Elyse & Jonathan travel the World

This stop was a mix of chaos and tranquility for us.  We really enjoyed coming to the warmth after a month of chilly European adventures.  Mumbai was busy and polluted, so much so that the air was smoky, making it difficult for these two asthmatics to walk around outside.  

We arrived in Bombay last week with no bags, the airlines didn’t transfer our bags when we changed flights.  So needless to say, our first night in India was a bit stressful, not knowing when or how the bags would arrive to our hotel.  We were extremely jet lagged as our red eye flight did not provide us more than a few hours of sleep… so we were waking up every couple hours and basically worthless our first day there with no clothes and no sleep. 

It was interesting traveling in India on Inauguration Day in the U.S. without proper rest, I couldn’t decide if I was being super sensitive or if people were extra hostile to us because we were American.  Either way, the interrogations and aggressive pat downs were not easy – mentally or emotionally.  I wished I had a shirt or a sign on my back that said “I may be an American, but I don’t support Trump.” Instead, we just put our heads down and stayed quiet while being inspired and proud by all the women’s marches happening back at home in the USA.  

Aside from some memorable travel moments, we made it through the bustling city down to the beaches of Goa.  We welcomed the sun and sea with open arms! We finally gave our tired feet a rest and took some time to relax on the beach.   We did a bit of exploring from beach to beach where we found Dadu’s Healing Massage Palace, with a wonderful little restaurant and boutique shop called Jaali’s.  

The women and their intricate attire were fascinating, even on the beach the Indian women were dressed beautifully in colorful saris.  The Indian food blew us away, we both never knew just how much we’d fall in love with this cuisine! We found our favorite restaurant in a hotel on the beach, called Art Hotel.  If we ever come back, we are staying here, cute little beach bungalows with yummy Indian food.  It was unforgettable. I’ve become addicted to Naan- cheese, garlic, butter, basically any kind of naan -I have to have it! 

All in all, there were many stressful situations and sad sights here in India, but it was eye opening and made us really appreciate all the bounty we have back at home.  We truly are so lucky to live somewhere that provides us opportunities and resources to be happy, healthy and successful. 

Now we are headed to Marissa, the southern province of Sri Lanka, for two weeks for some R&R.