Carpenters in Honduras: Grandma and Grandpa Suarez come to India

Grandma and Grandpa made their way to India from NJ, surviving the long 15 hr plane ride. We were very lucky to have them with us for 3 weeks. Hopefully I can capture all the important events.

The first week was one of adjustment, and (surprisingly) it was raining. We tooled around Delhi, went to the Embassy/compound, visited a museum, and played with Desmond, who was thrilled to have all of the attention. Three days after their arrival we all boarded a plane to Kerala in South India for a family vacation. First we stayed in Cochin at the Old Harbour Hotel. What a beautiful hotel! Right near the water, we were able to watch all the fishermen work the Chinese fishing nets and do some fun shopping. In the evening, Marcus and I were able to have a nice dinner while Desmond was upstairs sleeping.

From Cochin we headed to the backwaters and stayed on a houseboat for one night. We were able to get a quick glimpse of life in Kerala: the women doing laundry in the water, the kids bathing, the people fishing, etc. We were able to see some great birds and rice fields. Desmond probably did not have the best time because he was not able to run around but I think the rest of us enjoyed the trip. All of the meals were delicious and there was enough food to feed an army. We even ate our lunch off of bananas leaves! So far the vacation had been great. However the next day we hit a few minor bumps.

The quick version: a man ran into our taxi door as it was opening on his motorcycle and was flung clear into the water (no one was hurt), holding us up for 2+ hours. When we got to the resort we were told we did not have a reservation and when they did find it we were quoted a higher price then we agreed to (which we worked out) and the pool was not functioning (it was 96 degrees out!). Our rooms were next to each other and my parents left the door open so we could come in with Desmond, but instead a stranger came into the room and climbed into bed with them…Grandma ran out calling for me and Grandpa was slowly waking up. I called security but they did not understand me, so I got Marcus to go in (Desmond is napping). Marcus goes out and another man comes running around the corner and slips- we think everyone is drunk but not the case. It turns out to be the father of the stranger in bed with Grandpa, and while running around the corner, he slipped on some water after hearing all of the commotion. It turns out that the stranger was his special needs son. In the end, everything was fine but Grandpa thought we hired someone for some special “Indian relaxation therapy” (he had only heard of Ayurvedic massage) and was very confused.

The rest of the stay was relaxing and amazing, the resort made up for their errors in the beginning by upgrading us villas with outdoor showers and private pools!! They were extremely accommodating in every aspect and would recommend staying there to anyone who plans on being in Kerala.

Sadly, our vacation had to come to an end and we headed back to Delhi. This really concludes the first half of their trip and we all had a great time. I will post the second half of the trip soon, the adventure continued….