Arriving in India

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It all felt like my previous internationl flight (December 2003) to Ben Gurion International Airport outside of Jerusalem. Not having any real comprehension of what day it was, the first greeting I received from an Indian at the airport was, "Shabbat Shalom!" (Have a good Sabbath: a holiday that starts every Friday evening after sunset and continues through Saturday until sunset). He wasn't Jewish, but he noticed my kippah (Jewish Cap). I thought that was pretty neat.

The five minute taxi cab ride from Mumbai’s international airport to the apartment/hotel that we are living in was exhilarating. All the cars here are relatively smaller than American cars. With most of our luggage strapped to the top of the taxi, we swerved around pot holes and tight corners, and through intersection without traffic signals leading us towards our residents where we would be residing for the next 3 months.

Streets are rarely marked, and forget the idea of "road construction signs," because almost all the roads are "under construction." 10 centimeter drop offs, large sink holes, and large debris make for a very bumpy ride (no need for Disneyland here, just jump in an auto!). Did I mention there's no lines to divide traffic? Main roads have a main divide, but other than that, as long as you stay somewhat to the left hand side of the road, you'll be fine. (British colonization accounts for left-side-of-the-road driving and most of the architecture in the major cities of India).