India Update

Finally . . . a quick chance to post. Here are some random happenings and observations from my India trip.



*The Taj Mahal is amazing and all you expect it to be. Like the Great Wall, it doesn't disappoint you. It's breathtaking.



*Most of all I miss my hot shower with good water pressure.



*McDonalds here has no hamburgers. I knew about the sacred Indian cow, but somehow it was still odd to go to a McDonalds with no hamburgers . . . only chicken and fish and a veggie menu. I tried a Paneer Salsa wrap which had a piece of fried cheese inside a tortilla wrap with lettuce and carrots and a spicy sauce. It was really good.



*There are no Starbucks in India, even in the biggest cities. Although I would happily drink a grande vanilla latte right this second, I have to give props to India for managing to keep Starbuck from taking over. In Shang Hai there are more than 70 Starbucks and Beijing has almost that many. India is such a huge market, I can't imagine Starbucks not wanting to be here.



*Speaking of coffee . . . Indian coffee and tea is an interesting change from my normal coffee routine. Indian coffee and tea is about 85% milk and sugar, whether you want it or not. It's served boiling hot in tiny glass cups with no handles. I'm starting to get used to the excessive sweetness though. I'm goign to go back to my own coffee maker and not be able to handle it.



*I loved the old buildings and the colonially influenced architecture of Bombay. Bombay University was stunning. I want to study there now just because of it's campus and location. Someday I'm going to go back to Bombay when I actually have money and stay in the Taj Mahal Hotel.



*I love the beach and the ocean and the relaxation of sitting and taking it all in from a comfy chair on the sand, but I do not fit in to the beach culture that we saw in Goa. It really is it's own lifestyle. Katie and I decided that the best description of the people there (who are foreign not Indian . . . a lot of Europeans and Israelis) is Hippie-Bohemian. A few days was nice, but I don't need to camp out there for an extended time.



*The stars on the beach in Goa were absolutely spectacular. The clearest, most brilliant night sky I've seen in a long, long time.



*I will never, never take a tourist bus again. It's a nice idea, but I hate (HATE) not being in control of my own time and being at the mercy of others. We didn't have much choice in the matter, and it did get us where needed to be, but it also took us to what felt like a million places we didn't want to be. Such a long day and so uncomfortable. I had bad flashbacks to when the same thing happened to me when I was with my parents in Beijing.



*Still loving Indian food. They have so many great bread options!



Ok, times up . . .



More to come and hopefully pictures soon.