Listen "Riya's Ramblings: Ep 79 - A Visit to Vadodara"
Episode Synopsis
This is part 3 of my 3-part series about my family’s visit
to India! The finale!!
(The first 2 parts were about Mumbai and Pune)
This one is about Vadodara in Gujarat, where my mom grew up.
We took the train from Mumbai and had a great time on the train. I loved the long distance train travel in India, so comfy!
Our Vadodara trip was bitter-sweet because my grandfather (my mom’s father) had passed away 3 weeks before we got there. We stayed in their house – the house where my mom grew up.
I felt privileged to be able to be a part of a religious
ceremony where we immersed my grandfather’s ashes in a river, it was very peaceful.
But we also spent some time at Surya Hotel – and the hotel breakfast there was epic! I mean, EPICC!
We also visited some local landmarks like the Lakshmi Vilas Palace – where the royal family of Vadodara lives.
The royal family is symbolic now but the palace very cool.
It’s 4 times the size of Buckingham Palace in London :O!!
We also visited Pavagadh – it’s a temple on top of a
mountain about an hour from Vadodara.
It was CRAZY crowded – super packed with so many people! What an experience!
And we saw so many monkeys, who were just chilling.
But we did look like TOTAL tourists at our excitement at seeing the monkeys.
We also went to Sayaji Baug – a beautiful park in the city.
It’s a bit like NYC’s Central Park with lovely fountains, play areas and even a zoo! :)
We also visited my mom’s college – and her engineering buildings.
It was fun to see that after visiting my dad’s college (my
Mumbai episode has more details)!
And I loved going to D-Mart – a local grocery store. You
might think, why? But it was so much fun to see the local products and walking to and back from the store. It honestly was one of my favorite parts!
We walked to a lot of places and took the auto-rickshaw for longer distances.
We had some great food including some street food which was absolutely delicious! Once again, the food was one of the best parts! :) :)
Vadodara is a super chill city compared to Mumbai and Pune, but it has an undeniable charm!
Shout out to Priyanka fai – for emailing me about my Mumbai episode – and to Natalie and Aimery for telling me how much they liked my travel episodes.
Email me at [email protected]
with your comments and feedback, and you will get a shoutout.
Remember, listen, rate, share!
to India! The finale!!
(The first 2 parts were about Mumbai and Pune)
This one is about Vadodara in Gujarat, where my mom grew up.
We took the train from Mumbai and had a great time on the train. I loved the long distance train travel in India, so comfy!
Our Vadodara trip was bitter-sweet because my grandfather (my mom’s father) had passed away 3 weeks before we got there. We stayed in their house – the house where my mom grew up.
I felt privileged to be able to be a part of a religious
ceremony where we immersed my grandfather’s ashes in a river, it was very peaceful.
But we also spent some time at Surya Hotel – and the hotel breakfast there was epic! I mean, EPICC!
We also visited some local landmarks like the Lakshmi Vilas Palace – where the royal family of Vadodara lives.
The royal family is symbolic now but the palace very cool.
It’s 4 times the size of Buckingham Palace in London :O!!
We also visited Pavagadh – it’s a temple on top of a
mountain about an hour from Vadodara.
It was CRAZY crowded – super packed with so many people! What an experience!
And we saw so many monkeys, who were just chilling.
But we did look like TOTAL tourists at our excitement at seeing the monkeys.
We also went to Sayaji Baug – a beautiful park in the city.
It’s a bit like NYC’s Central Park with lovely fountains, play areas and even a zoo! :)
We also visited my mom’s college – and her engineering buildings.
It was fun to see that after visiting my dad’s college (my
Mumbai episode has more details)!
And I loved going to D-Mart – a local grocery store. You
might think, why? But it was so much fun to see the local products and walking to and back from the store. It honestly was one of my favorite parts!
We walked to a lot of places and took the auto-rickshaw for longer distances.
We had some great food including some street food which was absolutely delicious! Once again, the food was one of the best parts! :) :)
Vadodara is a super chill city compared to Mumbai and Pune, but it has an undeniable charm!
Shout out to Priyanka fai – for emailing me about my Mumbai episode – and to Natalie and Aimery for telling me how much they liked my travel episodes.
Email me at [email protected]
with your comments and feedback, and you will get a shoutout.
Remember, listen, rate, share!
More episodes of the podcast Riya's Ramblings
Ep92 - Vaccines, More Than Just a Needle
27/07/2025
Ep91 - Freshman year in the rearview mirror
07/07/2025
Ep 90 - How I Came to Love Speech & Debate
08/05/2025
Ep 88 - I saw Lebron the GOAT
12/01/2025
Ep 87 - Vunderful Vegas
12/01/2025
Ep86 - My Grand Aunt's Amazing Life
29/09/2024
Ep 85 - Chicago with Cousins!
19/08/2024
Ep 84 - Beautilful Busan
12/07/2024
Ep 83 - a Superb Trip to Seoul
08/07/2024