Day: T minus 2, and I'm already sick. I can't believe it. I have not even set foot on the plane, and I'm already feeling like a got food poisoning. Maybe it's my bodies way of getting ready for the 'Dirty Dirty South', as friends of mine like to call it.

My fascination with India started at a young age. I'll be honest ... the first impression I had of India was via Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. What a crazy place, I thought. And though Spielberg did not help the image of the Desi in America much, it left embedded in me an intrigue with this country.

What a trip of a place it must be, I thought... not only do you have to worry about a billion people on a day-to-day basis, but there's the added complexity of oppressive weather conditions, nasty pollution, and animals ... animals, everywhere. I mean, you could be having dinner, and all of sudden an Elephant cuts in and snatches your curry-dog. Insane, I thought.

The sheer vastness of the country, its varied geography, and the culture shock of thousands of years of traditions matched against a hyper-ventilating booming urban society, is simply capturing. In short, to me, this country seems so polar. Very rural, yet very urban (home to two of the largest mega-polis' on Earth - Kalkotta and Mumbay). Staunchly traditionalist, yet very democratic. Peace of mind throughout its peoples, yet sheer madness in the streets. Home of Nirvana and the search for inner wisdom, yet a sensory overload everywhere you turn. Indeed, I've been looking forward to settling my intrigue with this country once and for all. To see first hand the splendor, the vastness, the impact, and the hope of the Nation of India.

So am I ready for India? Shit, homey ... India better be ready for me ...