Last night I went to the movie theater here in Ahemedabad and saw a movie completely in Hindi.

There was a lot of Hindi, a lot of random dancing and singing, and a lot of great cinematography. Shockingly, I really enjoyed the movie although I could only understand a few words I’ve learned since being here.

Here are 4 things you’ll find different than what a normal movie in America is like.

1. The flag of India is played on the screen while everyone stands and sings the national anthem
2. The seats are numbered and you sit in your assigned seat
3. There is an intermission
4. They serve french fries at the concession stand

I love all of these differences between American and Indian movie theaters.  It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend going to a movie in a country where there is going to be absolutely no English.

Here is a trailer of the movie.

I have to say that the Uttarayan Kite Festival in Ahmedabad was one of my top 5 experiences ever.  We started out today in old Amhedabad and went to three different terraces to fly the kites.  


All ages from children to seniors were out on the rooftops flying kites and the women made different types of snack foods and brought them on the roof tops where we had blankets laid out to sit on and eat.  We ate lots of Tikki, which is basically like a praline with different types of seeds, nuts, grapes and drank chai tea.

Uttarayan Terraces

The Kites and Manja

The kites were made from very thin paper, and all types of bright colors.  The photos of Uttarayan I have taken don’t do justice to how colorful the sky was. The string is called Manja, and is coated by thin glass pieces.  This makes the string a lot tougher for the kite wars during Uttarayan.  I had seen the movie kite runner but this was for real. It’s amazing to see how they use different hand motions to move the kite higher, lower, or left to right.  Needless to say it took some practice for me to even get close to making the thing fly.  Some many kites get cut, or just get tangled in power lines there are literally kites everywhere you look.  Towards the end of the day I took this picture of a tree that had been swarmed by kites.

Manja (String)

American Kite Festival?

I never thought flying kites could be so much fun.  I think the most interesting part to me was that there were so many people on the rooftops.  I’ve never seen anything like this in America.  Maybe it’s just because we don’t have terraces like this and I should compare this to something like a 4^th of July parade but the sight of everyone on top of their roofs for Uttarayan was just something I had never seen before.

Uttarayan Kite Festival

Headed to Mount Girnar

After an amazing day of flying kites for Uttarayan and having the time of my life we are headed off to Mount Girnar.

You can view all of my images from Uttarayan on flickr.  Click here.



I was packed, passport ready to go, even an extra hour early to the airport. There was still one item missing I was unaware of. You don’t have a visa? These were the harsh words that came from the american airlines attendant while attempting to print out my boarding pass. I had no clue what she meant. I wasn’t planning on working in India, wasn’t planning on being a student or conducting research… so why did I need a visa? I was wrong. I have not traveled a ton but I have traveled to Mexico, Belize, Canada, and The British Virgin Islands all of which requires only a passport and no visa.

Lucky for me there is an India Visa Center in Houston, TX about 4 hours south from Dallas. I’ll be driving down tonight, staying in a hotel, and then getting my visa Friday. I have rescheduled my flight for Sunday and the flight from New Delhi to Ahmedabad on Monday. With all this being said here is some information if you ever find yourself needing an India Visa.

Types of India Visas

• 6 Month – $75
• 5 Year – $165
• 10 Year – $165

• Tourist Visa
• Business Visa
• Transfer of Tourist Visa
• Transfer of Business Visa
• Transfer of Entry Visa
• Conference Visa
• Transit Visa
• Entry Visa
• Employment Visa
• Student Visa
• Research Visa
• Missionaries Visa
• Journalist Visa
• Permit to Re-enter Within 2 Months

Rush India Visas

Most people can just apply by mail and be just fine, however if you do need a rush india visa here is some information that might help. There are 5 locations that you can apply in person.

• Washington DC
• New York, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• San Francisco, CA

Same day india visa applications must be submitted in person to the Outsourcing Office between 9:00am and 11:00am (you will need an appointment that is selected at the end of the online application form). Pickup for same day applications is usually between 5:30pm and 6:00 pm. They do not guarantee the visa will be issued same day. Applications must be received before 11:00am or else you will be issued the visa the following day.  Please note that even the overnight fedex includes a 4 to 5 day processing time.

India Visa Resources

• Travisa Outsourcing

So tomorrow I will be heading off to India for 6 weeks.  The feelings of excitement and nervousness are overwhelming.  Tomorrow I fly from Dallas to Chicago to New Delhi, where I will spend one night before heading off to Ahmedabad.  Ahmedabad is about 300km north from Mumbai in the South Western state of Gujurat.  I’ll be living with two friends that I have worked with over the past year and a half.  Kapil and Harry.  I’m just as excited to meet them as I am to be consumed with the vast culture of India.  I look forward to all the colors of clothes, smells of street vendors and traffic I will soon be overwhelmed with.  My plan is to keep this blog up to date while I’m away and continue to post images of the exicting things I’ll experience.

Some places I’ll be traveling:

• New Delhi
• Ahmedabad
• Girnar
• Diu
• Mumbai
• Goa
• Jaipur (The Pink City)
• Agra