Week 1: family, food, bazaars, food, rickshaws, and food

I feel like a fish in slightly spicer water...everything has been great so far! I'm surprised that I haven't felt more of a culture shock (maybe that's one of the advantages of having family living in Brampton;). Things have been very gogogo since I only have a short time in Punjab. My family has been very accomodating and kind, I'm actually very humbled by how affectionate and attentive everyone has been (and I got a loooooot of family here!). Hightlights have included:

* Etihad flight- I ended up staying awake for the whole thing, butI had this fantastic little personal tv and sat next to very entertaining ladies...time passed quickly and no turbulence to deal with!
* Motorcycle ride in Delhi- if I ever think that traffic in Toronto is bad, I'll just think about Delhi...cows, cars, rickshaws, autorickshaws, trucks, dogs,people, bicycles, scooters, all sharing the same road! It's Insane how close all the vehicles get to one another! I was a passenger on the back of a motorcycle and it was an absolute thrill! you don't go fast, but dodging cows is a fun pasttime!
* Family- I've seen so many family members, and it's been great to talk to them (although I quickly realized that my punjabi skills are in dire need of advancement). My cousins' kids are all firecrackers and very sweet. It was very nice to see my grandparents, grandfather is quite weak now, and gramma has that same gramma feel I remember :) Everyone is very attentive and loving, it makes the "when are you getting married?" and "Why did you cut your hair so short" and "why don't you wear more jewellery?" questions bearable haha.
* Shopping- shopkeepers are very attentive,none of this "just browsing" business! You sit down, they get you a tea or water (no no for me!) or a pop and they show you peice after peice of clothing/shawl/jewellery/suitcase (yes I had to buy a suitcase for the things I've bought...haha, so much for backpacking!).
* Eye Candy- It's like the colours are put on ultrabright here...everything is so colourful- shop signs, clothing, vehicles, there's such vibrancy and hustle-bustle everywhere...takes some getting used to.
* Bingo- haha, my aunt took me to a "Kitty party" in a hotel which is just a meeting of women and they play this bingo type game and eat...and eat. I was asked to be the number caller (in english), and they couldn't understand my accent-I had to channel Russel Peter's accent- oh, if only my friends could've seen me ;)
* FOOOOOOD- Last time i came to India I honestly don't remember eating anything beyond mangos and cucumbers...not so this time...I've been eating so well here...all the home cooking is out of this world and I've indulged in some roadside food- *touchwood* I haven't had any serious "delhi belly" problems yet-haha, gross but true! I even went to McD's and had a McChicken samdwich, although it's made with mint chutney instead of mayo...they've also got McAloo Tikki burgers *insert giggle here if you know what Aloo Tikki is*

All in all,things have been "first class". I'm off to Amritsar in a couple of hours to visit my aunts for a couple of days...then Nurmahal for a day, and then back to Delhi for October 3 to pick up Claire and start our India adventure...there's just so much to take in!

Until next time...