Too heavy for today’s weight limit

There was a day when writers kept beautiful, leather-bound and corded travel journals.  Even the act of opening them seemed imbued with the exotic.  I can’t say that my MacBook Air is as romantic, but it’s definitely faster and with airline weight limits, I can’t take both.

We are off to India today, the Land of the Raj, the Sub-continent.

SFO to Frankfurt: 11 hours  /  Layover 2.5 hours   /  Frankfurt to Mumbai: almost 9 hours and we land at 1:35 a.m.  Mumbai time is 13.5 hours ahead of us.

Here’s what I know about India today:

I love Bollywood movies, especially the dance numbers.

Indian food is delicious. I meet my friend S at our fave Indian place down the street every chance we get. Here’s to you, S!

The poverty and cruelty of Indian life meant I couldn’t get past the first few scenes of Slumdog Millionaire, although I did read Katherine Boo’s Behind the Beautiful Forevers and recommend it. I expect my heart will be engaged in ways I can’t yet imagine.

I’m afraid of Deet but I’m more afraid of the anti-malarial drug and malaria.  Yeah, gonna stink for the vacation.

The annual Pushkar Camel Fair is a cacophony of color, camels & craziness. We are camping there for one or two nights. Well, more like “glamping.” Thank God. Here is our tent:

If you know me, you know this is the only way I would ever camp and if you think I’m bad, you should meet my husband.

Here’s the bathroom. Yes, a marble tub.

Perhaps you get that this is the only way I could get M. to India.

There are elephants and I’ll have a chance to ride one. Someone will memorialize my look of terror with a camera, I’m sure.

There you have it. The sum total of my knowledge of India.

I have my camera, my Air and, I hope, good internet.

And my adorable, fabulous husband.

Yes, I’ll be blogging along the way. And there will be non-India posts I’ve already scheduled.

Catch you from what the Brits used to call

the Jewel in the Crown.