First Sights in India

We have been in India just over three days. The sights and sounds are overwhelming--but in a good way. I can't compose at length at the moment (the power in this internet cafe may blink off again) but here is a montage of what we've seen in just three days: sacred cows, peacocks, monkeys, & parrots, all just walking/leaping/flying around in the open; horse-drawn carts; a family of four in heavy traffic riding on one small motorcycle; sidewalk barbers with straight edge razors; a traffic island that's been turned into a permanent settlement of ramshackle houses; a barefooted, three-year old girl turning backflips in the midst of traffic beside our taxi, then tapping on our taxi window for alms; pedicabs, cars, vans, trucks, taxis, three-wheeled autorickshaws, & motorscooters that give a whole new meaning to the term "bumper to bumper traffic"; a delicious plate of food for 25 cents; sidewalk vendors of anything; crumbling Moghul tombs; every color combination of sari, salwhar kahmeeze, scarf, and shawl that you can imagine; tiny shops that hold 100 square feet of goods in just 50 square feet of shop space; Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus in acts of devotion and worship; flowers, flowers, flowers; and more!

I have to stop here, but I hope to expand on these first impressions as soon as time and the electricity supply allow.