Back already

Well, we're back. Took off from Delhi at 9:50pm on Sunday and landed in Seattle at 6:55am on Monday. That's only about 9 hours by the clock, but about 20 hours of real-time travel. 

We had a great time, and I wish we could have stayed longer. I also wish we'd had more reliable internet so I could have blogged as we went. As it is, I'll just work on catching up as I go back through pictures over the next several days. 

For now, I'm calling it a night. More soon!

Old Delhi

Terrific first day in India! We spent the day exploring Old Delhi, which pretty much embodies the term "sensory overload". It was crowded and noisy and dirty and hot -- and so very fascinating to experience. There's more to say, but jet lag and an early flight to Udaipur weigh in favor of sleep. So here's a placeholder for now:

We made it!

Twenty-two hours of travel is all it takes to go from Seattle to New Delhi. We stepped off the plane into warm, muggy air full of smoke and were greeted by an exuberant welcome from giant "namaste" hands on the wall.

Customs was a breeze (we did the legwork for visas online ahead of time) and then found our luggage.  A driver that Amada found through her cousin met us at the exit and drove us to our hotel -- o, the glory that is Marriott after a long trip! (Though in this case that glory was momentarily questioned when we saw the awkward open format bathtub... fortunately there are sliding doors that allow for privacy). 

We dropped out bags and quickly ran through our most pressing questions: How/when do we buy train tickets? (From the concierge, tomorrow!) What do we want to do in the morning? (See all the things and eat all the food!) Is the hotel restaurant still serving dinner? (Yes, but only for five more minutes!)

We rushed to the dining room and had our first Indian dining experience, in which we all learned valuable lessons: Amanda learned that that she may not have a choice in whether she gets to dish up her own food from the serving bowl (she turned the first waiter down, only to have another rush over to do the serving in his place). Justin learned that just because something has raisins and cashews in it doesn't mean it's not super spicy. And i learned that Infian food really does taste better in India. 

Can't wait for more!

Off to India!

Holy cow, this year's big trip is here already -- we're off to explore the Subcontinent!

Getting there is part of the adventure. We left Friday morning and after 14.5 hours in the air, we touched down in Dubai. 

It's super impressive to see this city that has basically been built from scratch in only a relatively few years. The buildings are all new (at least, everything that i could see from the plane was new). And the Burj Khalifa - the worlds tallest building - is stunningly tall. 

Our layover, alas, wasn't long enough to risk leaving the airport for a quick spin through the city, but it did leave plenty of time for a leisurely lunch. Naturally we ate French: 

Quiche and salad at Le Pain Quotidien...

... followed by pastries at Paul. 

We skipped the M&M shop but enjoyed niticing that Arabic M&Ms wear headdresses.

Now we wait and read and enjoy the view before our next flight to Delhi. It's only 3.5 hours away!