After passing out at 5 a.m. I did not again open my eyes until around 1:30 p.m. and my first thoughts about my first trip to Asia was that the 9.5 hr time change is brutal... I was exhausted but excited to see this new country for the first time in the daylight. Having heard there was no update on the location of my bag and given I had no clothes I threw on the same clothes I had worn for the prior 30 hrs and headed out with my colleague to wander the city. I was immediately struck by the entirely different world I had entered into (reminded me much of my trip to Mozambique 5 yrs earlier). The roads were congested and filthy and the first impression I had was why does everyone honk their horn every 2-3 seconds regardless of need? The sound was deafening and the smog and dirt were overwhelming. Trash was strewn all over the streets and within several steps I encounted the abject poverty that is a major part of India's identity despite the fact that India is tagged as the next major economic powerhouse in the world. What a contrast from the oppulence of the Leela Palace to encounter people living in shanty towns a 5 minute walk away. We wandered the streets, visited a couple temples and appreciated the fact there were cows in the middle of the sidewalk and trash everywhere. Three little girls came up to me at one point and held out their hands begging for money. One of the little girls then pointed at a coke bottle I was holding that was almost completely empty. I gave it to her thinking she might want to return the bottle for a few cents or something. Instead, she and her two friends proceeded to fight over who got to drink the final few sips of warm mostly backwash left in the bottle. I was struck with the immediate thought that I have no concept of what true poverty is and yet there it was right in front of me. What an incredible reminder to me of how lucky I am and a humbling statement that we Americans spend way too much time stressing over NOTHING in comparison to the real troubles people face around the world. Those three little girls will be in my mind for quite some time and I hope I can retain the lesson they gave me in how I live my life.
The rest of the day was spent meeting up with another employee of the client, and then heading to MG Road a trendy road full of restaurants and clubs to eat an incredible Indian dinner and drink a couple beers before heading back to the Leela Palace for a couple more drinks in the hotel bar ($19 for a single martini) and then to bed around 2 with hopes of sleeping which didn't happen for several more hours.
I went to sleep thinking alot about those three girls and the contrast between the Leela and their existence mere feet away. I felt almost guilty for indulging in such a spectacular hotel and spending more money on a drink than those girls probably see in a month. I had to accept that despite my perceived problems, I am incredibly lucky to be where I am in life.
