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AWE’s Indian Adventure

AWE’s Indian Adventure

The amazing Indian adventure!

AWE’s Indian Adventure

In late 2015, AWE Founder and Managing Director, Rebecca Powne and family embarked on their very own Indian adventure. We’ve been dying to hear all about it and would love to share some of Rebecca’s experiences and insights with you! So, we asked Rebecca…

Why India?

For a year that was not going to include any overseas travel, this was a pretty big one! A family get together in Malta led us to think where else could we visit before returning home. Although not enroute, India is always on my radar as my absolute ‘dream’ destination, so I set about encouraging my not-so-eager husband to come for a family holiday with our two children (10 and 11 years old). Success! And we were off!

What was your highlight this trip?

The special thing about India is that it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite, it’s just all so incredible. That said, the Taj Mahal did not disappoint! So majestic and beautiful. (And we expected you to say ‘Camels!!’ Rebecca!)

trip highlights

What did you expect to see?

I expected to be hit in all my senses with colour, animals, poverty and to be amazed with the spectacular feast that is only India. And we got it all in spades!

India

What did you NOT expect to see?

I think one of the funniest and most unexpected events was on a main highway between Udaipur and Jodhpur. It was a fairly long road trip and all of a sudden our driver screams, ‘Elephant!’…Any animal sighting pricks my ears up, so I look around expecting to see one on the side of the road in a field, not as it did appear…coming down the main highway with hundreds of cars! The most beautiful sight, a sadhu (holy man), sitting crossed legged upon an absolutely enormous painted elephant. Made my day!

elephant

What did you learn?

I found the people so beautiful, those with very little took great care in their personal hygiene and their immediate environment. Seeing women sweeping dusty entrances to their huts or children dressed immaculately in school uniforms, with beautiful smiles, homeless men brushing their teeth in the river, made me realise just how much self-respect is ingrained in the Indian culture and religion. Ayurveda teaches about lifestyle and the importance of certain rituals such as, time of waking, splashing the face with cool water, cleaning teeth and bathing. What I saw was people doing this in their own way, all over the place, no matter what possessions they had.

beautiful people

Did you see or experience Ayurvedic practice/s while you where there?

Believe it or not, travelling at quite a speed, I only managed one Indian head massage or Shirodhara! This trip, we spent our time in the north of India, and although Ayurvedic treatments are practised countrywide, the south is the birthplace of Ayurveda. You will just have to await my next trip for more on these fabulous Ayurvedic rituals and treatments!

That said, the daily rituals that I saw locals practicing are all very important aspects of Ayurveda.

How has this trip changed you?

Well, truth be told, I could live in India, so really it is just a matter of when the next trip is! This trip to Rajasthan has had an interesting effect on AWE as a business, because it has allowed me to look at an exciting opportunity which has been a dream of mine for a very long time…

Rajasthan

Want a hint? Watch out for our new website…AWE living coming soon! This will feature beautiful items sourced from India as well as Turkey and Morocco, such as pashminas, bed throws, wall hangings, scarves, and plenty more! We look forward to sharing this new enterprise with our AWE community. www.aweliving.com.au

If you haven’t been to India, you really must go! Be amazed by the beauty of India, the colours of breathtaking saris, the most delicious food and memories of a time when Maharajas ruled and lived the most opulent lives!

Until the next Indian encounter…Namaste. x

camel in India

** All photographs are Rebecca’s own from her travels.