India Trip

I am just finishing up a 7 day trip to India - now it is off to Manila for 2 weeks. This has been the most eye-opening experience of my life. I never realized how good we have it in North America. I had previously been to Manila and Mexico (which at the time seemed bad) and witnessed extreme poverty among the people. However, India is quite another story. Aside from the initial and ongoing shock, the trip has been a great experience. The daily drive to work is quite a journey as there are really no rules to follow on the road, and normal roads which we would have 2 lanes of traffic on have 4-5 lanes here - it is quite crowded and slow.

India can best be described in three areas:

• The People: Everyone out here is amazing! They go out of their way to make sure that you are comfortable in their culture, and in your daily travels. The team took me to the "Gateway of India" yesterday. That is the arch in the photo above. Next to it is the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.
• The Food: The food is just amazing. In my first two days I had eaten the best Indian food I have ever had. The second restaurant was a traditional one where you eat with only your hands. It gets a bit messy, but is good. At this restaurant they have name bread in regular size and super size - which is called "Shoulder name" - obviously because it extends from the waiters hand to his shoulder. See Pictures.
• The Poverty: Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is an interesting city. So many people live in what are called "slums" that it is just amazing. If someone is not in the slums, they normally live in an apartment. This is not like an apartment you or I am use to (see the pictures). Despite these slum areas that are everywhere, you feel safe as you move along through the city.

To see all the pictures I took during my trip, please go here:

India Trip

Overall, I am looking forward to my second leg of this trip as I return to Manila, so there is some familiar places and people to see again. I will keep you updated as the journey continues... Pete