Exploring a country of warm people and welcoming smiles

Some visit India and say,  "I Will Never Do It Again" but for me, it will always be "I Need to Do It Always". Having visited North India earlier and loved the culture, I was looking to tour the South and soak in the varied culture. And who better to organise the trip than Alaya.

Warm hearts everywhere

We love India mostly for its people. We were greeted with warmth, kindness, and hospitality beyond our expectation wherever we went. In the markets, on the street, from our bus window, in the restaurants or in the homes of the Indian people we were greeted with a sea of smiles and the warmest of welcomes.

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Muslims, Hindus and Christians live in harmony with one another in southern India. Recognizing each other’s beliefs and traditions and often celebrating with one another is not uncommon. Beauty is everywhere - in the market, on the street, beautiful rangolis adorning the entrance of houses and the colourful saris worn by women. 

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Delicacies for every occasion

Food is a huge part of Indian culture. Every region boasts several delectable varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The food in the south is in stark contrast to the North Indian cuisine I encountered in my previous visit to India. You’ll find lots of breads (rotis and naans) and curries in the North but south Indian cooking is based around rice, lentils, and stews. 

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Dishes such as dosa (a lentil and rice crêpe), idli (steamed lentil rice cakes), saaru/rasam (tomato, tamarind, and lentil soup), and huli/sambar (spicy lentil and vegetable stew) soon started titillating my taste buds. Soon enough, I grew fond of the yummy south Indian food. 

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And my favourite is paratha bread, a popular street food. 

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Immerse in local culture

I love the many opportunities we had to cook. I learnt that each region's food is very different and that you cannot make blanket statements of India’s culinary options. We loved visiting the jungles and learning more about the spices that grow there. The spices form the foundation for cuisine throughout the country. 

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We loved having the opportunities to observe the rhythm of life in India including their traditional art forms such as Kathakali dance of Kerala. It is a stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures, and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion.

Why I travel with Alaya?

I am reminded that while we can’t help everyone, everyone can help someone. This motto of life aligns with Alaya’s vision of making the world a better place while travelling, making us choose them each time we travel. We have for the past three years chosen to sponsor a girl's education in Northern India. It is our small way of making a difference.

A trip to remember

The unbelievably kind and gracious people of India will always remain with us. The staff coming out to our bus and waving goodbye as we made our way to our next destination or the hosts of the private Indian homes where we stayed bidding us farewell was a common sight.

Every trip to India has always been a memorable one for me. Come with an open heart and non-judgmental eyes and you will be touched beyond belief as we have been.