From Pune

I arrived in Mumbai two days ago and came straight to Pune, and it's been a funny transition. I'm struck more by how many things are similar and how many things actually do make sense - rather than how many things are different. It's noisy - and dusty - and hot - but Pune is also a very cosmopolitan city, more western and liberal than I'm told other areas are.

It helps that I haven't had to get around by myself yet, I'm sure. I was picked up at the airport by Sarah and one of her Indian friends, who negotiated us from a rickshaw to a bus station that tried to charge too much, to the Mumbai local train that brought us to another bus stop and onto the bus that dropped us off three hours later around the corner from Sarah's host family. From her apartment, you can walk to all the necessities of life here - the market, restaurants, the tailor, the internet cafe.

Yesterday we ventured further, and I got to see a bit of the areas where Sarah spends her time. Her university is a peaceful complex of buildings separated from the chaos of the city by greenspace - forest really - and the public health building is a cool, almost European style place. By western standards, the classrooms are primitive and research equipment alarms beep incessantly without being attended to, but the people (at least the ones I met) are friendly and wonderful, and dedicated to improving public health.

Everybody shows an amazing generosity and hospitality. Sarah's friend met us yesterday evening to help me buy some traditional Indian clothing that will hopefully help me not stick out so much. He took us to a shop he knew, and three floors up we removed our shoes and sat on cushions while two shop attendants pulled item after item off their shelves and spread them in front of us. After much discussion over colors, patterns, length, stripes and sequins, I have a few things I can wear - for about $12. Life is good.

I'm trying to get used to some new things - like trusting a rickshaw wallah to take me safely where I want to go when there are no real traffic rules. In general, people drive on the left - but that's really more of a suggestion than gospel, and cars, auto-ricks, people and bicycles all share the same space.

In a few hours I'll get back on the bus and head back to Mumbai, to catch a domestic flight to Ahmedabad and then an overnight train to Udaipur. This will be the first of five days I'm traveling on my own this trip. I'll post again from there, and may even attempt to put up some pictures.