Greetings from India - Day 1

Hi everybody,

It's 6:30 AM Monday morning (May 14) in Udaipur, Rajasthan. We (the Rotary team) have been in the country since late Saturday night. We flew into Mumbai (Bombay) around 10:30-11:00 PM, and then stayed in the airport for our 6AM flight to Udaipur.

The flight from New York City to Mumbai was very long - about 14 hours. We flew over Europe, eastern Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and finally to Mumbai. The Mumbai airport was very busy, even at midnight.

Udaipur is a city of about 500,000 people. Our hosts met us at the airport and drove us to our first host family, a doctor and his wife. They are very nice. They served a delicious breakfast on Sunday morning which included a varity of sweets, like ladoo, as well as fruit (mango, apple, watermelon), and an omlett flavored with onion, corriander, and black pepper. They also served us chai (tea) for breakfast, and then again at 6:00 PM with cookies and other desserts. Our hosts have an outdoor swimming pool on top of their house, so we had a swim last night before heading out for the evening. It was very interesting to be swimming and unwinding from the plane trip and then to hear the muezzin calling the Muslim faithful to prayer from somewhere in the city's distance.

We have driven many places throughout Udaipur. In India, people drive in the left-hand lane and the steering wheel is on the right-hand side of the car. Traffic consists of cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, cows, dogs, and goats. Drivers signal what they want to do by tapping their horn several times. So, you hear alot of honking in India. It's 6:45 in the morning, and already I hear some honking on the streets outside.

The food is really wonderful and flavorful. Our hosts have been teaching us the names of various dishes and things, some of which I can't remember, but I'm trying to learn. We went to a wedding reception last night that featured a huge buffet with all kinds of dishes and desserts to pick. My favorite was a deep-fried piece of dough that was twisted into kind of a pretzel shape and then soaked in sugar syrup. It tasted like a really sweet funnel cake, but it was smaller in size. I can't remember the name of it, but I really hope I get to eat it again. The bride and groom were decorated in elaborate and colorful clothing. They were seated on a huge, well-lit platform, and guests would come and greet them and congratulate them. I, also, was invited to greet and congratulate them, which I did. They were very appreciative, yet I have to wonder what was going through their minds when, after greeting friends and relatives, they looked up and saw this complete stranger from another country wishing them a long, happy marriage. There were probably 1,000 people in attendance at the reception which featured a band, fountain, and fireworks. It was also neat to see ice cream being made. There were these huge rollers and attendants were pouring what looked to be fruit over the rollers, which would then mix the fruit with the cream, which they would then serve. It was delicious. Thinking about it, I had three bowls of ice cream yesterday at three different gatherings.

It is very hot in Udaipur, but not unbearable. And, unlike Mobile which is very humid, Udaipur is a dry heat. The temperatures, I think, are about the same - maybe Udaipur is a little hotter. But again, without the humidity it makes the experience of being hot different. Our hosts give us bottled water and allow us to spend time indoors. It cools down a bit at night, which made the evening swim last night very pleasant.

Well, that's about all for now. In about 30 minutes our hosts will serve us tea before breakfast. In India, tea, not coffee, seems to be the morning drink. As most of you know, I'm a big coffee drinker. But the tea is very good and I haven't missed the coffee at all.

I don't know how often I'll be able to post, nor if I'll be able to post any pictures. I'll do what I can. If you like, check back in the evenings and maybe I'll have something new posted. We're about 10 hours or so ahead of Mobile, so hopefully if I'm able to update in the mornings that you should be able to read something new in the evenings. Anyway, thank-you for checking in and I hope everybody's having a good week. More later -- PW