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Sunday, January 9, 2011

Day 1 - India

Today, we woke up at the Intercontinental by the Mumbai airport. I slept really well (Ambien rocks!). We had breakfast at the hotel (Indian pancake like thing was really good). Our driver, Bhau, was there to get us around 11. Since it was dark when we drove in, it was much different in the daylight. We rode through Mumbai, and it made me so sad to see such poverty. No matter how much you see it, it is still so shocking and so sad. Kids living under tarps on the side of the road, trash everywhere. So sad. It is a beautiful country and we saw some beautiful views on the drive.

When we arrived in Pune, we went shopping first! I felt like my mom. :) Seriously, it was really nice to get some things for the family before we were so busy. I bought the girls some cashmere scarfs, and the boys some silk ties. I also looked at some beautiful silk rugs and loved them. I think those would look soooo awesome in our new house! I am tempted but decide I should talk to Mike first. I did buy some more scarves and a bed cover that is made of silk. It is really pretty.

We finally got to the Westin in Pune around 6 pm. The Westin is a fabulous hotel. It is very pretty and has all the electronic gadgets and such.  The lobby was nice but it wasn't quite as pretty as the Mumbai airport Intercontinental. We got checked in, got our luggage, and decided to eat dinner. We didn't have any rupees left after shopping, so we had to tip our driver some US dollars. I also tipped the guy dollars for my luggage. I later found out that 10 rupees is a good tip for bringing bags which is about a quarter. So, I am sure those people really liked me.

We ate at an Indian restuarant in the hote. It was really nice. We had kingfisher beer (an Indian beer that was totally YUM!) and I had prawns for dinner with some rice. It had a little spice but not too much. It was perfect.

We then went to the bar and had a couple of drinks. The bartender was super cool and he taught me how to say several Hindi words. I had fun learning them. He also made us a special drink, but I forgot the name of it. It was really good.  I slept well again - love that Ambien!

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