Delhi

I arrived in Delhi on Tuesday night right on time. Unfortunately my bag didn't make it. This was a great lesson in acceptance right when I stepped off of the plane! After filling out the lost baggage paperwork, I went straight to the hotel. I was exhausted after the long flight. My hotel had AC which made it very comfortable in the heat.

One of the first things that I noticed about Dehli is how loud and crowded it is! There are people everywhere! People sleeping and even bathing on the streets. People walking in the midst of traffic. The traffic is crazy! There are auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, dogs, cows, horse drawn carriages, motorcycles, and cars all sharing the road! They don't use lanes here, but they are constantly honking, but it's not out of anger. They do it to communicate with each other and somehow it works. They come within inches of each others vehicles but always seem to know what's coming.

India is also so colorful. The women wear beautiful brightly colored saris, and salwar kameez. The power seems to go out every day here, but it's never for very long. It seems like there is twice as many men as there are women here. My new Indian friend told me that many women abort their babies if they find out they're having a girl. Women get murdered in the slums every day because the are considered a burden. They can't afford dowry or don't want to have to pay it. There's so much poverty here. The slums are huge! There are people of all ages sleeping and begging in the streets. Old women, small children, young mothers with babies, and lepers. It's heartbreaking to see.

I didn't let my lost bag deter me, and I arranged for a tour of Delhi the next day. It was nice to have a driver come and pick me up and show me all of the sights. I definitely saw way more in a day than I would have trying to figure it out on my own. My tour guide was a 22 year old girl named Aanchal. She was so sweet and befriended me immediately. We saw Humayun's Tomb. Built for the emperor Humayun, it was the model for the Taj Mahal. The grounds around it are beautiful. We were there late in the day, and we had the whole place almost entirely to ourselves. It was magical. Jama Masjid which is the largest mosque in India. We were able to see people worshipping in such a beautiful and ancient place. Raj Ghat the cremation site and a memorial for Gandhi. India Gate which is a war memorial. The Red Fort which is a huge ancient fort. The grounds are covered in ruins. Many of these structures were built in the 15th century. They are the beautiful rounded Indian style of architecture, and they're so old! Words can't capture how awe inspiring it was. After my tour I returned to my hotel early. It get's dark at about 7:00 and the area that I am staying isn't safe after dark.

The next day Aanchal risked her job to come and hang out with me for the day. If her boss found out she could have been fired from taking potential business away from the tour company. We started on bicycle rickshaw. I feel so bad for the drivers. They are skin and bone, and have to work so hard to haul people around in the heat and barely make any money. We transferred to autorickshaw, and went to Central Market to go clothes shopping. I bought some Salwar kameez since my bag still hadn't arrived. These are suits that consist of a long shirt or tunic with loose fitting pants. They are so beautiful in virtually every color and design. They take your measurements and then tailor it to fit you. I bought Aanchal one as a gift. It was one that she'd had her eye on. She was very happy! She's trying to save money for her eldest sister's dowry.

Aanchal called me her "American sister" and she gave me a cell phone to borrow for the entire duration of the trip! How generous! We spent part of the day getting my service arranged. It will be nice to have a phone while I'm here and I already have friends to call if I need to! I got henna done on my hand. It's beautiful. The guy did it in like 10 minutes and it cost less than 50 cents. After shopping we went to lunch at a South Indian restaurant. The food here is so good! We had fried bread and rita with like 10 differeng chutneys, curries, yogurts, and sauces.

We met her friend Manoj who is also a guide. She arranged for him to give me a ride back to my hotel on his motorcyle. It was definitely scary, but also exciting! My leg came literally inches from hitting other vehicles several times! On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Lodhi Gardens. Another beatiful ruin from the 15th century in a huge peaceful garden. Then he took me to an underground market. It was crazy! Everyone yelling at you trying to get your attention to come into their shop. It was very chaotic! We stopped at McDonalds to get something to drink. They don't eat beef in India because the cow is sacred so they had things on the menu like McVeg surprise sandwich, and McVeg pizza rolls! Then it was home for the night.

My trip has definitely been an action packed adventure so far! I've met amazing people and seen a lot of amazing things. My bag finally arrived at 2 in the morning last night so today I'm taking a long overnight bus to Dharamsala. I'm excited to get up to the mountains!