Color me traveling.

After a long delay mostly due to an inability to commit to a title (you'd think I was naming a child or a pet chihuahua), I finally got my act together long enough to start my blog. For the most part (or at least for now), I want to use this to write about my post-bar exam trip to India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I'm already most through my third day in Bombay as I type this. I will probably back-post some comments on my 23-hour stopover in Amsterdam and other highlights from my travels. Enjoy.

So, Bombay, huh? In my head, I definitely pictured hazy, hot, sunny weather. No dice. It's actually (a) quite temperate and (b) raining like a mofo. Today, as I planned what I was going to wear, I thought I'd try giving my sexy, new Goretex hiking boots a taste of the Bombayan (not sure that's correct) rain. Unfortunately, the street I'm staying on floods at the slightest rain and, within minutes of leaving the house, I was up to my shins in rainwater. The good news: the shoes are, indeed, waterproof. The bad news: that meant the water could not get out once it had gotten in by way of my ankles. Why I didn't just wear rubber flipflops like yesterday, I will never know.

I'm actually loving this city (and traveling in general) so far. Sadly, Sarada got sick right when I got here (she was rocking a 101-degree fever when she picked me up at the airport on Thursday) but I've been managing just fine hanging out with her friends. I visited the holiest Muslim shrine in the city (Haji Ali) on Friday with Sarada's co-worker (and fellow KSG-er) Jason's wife Kristen (also in town for a visit). We also did some shopping and observed wealthy Bombay teens being obnoxious at Barista, Bombay's version of Starbucks. Since then, I've spent a lot of time running around the city and even had my first real night out last night. Sarada, other coworker/KSG-er Dennis, and I went to a bar called Dome. It was tres chic (think white couches/tables, big windows, dramatic lighting) and pretty chill. Seeing that Sarada was a bit wiped after a day of shopping in the market and emporiums, Dennis and I sent her home and headed over to a shady bar nearby that my guidebook said served cheap liquor. I ordered "Green Lable" whiskey from an unnecessarily confusing menu and received a flask-sized bottle of terrible, Indian scotch. The beautiful thing was that the bottle cost me only 80 rupees (approx. $2) so I diluted it with some bottled water and enjoyed. We ended up befriending the funniest Swiss kid (more on his insights in a future post), informed a group of Indian men that, no, not all white girls were sluts, and had an all-together excellent time.

I guess that brings everyone up to date on my comings and goings in Bombay. I'll be here until Thursday (when I fly to Vientiane, Laos). I've found my time here completely fascinating and I promise more thoughtful posts in the future (topics to include: why I've decided to call Bombay Bombay and not Mumbai; why lowering the drinking age in our country would cause less traffic accidents; why Indian flyers would not have done well flying in and out of DC when the standing ban was in effect; and random thoughts on poverty, class, and waitstaff ability). Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to wade home....