Travel to India

We tumbled into our new apartment after hours and hours of waiting and travel. I sit here trying to figure out how long it actually was but am stumped by a time change so great that it crosses days. All I know is that we left our house in California at 5:30 am on Friday and arrived in Bombay at around 1 am on Sunday. You do the math.

The non-stop flight from Newark Airport to Mumbai was not bad. Armed with over-the-counter sleeping pills, an iPhone loaded with podcasts, noise-cancellation earphones, and an eye mask filled with thousands of little beads, the time literally flew by. The next step, getting through customs, went smoothly too. Almost there, we found the next obstacle a bit more daunting. To exit the customs area everyone had to put their bags through yet another x-ray machine. The number of machines and their locations were not adequate to the number of bags they had to consume. Some people dutifully formed lines but there was no order to the lines so they turned into mobs. One young man took on the responsibility of telling people to go to the end of the line. Unfortunately neither the line nor its end was apparent.

Upon emerging from the airport we were relieved to find our driver waiting to transport us to the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, a forty-five minute drive. Bleary-eyed, we were given a key and taken to our apartment. In the night, it was a bit disappointing. We were all very tired and it looked like a bleak place to call home for two whole months. Some rest and the light of day, however, allayed our concerns.

Lizzie sitting in lobby of Guest House while waiting to start our first day of exploring in Bombay.

The sights in the street are overwhelming – color, noise, motion. Where else would one see a bus decorated with pink and white balloons driving through the crowded streets while playing happy birthday?

Had to snap a picture of these adorable kids dressed in navy and navy checks, both outfits clearly cut from the same cloth.