When I Went: May 11-June 2
Was That the Best Time of Year to Go? Not really, because the heat temperature is at its highest! The best time to go is June or July, as these months are usually when the monsoons occur, causing the temperature to slightly drop to a much cooler climate.
Why I Went There: My parents are both from India, so we decided to go visit and were also in the midst of selling some of our property there!
Who Went With Me? Both of my parents traveled with me.
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We Stayed Here: We stayed in Puliculinoo, a small village area where my father is from, in our family home. It’s basically where everyone from the U.S. stays in our family when they go to India to visit. I also stayed in Changanacherry, a big city in Kerala, where my mother is from, in the house she grew up in.
You Won’t Want to Miss: If you’re ever in India, I’m sure something that should be on the top of your list to visit is the Taj Mahal. Yes, I know its very cliche, but it’s an amazing experience. If your in the Kerala region, which is the southmost part of India, be sure to check out Kochi, India. It’s basically the New York City of India. It’s filled with shops, sightseeing tours, famous people, and of course, blocks on blocks of restaurants.
Eat Here: A good thing to always keep in mind, especially when going to India, is being careful about what you eat, especially if it’s out. My parents cook Indian food all the time, but when I go to India and eat out sometimes, I get the worst stomachaches, especially after eating meat. Try to stick with vegetarian hotels (the term used for restaurants) and get puri or paratha. A good place to eat is Indian Coffee House or Hotel Anand.
Play Here: There are sooo many beaches, and India is predominantly a tropical region, so finding a place to play is just in plain eye’s sight!
If I Went Again: I would bring my old passport!
How Did You Get There From Dallas? Well, the story of how we got there is, quite frankly, the longest. We traveled from DFW Airport to Chicago O’Hare, and we had a connecting flight from O’Hare to Abu Dhabi, and then Abu Dhabi to Cochi, India. However, when we arrived in Chicago, for some strange reason, they would not let me travel because I hold a PIO card, and the airlines we were traveling with, Etihad Airways, the only airlines I have ever heard of doing this, would not let me board the flight because I did not have my previous passport, saying that the Indian Embassy would not let me in. What really sucked was that I was the only one that had the passport problem, so both of my parents had to stay behind. We actually ended up staying in Chicago for one whole week because we had to wait for someone from home to ship my old passport to Chicago. Once we got to Cochi,India one WEEK later, the airport officials didn’t even LOOK at my old passport. So basically, we wasted one whole week of vacation and money spent on hotels and additional tickets because of the crummy airline.
Other Tips For Fellow Travelers: Have fun, stay safe, and drink plenty of water!
