Here we go?

so, we are here in India! now let's see if i can sketch a picture of what the week has been like with enough details of both the logistics and my feelings ...

over 24 hours of traveling and we arrived to the Mumbai airport at midnight. thankfully our hotel sent a taxi to meet us, other wise we may have been swallowed and digested by the crowds outside of the airport. the hotel was decent enough, and the staff was very helpful.

the following day we took a taxi to the south end of Mumbai called Colaba. this first experience with India drivers made it clear: there's chaos in the streets here. No real lanes discriminate where to drive so people just drive where ever there is room, honking their horns if they need to make more room. seriously, where ever there is a bit of room. we went maybe 25 Km and it took almost 2 hours because of traffic. while looking around from the taxi window i thought "we could never walk around here", as people were everywhere begging, selling, walking or squatting and buildings, slums, cars, and animals took up any extra inch of room.

i was here less than 12 hours before confronted with India's poverty face to face. i am not used to looking someone who is begging in the eye, seeing their hunger, and then turning down their need. it happened first with a young woman and her baby. now every day, multiple times a day people come to use with open hands. i see them do this to other Indians as well and the Indians ignore them. that seems to be the route to take, ignore or say no. i don't know if i will ever get used to this. however it is likely a disservice to give hand outs of money to the hundreds (this is a huge underestimation) of people who live on the streets and make a life out of begging. and i can't just give money out to help the worlds hungry people. this is a bigger problem than a few coins can solve. it is cultural, political, envioroment ... a world struggle.

we stayed in Mumbai for one more night and explored what we could of the south corner of town. to sum up the city of Mumbai i will use Phillip's words: Raw, Unadulterated Development.

i rode on the first train of my life from Mumbai to Bangalore. it was 24 hours long and a great opportunity to observe Indian life. we were lucky to sit with some Indian fellows who eventually became our friends, after both parties observed that the other was trustworthy. i felt so happy to make a connection with people here, even in the short time we were on the train. that is what we want here: connections with regular Indian people.

Now, we are in Mysore. we have been here 2 days and will stay for a few more. it is a smaller city, but still large on our Boone-scales. much about city traveling has been overwhelming so far. i am hoping to retreat somewhere more peacefull, do some WWOOFing on a farm, or volunteering in the near future. it is a strange feeling right now to be traveling only for the sake of traveling, with out a defined purpose. this is something very different culturally for us and Indians. many of them never have the chance to leave their country, especially with out a purpose. For us, sure, there is a purpose, but it is hard to see clearly what that is and how to follow it out at this time.

India has pushed my limits so far, the hardest thing being not able to just naturally trust that people have good intentions in your relationship with them. i can't just go around smiling at strangers like i do in the US. but there are many little things that are deeply joyful. eating the deliciously spicy food with my hands is one of them. also, there are little shrines and temples everywhere. people sit on the corners selling jasmine flowers to use as offerings at these small shrines. the head wobbles that every Indian does here which means "maybe" "yes" "whatever" or "i have no idea" makes me giggle to myself all the time. these things, and the fact that phillip and i have each other, and the non-stop learning ... this keeps my attitude positive and long distance view hopeful.

this is a large update but dont miss our PICTURES BELOW!!! they are from this first week of traveling