India :: Part Two

India. If you haven't read part one about our trip to the other side of the globe, I suggest you start there. :)  

The second week of our India trip, we flew to Chennai and stayed with family.

It was SO wonderful getting to meet all of these cousins and aunts that I'd never met before. :)

Chennai was full of amazing sights to see...

And - of course - crazy English signs here and there.

We found Santa in the basement of St. Thomas's burial place. It made for a good chuckle. :)

People in the vehicle next to yours are only too willing to wave at the massive camera pointed their way. It was delightful. :)

These two are brothers. We called them Peter Pan and Chancho... just for fun. :)

While we were at someone's house...

We had the AMAZING opportunity to go swimming in the Bay of Bengal!

It was FANTASTIC!

This is One Meter Coffee. You mix your coffee by pouring it back and forth into your two cups/bowls. Apparently, it mixes better if you can pour it a whole meter long without spilling. And also... it tastes better at 1:30 in the morning. :)

The shopping malls in India were a small taste of home - with some of the sames stores!

Here's the ONE thing you need to know about Indians. They feed you. Constantly. And if you don't eat - they're insulted. ;)

Speaking of eating... we went with our cousin one morning to see where they get their food - the market.

Fresh chicken... (it was gross and I almost threw up)... Mmmm.....

Tasting FRESH coconut is SUCH a unique experience!

Especially when the man wearing the skirt (it's a lungi... but it looks like a skirt) hacks it open with a machete. DAY. MADE.

On to the meat market!

Goat stomach, anyone?

Believe it or not, the smell of fish was a welcome, familiar smell (after the goat stomach, that is).

After staying in Chennai for a week, we went to Jaipur.

The hotel we stayed in was right on a fairly busy street that we had to cross quite frequently. Believe me, you've never REALLY feared for your life until you've crossed an Indian street.

Maybe it's cause I was white. Maybe it's cause I was white AND I wore Indian clothes. Maybe it's because I had a big 'ol camera. Maybe it's all of the above...

Regardless of the reason, wherever I went, people stared. And stared. And stared some more. (Did I mentioned I'm SUPER thankful I have a husband?)

The palaces, forts and buildings that we visited in the various cities were SO stunning.

This is the BEAUTIFUL City Palace. You can read more about it here. :)

When you walk the streets, there are people EVERYWHERE. Also, there is no such thing as personal space. One man's sidewalk is another man's bed.

In India, elephants in the street is a common occurrence. Unfortunately, we found that out after we told the whole neighborhood that THERE WERE ELEPHANTS IN THE STREET! Those foolish Americans. :)

Never mind chairs! These people were more than willing to sit on the floor in a tiny little space just to praise Jesus together.

One hundred and twenty people fit in this house. You should see the pile of shoes outside. :)

This is the part where Sunil's dad is explaining to them that I really look nothing like Justin Bieber. (Ok, so I don't remember what he's saying here... but they really thought I looked like Justin Bieber!)

If I fit anymore pictures into this post, I do believe it will explode! I'll save the last week of our trip for my next post. And my favorite photos of... the TAJ MAHAL! WOOT! :)

Have a wonderful week! :)