first impressions

The last few days I was in Italy, I kept repeating to myself, "I am going to India. I am going to India this week!" I couldn't get it to feel real. I felt excited, I felt nervous, but it didn't seem like it could possibly be true.

And now I am here! So far, so great. My flight was mostly men (maybe 90%), and the few that took notice of me were pointedly helpful. We arrived at 4am. Getting my bags and customs were a breeze. I hung out in the arrivals hall and read for a bit until the sun came up. Then I took a prepaid taxi to a hostel. After I paid for my taxi, I walked out to the parking area (no hassling or pressuring) and was greeted by a fleet of very clearly 1950s black British cars, Premieres, I think. They are great-- old, but very stylish, and the numbers are handpainted. If I sat up straight in the backseat, my head touched the roof.

As expected, the streets were filled with people, animals, and trash. Children going to school; adults cooking, ironing, bathing, sleeping; dogs picked through garbage piles, skinny cats (much thinner than their Italian cousins), goats, and oxen pulling some kind of tank/cart that looked like it might hold gas or oil and a driver sitting atop the tank. And trash, lots of trash and rubble. When the sun came up, the air was still hazy: I wasn't sure how much was pollution and how much was fog. At this point, I would say it was mostly pollution. At the hostel, I went almost immediately to sleep (my internal clock thought it was 3:30 in the morning, and I hadn't slept but an hour or two while I was traveling).

On my walk to the internet point, I saw the start of a wedding procession. Two horses pulling a giant silver carraige of shiny hammered tin. A 17-piece band in full regalia (by the way, I enjoyed autumn and the start of winter in Italy, but it is now back to swealtering summer weather). The keboard player was in a silver cart that marched the carriage and was pushed by two other men. When the back struck up a tune (they seemed to be warming up), they were fantastic! I couldn't believe I was hearing this live on a random street.

Now I am off to see a bit of Mumbai and book a train ticket to my next destination.

Oh, but first, for all my Indian food-loving friends (you know who you are), I would like to metion that I had veggie samosas at the Doha airport and saag paneer for dinner on my second flight. Hah! I'll let you know what tasty treats I find for lunch and dinner today :)