Tuk Tuk, Took Took

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I am in Delhi! This will be a short little entry, with more little entries to come. And then, when all is said and done, and, more importantly I have my pictures off my camera, then you will get the read of your life.

We arrived with only a slight delay in flight. But the airline food was actually tasty (yes, I realize that "airline food" is usually an oxymoron"). Got cash from an ATM and our hostel guy was waiting for us holding up a sign with Kent's name on it. Easy. And since we had no checked luggage, that was one less hassle.

Arrived at the hostel. Traffic here is crazier than in China. Luckily, after riding around there for almost 5 months, I'm pretty immune. But here there are the tuk tuks, more motorcycles, bikers, random people, and cows. Yes, actual cattle. I've decided that this city still operates the way it used to. Big wide roads, filled with carts, cows, people, bikes. Then they just paved over (probably the first and last time for some of the roads) and added lots and lots of cars. The carts, cows, people and bikes didn't move anywhere.

There is more poverty here than in Shenzhen. In Shenzhen, I know it's there, but it's not really in my face everywhere I go. Here, I can't turn a corner without seeing it. And they're brazen, too. Sitting in your car at the world's longest traffic light will bring you scores of children hawking pens, doing tricks, etc, and they want money for all of it. It's pretty sad. If I gave money to each child that needed it that I saw today, I'd be out my food money.

My trip has changed many times, and it's changing again. We started with 5 people, then it was down to Samuel and I, then up to 6. Now it's Kent and I (Samuel had his passport and wallet stolen the day before we left, and the other guy's grandfather took a turn for the worst), with 2 others showing up tonight. They arriving after us and leaving India before us. And yes, we did all the planning without them. And one didn't even know if we should book tickets to Agra for both of them, even though the other one had said she wanted to go. Great. After much waiting, we got our reply. We went to book train tickets to Agra for tomorrow for the 4 of us.
Right.

You can't buy tickets in advance at a train station. You can, however, have many, many men tell you how they can get you a discount tuk tuk ride to the N block (where the travel companies are) and they can get you tickets there.
Right.

We ended up running into a man who actually works for the train station (yes, he had ID), who directed us to a tuk tuk (for even less money) and told him to take us to a particular travel agency. Riding in a tuk tuk is like riding on the back of a tricycle, but there are "walls" around you. A bit unnerving, but fun.

Long story short, it will just end up being Kent and I for the trip. We had the nice travel agent (where you have to go to buy your tickets in advance) also book the rest of our trip. Yes, it will cost a bit more, but now we no longer have to worry about getting train tickets we want (and being sold out), finding hostels (and being full), and we get a private car and tour guide for the first week. So we'll see a lot more of India than if we just stayed on the train. And we won't get stuck somewhere we don't want to really be while we wait for a train with available seats. And, bonus, we're now no longer taking the 6 hour train ride every 2 days. We get a car (allowing more stops), and only 4 trains. One of them is really long, but we'll just get some good food and wine and make friends on the train. All in all, fewer headaches, less stress, more vacation. And we get to see things we didn't even see in Lonely Planet. Not that we read it that carefully, but you get the idea.


Anyway, off to quasi write about today's adventures and save them for when I have pictures. And then to find Kent and food. And wait for the girls. To tell them we booked a trip without them. But we'll send them to our travel guy and maybe they'll join us along the way.

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