Kadiri: visiting a temple and going shopping in Andhra Pradesh.

English:

Kadiri: visiting and temple and going shopping in Andhra Pradesh.

Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog!

Oh, it's been such a long time since I last posted something here! But the good news is that I've got a new laptop now and I'll be able to write as often as I want to. In fact, I have so many posts to publish that I don't think I'll manage to post them all before the summer break starts!

Another reason why I haven't posted anything in a while is because some weeks ago it was my birthday and I turned 30! So, as you can guess, I've been celebrating it over and over again with different people.

Thimmammamarrimanu, the largest tree specimen in the world

English:

Thimmammamarrimanu, the largest tree specimen in the world.

Unpronounceable by nature, Thimmammamarrimanu was recorded as the largest tree specimen in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989. Funnily enough, it was located not very far from the city where I was living - and volunteering - in India from July 2015 until July 2016: Anantapur.

On a Sunday morning, the only day off we had during the week, some other volunteers and I decided to go there to see that tree with our own eyes. While we had expected to see a huge tree, the truth is that the Thimmammamarrimanu looks like a dozen trees together because it's very difficult to see its origin, its main stem.

Diwali, the festival of light

English:

Diwali, the festival of light.

Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog!

Today, I would like to share a couple of pictures that I took during Diwali, the festival of light, in Anantapur while volunteering. I obviously couldn't take many pictures because (a) I was busy having fun and (b) I didn't want my camera to be damanged with so much fire around!

Some notes on my first Indian wedding

English:

Some notes on my first Indian wedding.

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog once again!

Now, I know it hasn't exactly been one week since I published my last post, but I really wanted to publish these notes on my first Indian wedding.

As you know (and as I have repeated plenty of times), I lived in India from July 2015 to December 2016. Those months were full of experiences that I have been telling you all about around here and, as it couldn't be any other way, going to an Indian wedding was another wonderful experience I lived in India. 

Lepakshi: get lost in an extraordinary temple and impressed by a huge Nandi sculpture

English:

Lepakshi: get lost in an extraordinary temple 
and impressed by a huge Nandi sculpture.

Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog!

As I said some time ago, I would like to publish a new post every week until all the remaining posts I have are published. However, last week I was not at home and I couldn't publish anything.

Today, I would like to say some things about Lepakshi, a town we visted right after Penukonda and in which we found - no offence to Hampi - one of the most extraordinary temples I have seen so far. This temple is called Veerabhadra Temple and it was built in the 16th century. One of the most relevant traits of this temple are the fresco paintings that can still be seen inside. Said paintings represent scenes from Rama and Krishna, two of the most well-known Hindu gods.

India as a female solo traveller

English:

India as a female solo traveller.

Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog!

As many of you already know by now, I spent a year and a half of my life living in India, first volunteering and then working there as a teacher.

When I first moved to India, I had as many doubts as any of you may probably have right now, especially since it is considered an unsafe country for females travelling alone. So the basic question that I’d like to tackle in this post is whether India is a safe country for female solo travellers or not. In the list of tips that I published some time ago, there are already some points directed to females, but this one is all about us, ladies!

Kochi (Kerala): sunsets, pizza, dresses and perfumes.

English:

Kochi (Kerala): sunsets, pizza, dresses and perfumes.

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog!

This week I'd like to enlighten everyone with one of the reddest sunsets I've ever seen... It took place in Kochi (Kerala, India) back in October 2016 and right after spending some days in Alleppey. 

As you all probably know, back then I was still living in India and, during a school break, I decided to travel there with my friend Cristina, whom I had met in Anantapur while volunteering - I am sure you have seen her in other posts, like Agra and Jaipur. 

Amba Vilas (Mysore): the palace that is said to receive more visits than the Taj Mahal

English:

Amba Vilas (Mysore): the palace that is said to receive more visits than the Taj Mahal.

Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog!

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I think I forgot to say it in my previous post... I hope that you all had the best ending of the year and the best beginning, too! I also hope that all your dreams - and New Year's Resolutions - come true!

After such a long time without writing, I am coming back here to tell you a little bit about my plans for this year as well as telling you about my trip to Mysore, in the state of Karnataka (India), which took place in 2016, right after New's Years Eve.

What to take and what not to take to India

English:

What to take and what not to take to India.

Dear all,

Having spent one year and a half living in India, I usually think about the advice that I would have liked to receive before going there, especially in order to make some room in my bag and bring some more souvenirs from the country of colours and spices.

That is why, in order to provide you all with some more valid information about what you should and should not pack before your trip to India, I will make a list of must-take and another one with items that people usually take but need not. If you have any doubts or wish to read about one specific topic, I would love to hear your queries and I will try to give you a proper answer. So, do not hesitate to leave a comment down below and I will do my best to provide you with a relevant, satisfactory answer. Of course, living in India for one year and a half does not make me an expert at Indian traditions, but I might be able to give you an insight into the needs that you might have there, as, not long ago, I was also inexperienced in terms of the dos and don'ts, the what-to-take and what-not-to-take.

Without further ado, let's talk about it!

Alleppey: a trip to the quiet area of Backwaters, in Kerala.

English:

Alleppey: a trip to the quiet area of Backwaters, in Kerala.

In July 2016, as many of you already know, I started working at an international school in India. That was, in fact, the job that, unfortunately, I had to resign from because of the family situation that I have so often talked about lately. That unfortunate situation was the one that pushed me to cancel my three weeks in Thailand and return to Mallorca, my birthplace.

However, during my time living in Bangalore (India) I went on some outstanding trips around the country of colors and spices and my destination in the first long holiday I had, in October 2016, was Kerala and I went with my friend Cristina, whom I met during my volunteer work in Anantapur and who you have also heard about in the publications of New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. 

Agra: visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World

English:

Agra: visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Hello friends and welcome back to my blog!

Today I am here to talk about the final spot of a trip through northern India, including Delhi and Jaipur, which was Agra. People have been asking for this post for a long time, so I hope you enjoy it!

Our goal when arriving there was none other than visiting the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, and that was why, even before we started our trip, we did everything we could so as to be as close as we could to this gem, recognized as a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1983.

Visiting the Ecology Project of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation

English:

Visiting the Ecology Project of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation:

After some time without writing in the blog and being already in Spain because of some family problems, I arrived with the desire to tell you some experiences that I had pending from when I was still living in India. India was my home for a year and a half of my life and, therefore, I have more memories and experiences than I could narrate in this blog. However, there are several experiences that, either due to lack of time or technical problems, have not been reflected here until now.

Let's go back in time, exactly until July 8th 2015, three days after arriving in India. As I said on other occasions, the purpose of this trip was to volunteer with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation for a year, although we spent the first three days visiting projects carried out by said NGO.

Being a vegetarian or a vegan in India

Whether you are a vegetarian or a vegan and you are planning on travelling to India, let me tell you that you will have absolutely no problem at all. 

As vegetarians/vegans, one of the things that we worry about before visiting a foreign country is its cuisine and whether there will be many options for us or not. Sadly, in many European countries, their main dishes all have either fish or meat (or both) and we cannot eat many things in regular restaurants without reducing our diet to a basic salad made with lettuce and tomato - sometimes without even a single drop of oil. I have personally faced this problem many times in Spain... going to a mainstream restaurant and finding out that you either eat some undressed lettuce or you go back home with your stomach empty. 

Treating oneself with... Indian ghee sweets!

This post is dedicated to people like me, people who enjoy eating and trying new dishes, sweets and desserts every time they visit a new country; people who consider a country's cuisine as part of their identity and culture; people who, basically, like treating themselves and are willing to try the huge variety of sweets displayed in Indian bakeries. 

The cheap luxury of... Indian perfumes!

If you want me to be totally honest, I believe that this kind of perfumes can be bought in many other places in the world and not only in India. However, the ones that you can see in the pictures below are produced in Mysore (India) and sold here, too. I specifically bought these six bottles while I was in Kochi (Kerala) and I am really happy with my purchase! 

Interviewed by Ser Catalunya while volunteering in India.

English:

Interviewed by Ser Catalunya while volunteering in Anantapur (India).

While I was in Anantapur, I was interviewed by the radio station Ser Catalunya, specifically for the programme "Tot és comèdia". They came to Anantapur to visit the facilities of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation and spoke to many professionals working there - Indian and Spanish workers as well as volunteers. 

The art of Mehndi

I am almost 100% positive that most of you have seen henna tattoos on people's bodies at least several times in your lives. The thing is that you don't need to be in India in order to see them - you can be anywhere in the world. The more I travel, the more I realise that this Indian tradition has conquered the hearts (and the eyes) of people from all over the world. For that reason, I know that you don't need to come to India to see them... As a islander that I am, I have seen henna stands on many Majorcan beaches. What I had never seen before is, nonetheless, the huge variety of henna tattoos that one can get, how imaginative and original the designs can be, how precise their shapes and how quick their makers. 

Useful tips if you're travelling around India

If you are travelling around the Indian subcontinent or have plans to do so in the near - or not so near - future, here you have some tips that might be useful. As a person that has been not only travelling but living in India for almost a year and a half now, I have acknowledged many things about the Indian culture that can be really practical while exploring this amazing country.

Jaipur: the real magic of the 'pink city'.

English:

Jaipur: the real magic of the 'pink city'.

As I said in my last post, the most extraordinary experience I lived during the month of April was a short trip through northern India, particularly to the cities of Jaipur and Agra.

The first stop after our short walk through Delhi was Jaipur, also known as 'the pink city' because of the colour of the buildings that compose it. In fact, the 'pink city' is only a part of Jaipur located between some characteristic salmon-pink gates. The rest of Jaipur is composed of historic palaces and buildings and fascinating bazaars.

New Delhi: a little hint of the chaos in the Indian capital city.

English:

New Delhi: a little hint of the chaos in the Indian capital city.

Hello everyone!

Today I am coming back with another post to tell you about another of my adventures in India.

From the 6th until the 10th of April, taking advantage of the weekend of Ugadi (New Year for Hindus), two of my fellow volunteers (who have become two good friends of mine) and I decided to spend two days in Jaipur and two in Agra.