december 23 - Delhi

december 23 - 2:23 pm

Ok, I think this will be easier than sending individual emails, so I am going to give it a shot as often as I can get to a computer.

Good news, I'm alive! I am in New Delhi after a very long trip. It is as crazy here as you can imagine. On my "taxi" ride from the airport I had a moment of "what the hell am I doing here?!" My airport transfer fell through and the "Tourist Police" found me wandering around the airport and helped me. No one here recognizes traffuc rules, not even driving on the right side of the road . You can't believe the tiny spots poeople fit their rickshaws, cars, bicycles and scooters. I saw a policeman hit a guy with a cane when his bike blocked traffic. And the horns, they never stop.

But, from there, thigs has vastly improved. My group is fun, people from all over the world and one man who in the middle of a yearlong trip around the world. A couple fun Australian girls, some canadians, brits, and my roommate is a German who barely speaks English. I feel sorry for her when she tries to understand our tourguide who has a very thick Indian accent. The hotel had hot water, which was more than welcome afte rtwo days of travelling and the bed was comfortable enough to allow me to sleep off my jetlag.

We went to Old Delhi today, I experienced the India metro (which is amazing and Southern California should be ashamed!) and the India buses (whiuch are no so fun). We walked through these tiny alleys that served as packed markets and visited temples and forts. The temples here almost make me want to pick up a religion. To see people bowing and mediatating at a spot where the temple martyr was beheaded, it's all very moving. Note to anyone thinking of coming out: don't be tricked by the kids who want you to take their picture. They expect "picture money". Oh, and wearing socks doesn't help, you have to have bare feet in the temples. That's pretty disgusting, but everything is marble, so it is pretty clean.

There are so many things to see and, sometimes unfortunately, smell. There are dogs everywhere! I have to keep myself from going and giving them kisses, rabies doesn't seem so fun. The food is to die for and super cheap. The colors of everything are so vibrant it's a stark contrast to the dirty street. Mom: you can't come here, people spit on the street.

You swear, as a tourist , that you're famous. People want to shakle your hand and take a picture of themselves with you. The staring is pretty disturbing at first, and I feel like a giant, but it's not so bad.

Tonight we are taking a 20-hour train ride to Jaislamer where I will be taking a camel safari and camping on Christmas night. I think it will rank pretty high up there on memorable Christmases! I am scared of the train ride, but I have pretty much been terrified since I have been here. I have never felt unsafe, though, and the armed guards and metal detectors at every entrance are actually a welcome sight.

Oh! And I already saw my first family of monkeys. Just chillen in the marketplace.

That's all for now. I will try to update again soon.

xoxo Amy