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!