Monday 24 March 2014

Amritsar with the miracle baby!!

Life really does come full circle... And one such circle got completed at the beginning of the month when we took little bumble bee to the place where I knew the magic had started... The Golden Temple in Amritsar! 

Even today, more than a year later, I can remember that exact feeling I experienced when I was there in June 2012... Our family trip.. And when I sat behind the Guru Granth Sahib and I touched my belly and I knew that something magical had taken place.. 

Aadi and I always wanted to take siddy there before he turned a year old.. We were close .. It was a week later... But then since it coincided with Aadi's and my fifth wedding anniversary it was worth being a bit late!!! 

Yup five years of being married and ten of knowing and loving each other... This year is a milestone year!

So we decided to drive down to Delhi and catch a train to Amritsar the next day... Visit the temple and leave the same day by train again... And drive back to Jaipur the next day... That made it a three  day plan... Short and sweet!! 

Short yes.. Sweet... Hmmmmmm! 

And if it wasn't enough to be travelling with a one year old... We decided to take granny as well!!! We wanted to make this trip special where the great grandmum takes her great grandson to the temple! 

We left Jaipur around twelve thirty on the 28th... Luckily we had the driver so it was  comfortable. I had carried a parantha and some daliya for siddy... And granny had carried lots of fruits for him. We also had his nan pro powder at hand. 

You know he was surprisingly good for a one year old considering it took us about nine hours to reach Delhi...:( it was raining and was cold... And both Aadi and I were fully in cribbity crabbity moods .. But this one was good to go...

Sometimes in my arms and sometimes in granny's and he was happy! 

He ate all his meals and drank lots of water. We stopped twice to change his nappies.. Then to have coffee and once to visit the loo at the midway... Here I convinced Aadi to buy him a cheap toy!!!! It's a really cute Dino that moves on a key! 

Siddy loves it! 

In Delhi we stayed with a very close Aunt and uncle.. They were so happy to see bumble bee and he was super happy to finally be able to move around!!! Poor thing must have been so cramped in the car... He took it upon himself to inspect every corner of their house!!! 

The next day again i packed two paranthas and some daliya .. He refused to eat both... There was so much travelling that he didn't feel like eating.. So he has lots of cheese and milk.... I didn't stress him or myself because he seemed happy and cheerful all the way thru. 

The train journey he mainly slept, considering we had  a very early departure 5:00... But it was good because it got us to Amritsar by 1:30. 

The times he was awake we walked him up and down the train a bit so that he wouldn't feel cramped. There were other kids in the compartment and he enjoyed watching them all play!!! 

We touched Amritsar and it was all rush rush... Also because there was this strange rainfall happening :( I mean it's March for Godsake!! )

Well we got an auto .. Then took a cycle rickshaw all the way to the temple entrance.... On the way a man selling patkas gave siddy a lovely orange colored one which we made him wear. 

Ahhhh the Golden Temple.. It always gives me this sense of "ahhhhh"  It's just so majestic and beautiful ...and peaceful!

Because of the rains though the queue was crazy... We had to do something because we had a train back at 5:00... So granny the cutee went up to one of the guards and requested him to let us in... There was a bit of haggling and negotiating... They were allowing only one parent with the baby... but granny didn't give up and finally we got in... ! 

Because of the crowds Aadi had strapped Siddy onto him with our baby backpack.... and he and granny went into the main gurdwara with him.... i went on my own a little later since we had a big bag to protect...

While waiting for Aadi granny and bumling, I went to the exact spot i was sitting in last time when i knew that he was in my tummy... then i even knew it was going to be a boy!! It felt great... it felt like I could ask for anything here and it would come true!!!

Once we were done paying our thanks for the little bumbling we decided to rush out and eat because we had our train back to delhi at 5:00. So we ate at the first little dhaba just outside the temple.... You know everyone talks about this famous dhaba and that famous dhaba... but honestly I feel everyone in amritsar can make mind blowing kulchas and channas!!!  We had a great meal, I tried to feed Siddy his daliya but with no luck... I've come to realise that when lots is going on he is just not interested in food.... not a good thing but what can you do? So i gave him cheese in the auto ride to the station.

The train ride back was amazing... we had first class seats and trust me they are awesome... even better than a plane. The seat size the leg room and oh my God the food they keep serving!!! It was a shatabdi and they kept the food coming! The soup and breadsticks were delicious!

Bumling made friends with the guys sitting next to us, who were so fascinated by him that one of them gave him his spectacle case to throw... and throw he did... and he was so thrilled that no one was stopping him!!! Till i got really worried in case the damn specs broke... I doubt they would still be fascinated by him!! ha ha ha!!

We got to Delhi at 11:30 in the night..... it was an exhausting exhilarating trip to say the least... and the craziest part was we weren't done... we had to still get back home to jaipur the next day!

So more daliya and parantha and cheese packed and we were off to jaipur. The drive back was shorter and more fun... some how for the first time i was looking forward to getting back home putting the poor baby flat on his own bed. He'd been mainly sleeping sitting in my lap for most of the journey :(

We stopped at Haldirams for some mouth watering chole bhature and later for some coffee at cafe coffee day.

It was really a fun trip.... And to have granny with us made it super special.... She was so much help with Siddy.... chatting with him, feeding him, playing with him.... a few times he even knocked out in her lap...

And Siddy... man that kid is some kinda special... He was so calm all thru the trip... he howled only once... and that too because he saw his daddy standing outside the car and probably thought he wasn't coming back in!!! Boy how he cried and cried, Aadi had to actually sit with him after that and to make him feel like he wasn't going anywhere!! It was too cute!

But apart from that not one tantrum... and we were quick to understand when he was hungry when we was sleepy when he simply needed a change of person...!!

I think we will be going to amritsar once a year for sure...but we'll stay one night!! Its just such a beautiful place... and I want to take Siddy there at night, when its really calm and quiet and you can literally hear your own heartbeat!

Last time i heard two!!


Little rockstar saying good bye to everyone on the Jaipur Delhi Highway!!


Making faces at granny in the train to Amritsar..


At Amritsar station


Family Selfie!


Selfie in the auto!


My two favorite men!!



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