Up North

Siliguri, India is where the groom Shubro is from and where the final wedding celebration took place on 2/14.  It was not possible for Roy's relatives to travel there (or desired, not sure which) due to them being in route back home or a health issue like Roy's dad so we were the designated relatives from Debika's side who would attend and represent the whole family.

Although I was tired and generally don't prefer to voluntarily fly (but I would take a 3 hr flight over a 3 day train ride like everyone else took - anyday), I was excited to see another part of the country and to join in the festivities.   I had purchased a sari for the occasion a few years back and have been dying to wear it ever since.  And Shubro's family was so warm and welcoming, I thought it would be really nice to see them again and meet even more of their relation.  Oh, and I was looking forward to a little piece of heaven in India- the 1 night stay at the best hotel in town per Tripadvisor.com. (which I would learn later is where all the celebrities stay if they come to the area- not bad)

I found Siliguri to have a totally different look and feel than Bangalore.  The air was clean and fresh, and although the mandatory insane traffic was present, there was a lot more open space and seemingly less population.   The people look more Asian than Indian to me, and seemed to stare less which is probably the result of so many tourists to popular spots near there like Darjeeling.

Luckily it still had some famous Indian oddities like non-auto rickshaw's and people who hitch a ride with anything they can find:

We checked into the Barsana hotel, which was very beautiful and appeared to be well maintained. Of course it was on a broken down street and we had a view of a garbage field, but you can't have it all.  

We did a little bit of pre-reception shopping and Roy stopped for a quick shave (cheaper and faster to have done in these little roadside shops vs do it yourself- cost Rs.15 or about 30 cents).  We went to their new big mall which I would learn later that even the groom hasn't been to yet and I saw this kid riding this electronic animal around the mall.  Not sure if he put a quarter in somewhere or how exactly this thing worked, but fun to watch nonetheless:

We finally arrived at the reception venue and was warmly greeted by everyone.  I met the whole family and felt a little bit like we might be the ones getting married!  We snacked and chatted with the relatives, but mostly I sat in this comfy chair next to Debika as she was feeling pretty lonely without any of her family around for the last few days.  It was up on a stage and all the 'audience' chairs faced in that direction so literally everyone was sitting and watching us, which was an unusual feeling- even for India.

Shubro's mom, me, Debika, and Shubro

My view from the stage

Overall, it was a really good time.  The wedding place was nice, although missing a lot of the details that I would personally like to see- such as screens on the windows to keep the mosquitoes out! And there were a ton of stray dogs barking and fighting outside on the street right outside the window where we were sitting, although as usual I was the only one who seemed to notice.   Here are some pics::

The Bride- Gorgeous as usual

The bride and groom

The entertainment committee- LOL