Diwali Break! The Thane Trip

We got a little out of order, but this post fills in some more of Diwali break, which was 2 weeks. We posted on Diwali, which is really the first few days of Diwali break. We also posted on the start of family visiting (whoot! whoot!), which started about half way through Diwali break. This post fills in some of those early days (the Thane Trip) and the next post will have the latter part of the family visit.

As everyone was on holiday, we took off on Monday (Oct 28) to Thane, which is a suburb of Mumbai. Parag has family in Thane AND Shilpa’s parents and brother live in Thane. It’s about a 4 hour drive, and so we piled into Nachiket’s car. The six of us are remarkably comfortable in it – usually with Alex on Shilpa’s lap. (Seatbelts aren’t really a thing here…) It must have been national herd-your-mules and sheep-on-the-highway day, as we saw dozens and dozens, along with a few goats.

But… we had one important stop along the way. Nachiket and Shilpa treated the whole family to a fabulous water park! Pictures coming soon… Parag has a few, and I just left my phone in the car. It’s called Wet N Joy. This pic is from the website to give you an idea. Definitely fun.

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Cadi’s and Alex’s favorite ride was the same — it was a ride that was like a roller coaster– you’re 2 on a tube and you drop, but then also go back up, as there are jets pushing you. Super fun ride — and longer than usual, as you get to go up as well!

Megan’s favorite ride was something called the Volcano. It’s like a lazy river, in that you get on a tube and float. It’s not at all like a lazy river in that there’s an eruption of water every minute or so that sends a huge wave into the route. You get a good ride. It gets a little tricky too! You can be tipped off, or tossed a bit into the side wall. (Yes, things are a little different in terms of safety regulations! Definitely not a ride they’d have in the US).

Parag’s favorite ride was the “Tornado” which included some good drops, up the side, and “bowl.”

Most people had on full suits –men with shirts and shorts; women with shirts and legging-type bottoms. Cadi and I stood out a bit with our arms and most of our legs showing. There were plenty of suits for rent as well. Not nearly as much a swimming culture as we have in the US.

After the park, we hit a rest stop for dinner. There was a KFC, Subway, McDonald’s, and then lots of Indian food including a chikki place, chai place, and paan. Alex got KFC, but reported it was pretty spicy! The cookies from Subway were the first American-style cookies we’ve had here — soft, chewy. Mostly there are biscuits here – courtesy of the Brits.

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We go into Thane pretty late that evening, staying at a hotel in the middle of town. We had 2 rooms for 2 nights. Want to guess the total bill? When you travel local, it’s local prices. Total was $84 — and that included breakfast …. Good stuff. And/but local is local. The keycard to one room didn’t work, so we always had to ask to be let in.

Tuesday was a lovely day of visiting relatives. We visited with Parag’s Mom’s side of the family — some of her cousins, and for those who know, Nupur’s sisters Sanju and Manju.

We first went to Sanju’s house, where she treated us to a lovely meal.

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And then cousins started arriving! Karuna came with her husband, Sagar, and their son, Aditiya. Maitreya came with Aditi.

We had a lovely time, and then headed over to Manju’s house. The cousins are all involved in really interesting endeavors — professional flutist, baker, chef, teacher of German and Sanskrit, sustainable farming (farm to fork), etc. Aditi had made the fireworks chocolates from her “Sweet Boutique” – which will come up again in our next post. I’ll just tantalize you with this picture of her masterful gravity-defying cake.

Manju and Sanju’s father, Babamama, lives at Sanju’s. He is getting on in years, but was delighted to see Parag and sat with us for the visit.

The girls quickly found the zopara (my spelling!), which is perfect in hot weather, as you swing back and forth to keep cool.

They also found the air-conditioned room and that’s where the kids played :).

That evening we went over to Shilpa’s family’s house for, yes, more firecrackers, pizza, and to meet her family (and cat!). It was so nice to meet them. We got to look through lots of photo books, including Nachiket and Shilpa’s wedding album. In fact, that’s when I met N & S — Parag and I were on our honeymoon, and we went to their wedding in Thane… 13 years ago…. The girls were amazed at how young we all looked! Sigh…