march 2010

India is a country like no other I've ever visited. Like the author of Maximum City wrote, the cities have an impenetrable veil of order amid the chaos that only those who live there seem to comprehend. Cars drive at top speed on streets without painted lines and people don't believe in forming queues. We began our journey in New Delhi, where we took the train to see the Taj Mahal- still magnificent on a cloudy day. Mumbai is a busy port town but was even more crowded and dusty. Though the cities were choked with pollution, the countryside offered an oasis- like respite away from city life. We flew to Kerala, at the southern tip of India, and it was beautiful. We stayed at a host home and they made us fresh fish for dinner. We slept on a house boat that floated serenely down the river. Everything was green and lush. I've always loved Indian food, but here the flavors burst with a new piquency. 

India- it's a whole other world.