First impressions

India and I are still in the very early stages of becoming acquainted. I've seen the Delhi airport, my hotel (in the suburb of Noida), the shopping district in Noida, and the stretches of land in between. It has been a gentle introduction, for which I am grateful.

Urban India is rough around the edges. It is stinky, noisy, crumbly, and dusty. Power outages are frequent. People stare at your white skin. Young children chase and prod you with dirty fingers, begging for just 5 rupees. You get scanned and frisked every time you step into any public place. Traffic follows no set pattern, preferring the rush of near-collisions and incessant honking over the monotony of driving within the lines. Jay walking across 6 lanes of traffic is mandatory. Skinny cows poop and soak up the sun along the median.

But this is a place of contradictions. The metro is new, clean, smooth, and air conditioned. The clothing is elegant. The people are friendly. The food is good, cheap, and plentiful. And tonight, we've been invited to a dinner at the Imperial, supposedly the finest hotel in all of India.

I'm loving all of it, and I can't wait to discover more.

The view from our hotel room.


In the shopping district. Don't ask me what "Flavour of Canada" means.


View of the sunset from the metro station.


The rooftop pool, where I spent part of the afternoon.