What? A post about India? Really!?

An Indian co-worker told me that when I first stepped off the plane in Mumbai, I would -know- I was in India. I just thought she meant it was going to be hot and humid. Nope. That wadn't it. Let me tell you something about the visceral experience that is leaving a climate controlled flying capsule and taking your first step into the Indian sub-continent. It literally, hits you in the face. There is this permeating odor of mildew that shoots through the airport gate and it feels like it permeates into your pores. I was a little shaken up by this and thought, will this be as bad as the horror stories I heard from some people? Then I walk into my hotel and it's arguably one of the classiest places I've ever stayed in.

So far my experience has been quite mixed. Highs include visiting a truly amazing wonder of the world in the Taj Mahal, the various hotels and accommodations I've been able to partake of, meeting my new team at work, and being able to visit a country that I would have never been able to (or inclined to) visit without the benefit of a work recommendation. The lows include thwarting a pickpocketing attempt on me by clamping down on the cell phone in my pocket, a terrorist attack at a location 3 miles from where I was staying, the occasional bout of diarrhea, and the pain of Malarone  (anti-Malaria pills) and it's side-effects.

These are some fairly huge extremes but I've come to understand that this country is the perfect representation of the word duality. It's population, cities, monuments, in fact, the entire culture never seems to be what you expect. If you've ever watched Slumdog Millionaire, the split in the way the main character and his brother act while being raised in the same conditions is an example of that. If you've ever watched a Bollywood film's "item" number then spoke with a reserved yet beautiful Indian hostess, you would never know the two originated from the same culture.

In my next several posts, I am going to try and understand this duality as I feel my way around two of India's largest cities.