India

My wife and I spent 2 1/2 weeks in India earlier this month. We spent most of our time in Mumbai (Bombay, as most of the Indians still call it), but also traveled to Pune, India for a visit with the OS2i team that I work with as well as a couple days in GOA, which is a beach resort area about an hours flight south of Mumbai. Although I spoke with dozens of people who had been to India before and prepared myself for the craziness and different culture I was about to encounter, you really have to see in in person to get have any concept what it was like.

Mumbai is a huge city with a population of over 13 million. 8 million people live in slums set up anywhere and everywhere. The traffic, the people, the noise, the pollution, the smell and the poverty were a bit overwhelming for our first few days in Mumbai. On day 3 we traveled to Pune (about 3-4 hours by car) to meet the OS2i team. They greeted us with flower leis and chai tea and most of all extreme kindness and friendliness (which was needed after a the craziness that is Mumbai). This was the turning point of our trip. We were thoroughly impressed with the entire OS2i team, their knowledge of the sourcing and RPO industry and their enthusiasm for the work they do blew us away.

When we got back to Mumbai, we felt much more confident and comfortable with our surroundings. We shopped and haggled with vendors at outdoor markets, we visited The Gateway to India and Elephanta Island, we even got Lasik done on our eyes for $900.00! It would cost about $5K here in the US. No more glasses and contact lenses! We spent the last few days on the beaches in Goa. The peak season was just ending, and it was pretty hot (about 98 degrees), but it was a nice, relaxing way to end our trip. India was an experience I will not forget.