India, the country of disorganized chaos…

So let us just say from the minute we stepped off the plane we knew we were in for some cultural immersion at it’s best. All of our friend’s warnings and what we read before our travels alerted us as to how to blend and flow better while visiting India but all of that flys out the window when you actually get here. At first, quite honestly, we were a little on edge….don’t let your luggage out of your sight, hide your passport, stick together…it can be a little nerve racking being a foreigner in this country. Our first official experience was watching someone collapse in the terminal while waiting for our bags…a lady started screaming and people were crowding around the person laid out on the floor….scary. We didn’t wait around to see what happened next but by the sounds of the people it appeard that he died. Our friend Ashish picked us up shortly thereafter…man we’ve never been so happy to see him. As he led us to the car we shared what had just happened in the airport to which his response was, "There is plenty of more where that came from…there are millions of us out there, don’t worry about it.". It’s hard to condense everything that we’ve seen and done because so much has happened in such a short amount of time. First thing to mention is that while we have been here both families have treated us like family and we are two very grateful people. Everyone goes out of there way to make sure you are comfortable and that the food is not too spicyJ The family dynamic alone makes it a blessing to be here.
What’s Delhi like?
Well, the air is thick with pollution, the traffic is horrendous and the streets are littered with vendors, trash, and women and children begging for money. The latter would be the hardest thing we’ve had to witness thus farL It’s very hard not to give the shirt off your back to those begging for money to eat. There are children holding babies, old ladies and young boys in the very center of traffic who approach your window while at stop lights…and what the locals and drivers tell us is to just ignore them…aagghhh, it’s very frustrating. I told Steve if we ever come back here I will bring a suitcase full of clothes and flip flops for the kids, doggy treats and Advantage flea collars for the dogs and cats.
FACT: India has the world’s second largest population next to China…this is reflected in the amount of traffic. Delhi is not for impatient nor easily frightened people. Depending on the time of day, it can literally take one hour or more to drive 5 miles! Holy bleep….Delhi makes LA freeways during rush hour look good. When the traffic does move…hold on for dear life…although we must say, these people have some serious driving skills. The best way to describe it is like cells traveling throughout arteries…with random direction of flow. Breathing can be difficult. This morning’s paper read that the smog is actually worse than it was before they required CNG energy efficient autos.
There’s some of the best flea market style shopping in every section of town…our personal favorite so far would be a place called Lajpat Nagur. We have made several trips there and Steve has been titled an honorary Indian for his negotiating skills at the marketJ Rickshaw rides are pretty cool but you can bet your eyes will be burning and you’ll need to shower once you’ve reached your destination. Beautiful Hindi temples are scattered throughout the city alongside tattered buildings with store fronts and run down residencies. We are told most of what appears on the outside to be similar to an American ghetto is actually considered middle class and is where the doctors, engineers and bankers live.
At first glance Delhi appears to have been "let go" but you can see that this indeed was once a beautiful place to live….and we know we haven’t seen everything it has to offer. Our purpose here has really only allowed us to travel in between markets and wedding venues with very little time to see all the tourist spots. We look forward to doing more of sightseeing in Delhi when we return from Goa.