WE'RE IN INDIA!

So we travelled 12 000 miles in about 13 hours (the ride wasn't too bad and -get this- they had INDIAN food for dinner! SCORE!) and now we are here sweating in New Delhi.  It's..........very different here.  A real culture shock. 

"It smells like India as soon as you get off the plane", said another Westerner who we met on the plane.  Certainly, India has a particular smell.  It smells of dust, and faintly of spice, and of heat, and sweat.  Our taxi ride from the airport was harrowing and we probably had as many near misses in that 20 minutes of driving than I"ve had in my entire life prior to being here.  People are fearless - the dotted line on the road is really just a suggestion - and drivers from here would find our canadian cities rush hour a walk in the park.  There's no question of driving defensively - it's the ONLY way to drive.  Instead of squirrels they have monkeys, instead of sidewalks they have ... nothing really.  We all get out there and fight for a space.

When we got out to walk to the hotel (the streets are too narrow for the taxi) - that's when we started to see the true India.  Imagine the most broken down neighbourhood that you've ever been to.  Now add thousands of people and merchandise hanging from all spare hooks and extra nails to display as many wares as possible.  Then add about a hundred really mangy dogs and muddy streets and don't forget the smell of sewage and about 35 degrees.  That's what it's like here.  So we're still getting used to it. 

Our first hotel smelled very bad so we only spent one night there. We've moved on to the hotel next door which smells better and has a bed long enough for Nathan to fit.  Note to self:  don't stay anywhere the guide book tells you to stay; go next door.  We've had two successful meals here (meaning that we haven't been sick yet) and we've been sweating and drinking loads of water.  I mean, what elso do you when you're jet lagged and suffering from culture shock?  This morning when we woke up at 3 am, we played Scrabble and Bridge.  After that, we felt a bit more normal and were able to deal with the cockroach in our room. 

BAby, we're not in Kansas any more, not by a long shot. 

We've been too shell shocked to take any pictures, but those will come soon. 

Overall, we're still jet lagged, but looking forward to all the adventure in store.