For some reason, I'm not as suprised about India as I had expected to be. Not sure if that's because we have so many Indian friends or because I've travelled a bit or maybe a combination of both. The smells remind me a lot of my travels to Africa and Southern Asia. There's a blend of pollution, curry, burning garbage, diesel and every once in a while, a smack-in-the-face whiff of excrement. Sounds lovely, doesn't it. :)

But what is beautiful about India, at least in the first few days, is the people. The people are so incredibly friendly and helpful. While you can find helpfulness elsewhere, India is capable of maintaining this wonderful attitude with its massively huge population. I think that's extraordinary. So many Indians, both at home and here, have been so helpful to us; it's really amazing to me.

Other random comments from Kiki to one of my Sikh colleagues: "Why do you have a towel on your head?"