I woke up at 4:30 a.m. local time (7:00 p.m. at home) wide awake, listening to the crows, airplanes, and honking for 3 hours.   That’s when it hit me- like a semi. As I was hurling my stomach into the toilet, I was trying to think of what ungodly object I had consumed in the mere 10 hours I had been there.

Well, I breathed through my mouth in the shower. Which means I accidentally consumed some of their delightful, non-potable water. Was this the cause? I can’t say for sure. But it didn’t help.

To everyone who told me I would be sick the whole time I was in India, I was afraid you were right. It’s called Delhi Belly, it’s real, and if anyone was going to get it it was me. But I felt fine afterwards and enjoyed the other spectacles of the day, so hopefully I do well the rest of the trip.

Don’t get me wrong, India is cool and unique. I love their style and in general the people are fascinated by our big American invasiveness, but so far I feel like I’m in a landfill here. I’m nothing if not honest so yes, cows and goats run rampant (there’s literally no room for them anywhere else) and there’s enough garbage to fill the lower United States. Over 50% of the people in Mumbai are living in slums and the slums are ironically below billboards for fancy apartments. If you could make a U.S. salary with the Indian cost of living, you would live like a king. The rupee is worth so little you could almost wipe your butt with it. (Approx. 64 rupees to a dollar.)

The women here seem to be more interested in us than the men in a very flattering way. One younger lady asked us where we were from and told us that her brother had just graduated from MIT and was working for Tesla in Silicon Valley. Our professor had told us the only way out was through a good education and that was proof right there.

This week we will continue to travel to some religious sites across India, including the Taj Mahal. I’ve only had a day and a half of Indian excitement to go off so I will give you a better update once I’ve seen more of the country. I’ve always been eager to see new places so as long as I can hold myself together from both ends, everything else is a journey.

T-10 pounds,

MadMay is Alive