Team One:

It was our last day in Mumbai, India. In the morning, there was an optional cooking experience which most of us opted to participate in. We organized ourselves in groups of three into auto rickshaws to take us to the cooking complex. Auto rickshaw rides are an adventure. They feel very similar to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland; just before you are about to hit something, you miraculously swerve. Part of the auto rickshaw experience unfortunately is pollution. There is no barrier between your body and other cars and sometimes the tailpipes from surrounding vehicles shoot directly at the rickshaw. Breath holding and baby wipes were essential in coping with the rickshaw rides, although they may have been one of the most exciting experiences in India. Of course, stepping out of the rickshaw usually meant avoiding some type of stinky mud, feces or otherwise.

The location turned out to be a mall-type facility with several different shops and restaurants. The main restaurant, Mocha was our hub for the day. We were immediately greeted with beer, lemonade and big smiles. The agenda for the day included a cooking experience at four different restaurants, a sampling of our creations and lunch afterwards. We broke off into teams of four and then cycled through the restaurants. Our tasks included making panini sandwiches, stuffing dumplings and making meat skewers. Some of the chefs were overly welcoming, some of the chefs were a little unwelcoming until prompted by the organizers. There was a bit of disappointment among participants in that the type of food we were cooking was not Indian food. During our days in India, most of us fell in love with Indian food and spices and were looking forward to and expecting to make native food. This experience was not what we were expecting yet still an interesting time. After we made each dish we sampled it, maybe too much so as most of us were full for lunch, not really understanding that lunch was additional to the sampling.

Before lunch, we smoked a little hookah and had a brief explanation of how to participate in the hookah ceremony. Next we went on a treasure hunt, helping us to explore the area we were in. We were given a list of questions and the stores where we could find the answers. The market was filled with crazy Americans literally running around asking questions. That was funny. We met back at Mocha where the winner was awarded a prize. Then we had a lassie-making contest, an Indian yogurt drink which is phenomenal. Its ingredients are yogurt cultures, sugar syrup and water… yum. Each team was given one minute to make the best lassie and then our drinks judged by a team of lassie experts.

Because this event was optional, there were many people who chose to go their own way; Oscar met a writer he idolized, Jimmy bargained his butt off and got a free calendar, Cece got a massage. We all met back in the hotel around 5PM to debrief our India experience after we checked out. As a group, we reflected on our experiences in India, the good, the bad, and very little ugly. Most, if not all of us had amazing experiences.

Then we went to get ready for our farewell dinner… the girls went up to a room where Jason was trying to relax and regain his health before further travel. We had assistance putting on saris, which are amazingly beautiful, long sheets of fabric wrapped systematically into a dress. We were ready to go in about an hour, feeling very Indian, especially after we put our bindis on (3rd eyes). We went into the foyer and took group pictures, shortly after we were greeted by the boys, who looked sharp themselves.

Dinner was amazing, as always in India. The hospitality is amazing, unlike anything known to us. Food, drink, refills, assistance, etc. was brought before we knew what we needed. The food was amazing, dessert was amazing, live music was amazing. There is so much love in India for guests and such a loving feel of hospitality. The two students from MET who hosted us, Kamal and Riddhi joined us, which was great. They have since become friends with us on Facebook and closely followed our journey to China.

Many of the principles of yoga are embodied by the Indian people as a way of life. The ego is less than Americans, the heart is more pronounced. It was great to experience. We then hung out for a few hours before heading off to a very cold, long airport transition, on our way to Shanghai.