India vs. China

Greetings from Bangalore. Got into Delhi last night after a 15 hour flight non-stop from Chicago. I'll be spending the next five days between here and Delhi before heading back to the U.S. Should be fun.

I'll try to share some observations from the trip and maybe post a link later this week to some photos.

Lots of flies in the Delhi airport. Not as modern as China. Neither is well air conditioned but the facilities are better in China.

The military is out en masse at airport with rifles and check points with sand bags.

Westerners look more rugged here - backpacks, jungle gear, etc. Westerners in China were dressed for business.

Lots of turbans and forehead dots.

Cell phones just as important here as China. Everyone has one. Mine works great. My blackberry worked in Delhi but there's only a GSM signal in Bangalore.

No snake charmers yet but did see a cow walking the main drag of Bangalore. India has cleaner air and it's easier to get around because so many speak English. Also is a lot more "green." Great trees, gardens, flowers, etc.

It's almost not fair to compare India and China. They are very different. India strikes me as more Middle Eastern or like the Caribbean than anything Asian.

China's larger cities are definitely more modern looking. The American fare here vs. China is pretty similar. We didn't have Dominoes though, just Papa John's and Pizza Hut. Traffic is bad in India and only slightly more orderly than China. Motorcycles here vs. scooters in China.

Doormen are a real treat in the way they dress. It's all about the outfit, headdress and beard.



I can't wait to try the Indian food. I had two vegetable samosas for breakfast. Yum.

It's monsoon season right now and it's pretty cloudy. We'll see how that affects the week.