Random observations

Greetings! I'm not much of a blogger, so I'll get my feet wet with some observations of India (on events before we got to the orphanage).

- Continental Airlines took good care of us through various scenarios (see Andy's blog). I'm sure it didn't hurt that Mona had upgraded our seats. It would be easy to become a business/first class snob. The food was fabulous and Pirates 3 was playing on our individual TV screens, so it counted as a last "dinner and a movie" before becoming parents. Hot towel? Champagne? We're enjoying it while we can.

- The Imperial in Delhi was lovely, with a signature scent of jasmine wafting from candles lit throughout the lobby, the soaps and lotions in the rooms, and the fresh flower arrangements everywhere.

- Pepto-Bismol. Ah, nothing like starting your day with that pink chalky tablet sticking in your molars. But this is Mona's #1 travel tip: two chewable Peptos before every meal or snack. It never has failed her, so we've followed her advice in Israel, Jordan, Italy and now India. This is a country where non-natives are told to use bottled water even to brush their teeth - and not to swallow any water when bathing. So Pepto is a lifeline.

- Oh, and we are remembering to take our malaria pills every morning. If we go outside after 6 p.m. we need to wear mosquito repellant.

- It doesn't smell as bad as I thought it would. And the pollution isn't as bad, either.

- Advertising. God bless Lady Bird Johnson and her rules about outdoor billboards. Good Lord! There is advertising everywhere! It appears they've even sold the space on the post under the stop signs! Or else some serious guerilla marketing is in play. Billboards tower over the chaotic streets, frequently promoting clothing, diamonds, or perfumes that maybe 1 percent of the people below would be able to afford.

- Exchange rate. It's about 40 rupees per $1. So a $10 item costs 400 rupees. We haven't been shopping yet to see what anything beyond a bottle of water costs.

- Traffic. Yikes! The motorcycles, tourist vans, buses, bikes, and the tuk-tuks (motorized rickshaws) manage to turn two lanes into four. They crowd and jostle and scootch and dart and honk honk honk honk. I'm amazed that we haven't seen an accident yet, although we read in the paper that one bus line already has crushed 78 people so far this year nationwide.

I marvel at the women who use just one hand to hold on to a man (husband? boyfriend?) and a bag while riding sidesaddle in a sari on the back of the motorcyle — and carrying on a conversation. Why is it that the men always seem to wear a helmet, but not the women? The government's traffic signs don't inspire much confidence: Accident prone area, rash driving discouraged, don't use cell while driving, etc. Even the "light traffic" was crazy by Tri-City standards. It's the same in Delhi and Chennai. Having a driver is a must! When in Delhi, Mona uses Indebo for the driver (Rakesh) and the in-country tour arrangements. Indebo has proven to be reliabe, for which we are grateful.