Hello all, and sorry that it has taken me so long to put another posting up. Unfortunately, I cannot post any pictures today.

Anyway, the last few days have been hectic, filled with excitement, and at times a little stressful. Alex and I safely arrived in Mumbai on (what I believe was) July 24th. Mumbai was pretty crazy. First, we got pretty lost on our way in. We took an overnight train to Mumbai that was supposed to arrive around 6.30 am. Well, we fell asleep and missed our stop. We ended up about an hour north of Mumbai. So, we were told which train to hop on to get to Mumbai. That would not have been a problem, but this train was actually headed to a small town quite a ways east of Mumbai. So, Alex and I hopped off the train at its first stop that was after quite a distance into the middle of nowhere. We found our way to Mumbai with the help of a bum that told us he needed to see the US Consolat in Mumbai, and if we bought his bus ticket, he would get us there. It was a cheap ticket, so we did, and he got us there. Hopefully, all went well with him and the Consolat. That guy was nuts. He kept telling us that it was stupid for the US to celebrate independance day because we are independant, have our own land, and our independance from the Queen of England, who he believes is a lesbian. I thought about pointing out that India shouldn't celebrate their independance day either then since it is from the same woman, they also have their independance, and they have their own land. But, I decided to let him say these crazy things and not interrupt.

Once in Mumbai, we saw one of the Gates of India. It was pretty nice especially at night when it was lit up. Not used to such big cities, it was slightly surprising to see how much people and really just how people were trying to get us to see/buy their things (to say the least). Also, we saw quite a few crazy people that were talking to themselves. At times, this was somewhat entertaining. One man had located himself in such a position that Alex and I had to walk by him several times a day. Each time he said to us, "Would you like to buy a cow?" It took us a few times to realize what he was saying. The last time, he actaully followed us, asked us the same question again, and pointed to a cow that was pulling a cart down the street. This wasn't just any cow. It was a HUGE cow. Naturally, we asked him how much he was selling it for. He said 100 rupees ($2.50). We said no, but we would buy it for 50 rupees. He then lowered to something like 80 rupees, but we stood fast at 50. He told us that we were crazy, and he couldn't sell his cow for 50 rupees. So, unfortunately, we were cowless in Mumbai.

Alex and I also visited the Mumbia Regall Cinema. It was a pretty fancy building. The first night we saw Grudge 2. Terrible movie; don't see it. The next night, we saw an Indian movie that I forgot the name of. There were no subtitles, but that was ok since I had actually seen the movie before. How could I have seen this movie before, you ask? Simple, this was not an original film. I don't know if they had permission to do this or not, but all they did was change the language, location, and actors in the movie. Every little detail in the movie was exactly the same. I am also trying to remember the name of the English version I saw, so hopefully that will come to me. When I remember it, I will let you know because it was actually a decent movie. Oh, the Indian version did add two scenes where everyone somewhat randomly broke into song and dance.

Several things are different when you see a movie in India. One is that before each preview and the movie itself, a certificate of government approval is displayed on the screen stating the length of the clip and who approved it. Also, you have to stand for the national anthem before each movie. During the movie, there is also a 10 minute intermission.

While we were waiting for the second movie, we saw another crazy man. We had seen him and his invisible friends around before, but usually they were all just walking along together having some sort of intimate discussion. This time, they were relaxing in the middle of the main street in front of the theatre, laying down, and conversing. No big deal; the cars just weaved around him. All of a sudden, he jumped up, ran to the middle of the street where he magically pulled out a 20 foot bamboo pole that he ran down the street towards a group of about 30 people with. Apparently, this happens at least semi-regularly because everyone including about 5 police officers just moved out of his way and watched him continue to run down the street with this 20 foot pole.

So, that was Mumbai. Oh, we also stopped in McDonald's there for a strawberry shake and a big mac, which was actually made with masala and chicken since they don't serve beef. Don't eat at McDonald's in India. That was one bad burger.

So, when Alex and I departed, he went to the international airport, and I went to the domestic airport. At the airport, I found out that my ticket had not been paid for. I couldn't find my paper ticket, so I was pretty much out of luck. I got the runaround, and after a while I got fed up and asked to make an international call. I called my lovely parents, and they reminded me that my ticket was in my money belt. Of course, the one place I didn't check. So, all went well, and I even got a free set of headphones and a pen out of it.

Tonight, is my last night in Delhi. It has been pretty exciting here, but my hand is starting to cramp up from typing so much. So, I will leave Delhi until the next posting.

Take care, and thank you again for all of your kind e-mails and messages. They are greatly appreciated.