephant. I have to admit after the ride was over I felt guilty about riding the elephant. I had never ridden one before so I was excited but the elephant looked really tired.

A view from Amber fort in Jaipur, Rajasthan

Glass and stone work inside the palace.

Doesn't it look like a Holllywood set. It was so prestine and beautiful.

A palace inside Lake Maota, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Our first night in Jaipur we visited a traditional Rajasthani village called Chokidani. It's sort of like the Disneyland of Rajasthan. You pay one price to enter the park and then you can ride bullock carts, play games or take in dances and puppet shows, shop around, eat the different fares around the park and eventually have a grand sit down dinner where you are treated like royalty. It was the first night of our honeymoon, the weather was chilly and we strolled around drinking a hot wheat drink that was to die for and it was just nice.

Finally our second stop was in Agra. I have always dreamed of going to the Taj Mahal. I had heard so many stories about it and of course it's supposed to be beautiful but when I got there I really wasn't prepared for how overwhelmed I felt. Not because the Taj Mahal is really incredibly beautiful, which it is but because Himanshu finally made that dream come true for me. It was 70, sunny, clear and with no crowds I really felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world.

The river Yamuna behind the Taj Mahal, mostly dried up. I don't know if it's because it's winter but we saw dry river beds our entire trip and it was really quite an experience.

These guys below are real!

Sustenance for the weary...Indian style

We arrived in Udaipur where our accommodations were made at Shikarbadi (Hunting Grounds) a old ancestral royal property with huge grounds. This view is the back of our rooms and is supposed to be a lake but yeah you guessed it. Dry...except for the puddle.

Every morning in Rajasthan we were greated by singing Peacocks who weren't afraid of humans. They were everywhere and absolutely beautiful.

Breakfast outdoors in Shikarbadi, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Udaipur is called Lake City. Below is the world famous Lake Palace. The only way to get to it is by boat. It's apparently $800/night to stay there. It's across the street from City Palace.

The inner courtyard of City Place, Udaipur, Rajasthan

A view of the city of Udaipur from City Palace.

Monument to Maharana Pratap Singh...one of Himanshu's favorite character from Indian history.

Sailing Lake Pichola in Udaipur.

This morning we were greeted by deer outside our window.

On our way fromUdaipur to Jodhpur we visited Ranakpur, famous for it's absolutely breathtaking Jain temples with amazing carved art in Marble and sandstone all over.

A view of Meharangarh fort from our window in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Pal Haveli, the palace we stayed in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Below is Jaswant Thada, dedicated to Maharaja Jashwant Singh, a ruler of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Inside Meharangarh fort palace.

Why they call Jodhpur, Blue City. If you looked at the city from the other side you wouldn't see the blue. The blue signifies (or did once upon a time) the home of a Brahmin and the all facing the palace/fort was painted Blue so the Kings could see.

These photographs do not do justice to the subject. The below carvings in the fort were so incredible you could just stand there in awe and look on. Every single intricate detail is meticulous. There are no mistakes, everything is symmetrical and it's such clean work.

Umaid Bhavan Palace, home of the current Maharaja as well as a luxury hotel now.

The current Maharaja and his wife.

Sandstone Quaries between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Sam Sand Dunes in the Thar Desert. We rode out into the desert to watch the sunset.

Our hotel/palace we stayed in Jaisalmer, Rang Mahal.

Gadsisar Sagar Lake/Tank, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

Jaisalmer Fort. Jaisalmer Fort is actually a living city. People live and work within the fort. They have hotels, restaurants and temples up there as well.

Jain temple inside Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer is called, Golden City, because it's sand colored and looks like it's golden in the sun.

On our way back to Mumbai from Rajasthan we got stranded at the airport with delays for nearly 7 hours. It was miserable. To cheer my up my husband brought me a treat with a heart in it, to remind me just why I married him.