July is one of the hottest months in India, since we arrived there, it had been a minimum of 40 degrees. We last came here back in December for a wedding. When we went back in December it was very cold, and I remember complaining about the cold weather. This time around was the complete opposite though. This time I was complaining about the hot weather!
We luckily spent most of our days in stores shopping for outfits, and so there was air con, and as there was also air con in the car, we didn't really feel the heat as much. It was only on the few days that we stayed at home that we realised how hot and unbearable it actually was.
We live in a pind (village) where power cuts are very common. Up until this trip to India, I actually thought the power cuts were just because, well because it was India, but it turns out that the people who distribute the electricity actually turn off the power at different intervals during the day to cope with the demand of power which is very annoying when you're in 40 + degree heat. As we were staying at my Mums maternal home, there wasn't any air con there, as no one really stays there anymore as most have moved out to different countries.
As the power kept going out, it meant that the fans and coolers we had would switch off. We had what they call in India, a generator, something that stores electricity, but this relies on electricity to charge, so there were moments when the generator too would cut off.
Because of the heat, the water would also be very warm sometimes, and so there was no chance of a shower to cool down until the evening when it was somewhat cooler (maybe 35 degrees if we were lucky)
Despite the 2/3 cold showers we would take a day, it was actually a nice trip. It had been nice spending time with everyone, and seeing family back home ( mainly my massi who had an amazing house with AC where we stayed for a few days). It was also fun to help out with and be a part of the wedding preparations.
Much to everyones surprise, we had finished the majority of the shopping in one day. We were recommended a store in Ludhiana where they did all types of indian clothes, from unstiched to ready made anarkalis, so we managed to get all of the wedding shopping done in one day.
My cousin chose a red anarkali, and they then took her measurements and their tailor had it made for her within around 10 days. Before we went out there, we took some pictures with us for inspiration, to make it all easier. So when we got to the store, the sales man who was serving us told us that his tailor could make anything we showed them, so we gave them the picture of the dresses we wanted, and we chose the materials and colours.
I was a little worried at first, but after seeing the amazing job they did with my cousins wedding outfit, I am kind of excited to get the dresses. (They're going to courier them over in around a months time)
As we ended up doing the shopping in a few days, ( we ended up going to Jalandhar and Amritsar for the accessories) we had time to do other things too. Since before my mum and massi moved over here, our local Baba Shaheed Gurdwara has hosted a Mela every year (I actually found out when we went that it was actually our BabaJi (Grandfather) who came up with the idea and organised the very first one in our pind). My mum and Massi had always wanted to go, and this year they got to go, although understandably, they go for the religious reasons rather than the Mela. Even though my mum and massi have been gone for a long time, everyone still remembers them, and everyone is always so warm and welcoming to us all, so it is always nice to go and see the familiar faces.
We also went to the Haveli restaurant this year, which is a popular punjabi restaurant, everyone talks it up a lot, but to be honest it isn't all that. The restaurant and sculptures are nice and everything, but to be honest, we live in a pind, and have been going to Pujab for years, so it is nothing new.
On a side note, it was mango season when we went, so everyday we had mangos, and they worked out around 40p per llb, which was even better!
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