January 5, 2008

Day 1: Travel
Boy, that’s a long flight. On the plane, I listened to some music and a Rob Bell sermon, read ¾ of “Banker to the Poor”, won a game of chess on the in-seat console, ate two meals and three snacks, slept one hour, went to the bathroom five times, and watched the movie “Gandhi” while the Indian next to me watched “Grease.” I’m not sure if he caught the irony.

The airport was remarkable easy until we got outside, where a crowd stood around to help with bags and provide transportation. I negotiated my bag carrier down from a $10 tip to $1, while other classmates gave various amounts to their helpers from 10 rupees (25 cents) to $20. What a lesson in assertiveness.

The drive to the hotel took about 30 minutes of fast and furious driving, dodging cars and pedestrians, which in my sleep deprived state I found both scary and humorous. Sights along the way include too many cabs to count, too many stray dogs to count, and more people sleeping on the streets than I had ever seen. I supposed they could not afford to cobble together a tarp over a handmade shelter like so many others. We also passed crowds of people out enjoying their Friday night, myriad Vodafone signs, a FedEx store, and a Porsche dealer. Overall, the flow of life seemed chaotic with no order.

We arrived at the hotel at 1:00 AM, had no trouble checking in and got a dot of red powder on our foreheads. The hotel room is nice, but not extravagant, and is missing an iron and an alarm clock.