This weekend, we had the opportunity to get out of the big, busy city and spend a few days in a more rural part of our state. Our drive was long, but beautiful. The rains have transformed our world from dry and dusty into green and lush!
We spent our first day exploring some ancient caves. These 30+ caves were carved out of the side of the mountain during the 5th and 10th centuries! With our little ones in tow, we didn't trek out to every single cave, but the ones we did see were pretty interesting! South Asia has such a rich, fascinating history.
See the monkeys in the background? We're seeing them everywhere these days, it seems!
The entire time we were at the caves, people approached us asking for "just one photo," but we finally had to start telling them no. It's one of those things that is a little funny at first but soon grows wearisome.
After leaving the caves, we traveled for another four or so hours to stay with a sweet South Asian family, who made us feel right at home.
Little M had a blast playing with the other kids, and all the many "aunties" and "uncles."
Don't worry... M's motorcycle ride was brief and just in the family's front yard!
And of course, everyone was eager to have their turn holding and playing with baby S!
We also helped celebrate the birthday of the sweet girl in the red headband.
I learned a lot about South Asian culture and food from these ladies!
While there, we practiced language & learned culture, but for me, the greatest lesson was about hospitality! This family treated us like one of their own and truly welcomed us into their home and hearts. And when it was time for us to go, they all came out to wave goodbye!
We spent our first day exploring some ancient caves. These 30+ caves were carved out of the side of the mountain during the 5th and 10th centuries! With our little ones in tow, we didn't trek out to every single cave, but the ones we did see were pretty interesting! South Asia has such a rich, fascinating history.
See the monkeys in the background? We're seeing them everywhere these days, it seems!
We got a pretty good laugh out of the sign below, since people were "clicking our photos without consent" as soon as we stepped out of the car!
It started out innocently enough, with these two cute little fellas coming up and asking to take a picture with us. But it didn't take long for a queue to form, with at least a dozen people posing with us.
After leaving the caves, we traveled for another four or so hours to stay with a sweet South Asian family, who made us feel right at home.
Little M had a blast playing with the other kids, and all the many "aunties" and "uncles."
Don't worry... M's motorcycle ride was brief and just in the family's front yard!
And of course, everyone was eager to have their turn holding and playing with baby S!
I learned a lot about South Asian culture and food from these ladies!
While there, we practiced language & learned culture, but for me, the greatest lesson was about hospitality! This family treated us like one of their own and truly welcomed us into their home and hearts. And when it was time for us to go, they all came out to wave goodbye!
I guess I missed this post. It's funny how this could almost look like photos of our big Harbison family get-togethers in the country. So love following your paths through this journey! Love to all!
ReplyDeletePam