India -- Days One & Two

Day One (& two) was a rather uneventful one here in Mumbai. I spent the first day with my wonderful Australian colleague Sarah Ward between the Microsoft office and here at the hotel.

Interestingly, when I called the concierge desk to ask how close the office is to the hotel, he told me that it was definitely walkable -- 10-15 minutes. When we went to leave the hotel, we were told, oh no, not walkable, and not in this heat. Granted, it was only in the high 80s yesterday (cool!), but the 15 minute cab ride ended up taking us through serious poverty. Photos from a moving vehicle can't speak to what we got to see. I will tell you that in all of the dust and metal and lack of resource was an odd beauty in the colors of India.

Of course, we're staying at an amazing hotel and work in a beautiful glass tower in the heart of it all. It's a bipolar reality really. Part of our day yesterday was spent with one of Microsoft's global leaders at a meeting... at our hotel. As we waited for the India team to have a small team meeting, Sarah and I wandered the grounds of the hotel to take in the sights. This place is literally an oasis based on what's not 10 meters outside its walled world.

And not to keep calling out its distinction from the world around it, this hotel is stunning. It's FILLED with large art installations and architecture that harkens back to the grandeur of ancient Egypt in an odd way. And it has a dichotomy of style that makes every corner interesting -- from it's azure tile pools to ancient columns with replica paper mache lanterns (I'll try to get a photo).

All that said, nothing exciting to report to date other than the rides to/fro the office/hotel and the sites I've gotten to see daily. This includes cattle roaming next to the office, wood scaffolding -- or better, STICK scaffolding -- on new construction, sponge baths and "kitchens" at the sides of busy roads, and traffic congestion and road rules that belie any sort of common sense.

There are plans tomorrow evening to head into the heart of Mumbai to see the city and to experience the culture. For now it's been non-stop work (why I'm here aferall), but promises of culture to come!