I got back late night on the 16th and it's a little hard to describe the feeling. Seeing Harneet and Phoenix and coming home brought a great sense of comfort to me. Don't get me wrong, I had a great time traveling but there is a different joy in coming back home. And I was so comforted, that I caught a horrible fever and cold as soon as I touched down 😂 . I'm feeling much better today, so I wanted to write a short post thinking back on the last month. Each place I went to left me with something different:

• Spending time with my family (Mama, dada, extended family) in Mumbai reminded me of my old vacations in India. It was so good to catch up with those I love and begin this fun trip on a positive note.
• Heading over to Uttarakhand and experiencing a new place with my parents (and aunt and uncle) was amazing. My parents have always been great at traveling with us and showing us new places. We made some really good memories on this trip that will stay with me a long time.
• Spending time with my in-laws and Harneet's family in Delhi and Punjab was great. They never once let me feel like I was their daughter-in-law, treated me like their own kid the whole time and spoilt me royally.
• Before heading to Spain, I was nervous. This was the first time I was traveling on vacation by myself and I wasn't sure what to expect. On getting to Barcelona, it took me a day or two to adjust but I started having fun. Barcelona, Seville and Cordoba were all really great. I met some super interesting people and experienced the magic of Spain on my own.
• Marrakech, honestly, was a little bit of a culture shock to me the first day. I was a little thrown off by the crassness but was fairly warned. So, I spent most of my time on the tour or hung out with people at the hostel. It was a great time. Morocco has so much to offer and they love Indians and Hindi movies so I was treated really well. I will probably go back (with Harneet) someday. And yes, stick to excursions and tours.
• And then Portugal. I enjoyed Portugal more than Spain. The people were super nice, both Porto and Lisbon had a lot to offer and I again met many interesting travelers. The food was great too.

For those of you considering traveling and figuring out where to stay, here is my perspective. If you are traveling with someone (a significant other, close friends, family, etc...), airbnb is a great choice. It gives you your privacy while still letting you enjoy the city. If you are traveling alone and want to make sure you aren't bored, I found the hostel experience great. I met so many people and forced myself to interact with them which pushed me out of my comfort zone to experience something new (for those who don't know, I'm generally extremely shy around people I don't know really well). It kept me from getting too lonely and let me truly enjoy the traveling part of it. All of my hostels were great and I would recommend them to people going to these areas. The other great part about going by myself was getting to spend all this time with myself. No, I did not make any major life changing decisions but I actually took a break from everything - worries, tensions, constantly thinking about what's tomorrow. I am genuinely back refreshed and ready to start my next adventure (whatever it might be) with a fresh head. Now, do I prefer traveling alone to traveling with someone? I still enjoy traveling with someone I truly get along with a little more but I'm glad I did this and wouldn't change a thing. Now that I'm back, my first project is sorting through the zillions of photos I have and beginning work on those scrapbooks that I have been putting off. It's also Christmas season, so time to put up the tree and begin making some Christmas sweets (kuswar, more on that later). I didn't have any photos today, so here's a Phoenix pic just because, (I call this - bliss because my world is back in order 😉).