Even if Mumbai was the undisputed main character in my past 4 months, I have also been lucky enough to go on a few trips around India, each one of them left me different memories and emotions.
GOA
Miserable bus ride to get there; finally getting off that bus and finding myself in a tropical paradise; seeing and listening to world-famous speakers at Think-Fest; reflections on the Israel-Palestine conflict; meeting the American scientist that "killed" the planet Pluto; dinner and wine at the Grand Hyatt; motorbike rides in the jungle; beautiful beaches; palm trees; random Portuguese churches; catching up with my friend Kate.
DELHI-AGRA
Seeing my friend Kate from California with her Delhi life and meeting her friends; feeling cold and wearing a sweater for the first time in India; going to shiny, cool, fun bars and restaurants; the modern, wide, empty roads of New Delhi and the ancient, tiny, full of people-activities-sounds-smells of Old Delhi; the magical sunset at Jama Masjid mosque; waking up at 4am and spending 8 hours in a car for a day trip to Agra; seeing the world famous Taj Mahal and not being disappointed at all (that's what usually happens with me and important landmarks..).
PUNE
Bus ride among the beautiful hills of the Maharashtra region; getting sick for the first time in India (that was the beginning of a 5-week-long stomach issue..); not being able to eat anything for days; finally getting to see Mugdha, my ex-classmate from UC Berkeley and meeting her parents, some of the sweetest people I have ever met; experiencing my first Indian wedding and being absolutely fascinated by all the little details of the ceremony; wearing a long kurta; having a nervous breakdown in the busy streets of a market in Pune.
RAJASTHAN
Spending almost every night on freezing uncomfortable buses; eating chips in the middle of nowhere for Christmas Eve and missing my family/Italian food/Christmas traditions; Christmas Day exploring the beautiful city of Udaipur, the city of lakes, wearing a Santa Claus hat for the whole day, with everybody around us staring and laughing at us; Christmas potluck at my friend Megan's house; spending 15 hours on a bus and arriving in Jaisalmer, an exotic magical town in the middle of the desert; riding camels in the desert all the way to the Pakistani border; drinking beer and running on the desert dunes during sunset; having dinner around the fire with old and new friends; sleeping under millions of stars; waking up to a freezing sunrise in the desert; riding motorbikes INSIDE the ancient Jaisalmer Fort; seeing the "Blue City" of Jodhpur, my favorite one in Rajasthan; breakfast on the hostel rooftop with an incredible view of the Jodhpur Fort; running around Jodhpur at night trying not to miss the bus.
GUJARAT
Spending 1 day and 1 night in a tiny village; meeting tons of "uncles" and "aunties"; drinking whiskey in a room with 15 men, all of them were called "Uncle Patel"; dancing in big circles with the whole village; going to the craziest, biggest, most incredible wedding I have ever seen; being at the best New Year's Eve party I have ever been and being the only one that actually cares about New Year's Eve; trying all kinds of food in spite of my upset stomach and feeling really bad for the following 10 days.
BANGALORE
...more to come....
