One Full Day in Pune

---

Greetings from Pune India!

We've been here one full day and what an adventure already. We flew from SFO to Dubai to Bombay. Dubai airport is like visiting a castle and Bombay airport is like visiting the 1970's...haha. In Bombay, the airport is hot and humid...no airconditioning or amenities...for an airport with so many people flying through, it was kinda crazy. Bombay is so dirty and people and dogs roam the streets freely...its so hard to see such poverty, it really has given me a new perspective on how much I really do have.

We then hopped in a car to Pune which was another 3 hours away. Driving in India is not for the faint of heart. Although there are lines on the street that indicate lanes, no one uses them. A two lane highway may have 4 "lanes" of traffic. Everyone communicates with horns and lights and I can't believe we havent witnessed an accident yet. I like to sit in the back so that I can't see...haha. There are lots of motor bikes, rickshaws and cars and its always crowded.

Pune itself is filled with people. The closest way for me to describe it is china town SF....lots of store fronts and people and traffic X10. I had an old man sneer at me from the motor bike next to me...guess he didn't wanna see my white self in town. With that said though, the people here have been very kind. Very welcoming. I feel like a novelty and although I prepared myself for being the odd man out, it has been an adjustment being on the fringe of conversations and having people look at me so curiously. I hope that will change in the next few days.

Diwali is today and yesterday one of Ranjit's mom's employees decorated the porch with sand art...very time consuming and it only lasts a short time, she showed me her pictures of other pieces she had done and they were beautiful. I will post some pictures hopefully soon. The fireworks were going on all night and especially this morning. Ranjit says they will start up again tonight...reminds me of fourth of July...but louder....maybe like Forth of July in Oaktown...haha.

We are headed to a Palace today (forgot the name sorry!) that is supposed to house Ghandi artifacts. I am looking forward to it. A family friend has invited us to a temple tomorrow and we are going to visit.

I am still having trouble sleeping and was up at like three in the morning on facebook. Hopefully in a few days I'll be on track.

---