Greetings from Delhi, India!
There are no words to describe this place adequately, but ill try anyway! The phrase I keep hearing from locals to describe India is "organized chaos", I don't know about the organized part, but the chaos is definitely true! It is also a country of great extremes, just driving from the airport to the hotel I was stunned by the sheer number of people and the general living conditions; buildings 4 stories high that looked like they were about to fall in, makeshift camps using sheets or tarps on sticks, and people just lying or sitting on the side of the road. Then we turned down a sketchy looking alleyway, pull up to a pair of giant metal gates with armed guards, and then pull into the hotel driveway, where we are escorted into a stunning marble lobby, complete with a $25,000 Chihuly glass sculpture hanging from the ceiling.
The view from my hotel room is of a beautiful pool on a raised deck, surrounded on all sides by the scenes I described before down on the streets below. But enough talk, pictures are the best way to see what I am talking about.
 |
| The view of the street below the pool balcony |
 |
| typical street scene |
 |
| people cram 2 or 3 people deep, into every available inch of space on cars, motorcycles, trucks, bikes and buses. |
 |
| There are animals, like this donkey, all over the place. Many of them, such as cows, dogs, and monkeys are considered holy, and are left to roam at will. Cars and pedestrians treat them with great reverence and will always yield right of way to them |
By far the craziest thing about India is the driving; there are cars, bicycles, pedestrians, rick-shaws, carts, trucks, buses, monkeys, donkeys, cows, buffalo, camels, dogs and goats traveling every which way. The lane lines in the road are not used by anyone, and no one uses their blinker either. Its basically a high speed game of chicken, with people and animals moving every which way.
The video below is of a village street, not nearly as chaotic as rush hour or city driving, but you get the basic idea-
 |
| people peddle goods at your window at stoplights or during traffic, everything from books like this boy here, to phone chargers and peacock feathers. |
 |
| buffalo in the roadway |
 |
| a cow on the highway |
 |
| a monkey on someones balcony in Agra |
 |
| painted cattle |
 |
| buffalo in the road. |
Our second day here, we went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, a temple built in the 1600s by an Indian Shah to honor his late wife whom he loved very much. It took 5 hours by car to reach, but it was totally worth it, photos cannot do it's majesty justice.
 |
| Entrance gate |
 |
| close up of the marble work on the entrance gate |
 |
| Taj Mahal |
 |
| There are photographers all around that will take your photo for a few rupees, they really like to pose you in clever ways, like this one where I am "picking up" the Taj Mahal |
 |
| more clever shots from the photographer |
 |
| This pose felt very odd, but the photographer insisted Princess Diana was photographed here, so how could I refuse? |
 |
| A Mosque near the Taj |
My favorite part of India hands down, is the people. Everyone is so kind and generous, the saying here is that "the guest is like a God", people go out of their way to help you and get to know you. It can be a little unnerving at first because they want to know all about you, where you come from, your occupation, how long you are staying in India and if you are married. I definitely don't blend in here, people stare at me wherever I go, but its obviously not in a creepy way, most of them are just curious. Our guide said many of the people from smaller villages have never seen a white person before, can you imagine?! Every time we leave the hotel people ask me to take photos with them or hand me their babies! There is a strong sense of duty here towards visitors, numerous people I have met so far, including our chauffeur, our guide and a woman at the front desk have given me their contact information in case I should need anything while I am working in India.
 |
| A woman who wanted me to take a photo with her and her children |
 |
| A man shouting hello and waving to us as we stopped along the road to take a photo of the view. |
We fly to Madurai tomorrow morning at 5am! I am excited to finally reach the place I will be working for the next ten weeks, I feel like I have seen so much already but the journey has just begun!
Next items on the bucket list:
- Hang out with and elephant
- Hang out with a tiger
- Go shopping
- Visit a beach
I miss you all very much!
~ Namaste
