Now, India, please welcome...John!

Thanks, John, for the lovely introduction.

Yes, I did actually make it to India.
Yes, it took forever.
Yes, they left my luggage in London 

Yes, India is CRAZY!!

Oh my goodness, this city is the most insane place I have ever been to. I don't know what I can say that bRad hasn't already mentioned, but I can say this: bRad's descriptions of life in Hyderabad does not do it justice. So far today he has taken me to see some interesting places and try some interesting foods. I got a taste of Frankkie Tibbs' Chicken Tikka Roll, which is indeed one of the finest snacks on the planet. We took a ride in an autorickshaw. I think it can be assumed that no American mother would approve of her son riding in one of those things. As !!! woould say, "There's no ****ing rules, dude". For any Sega Genesis fans, the streets are a bit like the game "Road Rash"....pure crazniness, no rules, total chaos.

There is so much to see in this city. It is incredibly overpopulated, so there are innumerable dwellings, some of which are nearly (or directly) on the street. Sidewalks hardly exist. Trash is literally everywhere, and indeed everything you have heard about the sewer systems in relation to the streets is true. BUT, inspite of the squalor, this is a wonderfully beautiful place. Outside of the downtown area things shape up a bit, and you can find some nicer stores and homes. I saw what are now 2 of my all-time favorite trees this evening. I really look forward to exploring more.

I think the most interesting things about this place are the subtle cultural differences, not the glaring ones. bRad pointed out that people tend to bob their heads as if saying "no" while they are listening to you. It is very odd at first, but quickly becomes a little endearing in a funny kind of way. Oh, and the Muslim prayers that are broadcast throughout the city every 5 hours. Super creepy sounding initially, but again, once you relaize it is just playing prayers it becomes much more interesting. I absolutley love the melodies the prayers are sung to. They use a music scale that has nearly double the notes of Western music, which creates the familiarly-exotic sounds of Indian music. I find this fascinating and I think I may buy a small guitar or Indian instrument to bring on our travels so I can experiment with the expanded scales.

I think that we are going to have a short nap (well, bRad is at least) before heading to dinner in an hour or so. I will try too, if I can manage to fall asleep in this heat (it is truly unbearable). Everyone please keep your fingers crossed that my luggage arrives as promised tommorrow. If not, I'm going to be in an interesting situation involving: 1 John, 2 tsp new Indian wardrobe, a pinch of no money, and 2 quarts fresh mango (for flavor). 

Peace from The East,

John

PS: bRad has adopoted a mild Indian accent, selectively. Pretty funny.