Without fail, every single person I asked about India said, “I came home with a parasite.” Or, “I got horribly sick.” And then, almost in the same breath, they would add, “but you have to go.”

I was skeptical. I am not one to voluntarily subject myself to violent illness. What, I wondered, could make the trip so worthwhile? What about India was so magical?

I asked myself many times (for example, when the flight attendants walked down the aisles of the main cabin of the plane, spraying all the passengers with DEET) whether I should turn back.

But then, we stepped off the plane.

I am completely enchanted with India: The women in sari hanging off of the backs of motor bikes, the piles of pomegranates threatening to topple off of wobbly carts, the incense infused temples tucked away down dark narrow alleyways.

I will write more soon about sari shopping, made-to-order dosa, and henna tattoo…But for now, while I am here, on the ground, I am taking special requests. What would you like to see in Bangalore?