Advertisement
Published: September 3rd 2008
Edit Blog Post
welcome to india
from the airport we got on the bus and rode to the guest house in new delhi Hello from India to all the people I love
so travel blogs are a great thing to get started on when you wake up at 430am after a solid two days of traveling when you're body thinks it's something like 8pm the day before it actually is.
main lesson that i've learned so far: time travel is possible. it's real. and now i can say i've done it.
after tearful and loving goodbyes i got on the plane in boston and flew to los angeles. i got in around 830pm and wasn't flying out until 145am. after some time on the computer, goodbye phone calls, more tears, a gin and tonic, and some reading it was time to go to hong kong.
i had prepared myself for something seriously awful when thinking about a 14 hour plane ride. but it truly wasn't so bad. i listened to songs that reminded me of home, watched one mediocre movie and another one, son of rambow (thanks to jay's recommendation) that was really good. slept a little, sat, sat, thought, cried, slept, sat, thought, and with a half hour left before landing was feeling pretty alright. then my stomach started feeling
funky and i got that weird feeling in the back of my throat; the one warning you that it's almost time to purge whatever is inside. i got to the bathroom just in time, did what my body needed to do, and returned to my seat for landing. only i wasn't all better and ended up throwing up in my neighbor's newspaper. oops, sorry dude. he was really nice about it though.
we landed in hong kong and had about 2 hours before our next flight. by then, most of our 27 traveling buddies had come together and i was beginning to meet who i am going to hopefully assume will be good friends of mine in the coming months. i took the time we had to walk around and stretch out my legs. before i knew it we were being called to board once again and got back on a plane, this time to head to delhi.
the flight was a little over 5 hours: gross food, free gin and tonic, foundations of buddhism, ipod, sleep, sleep, time to land. FUCK I'M IN INDIA.
got off the plane, made it through customs, and gathered with my group near
kahn market
after we got settled, some of us walked around this busy marketplace the exit of the airport. we were soon met by two of our program directors, manu and tenzin and as is buddhist custom, were welcomed with a white silk scarf placed around our necks. we boarded a bus and road for about 40 minutes through delhi to new delhi. my eyes were glued out the windows. people all over the place! hanging out or sleeping under a tree by the side of the road, biking, rickshawing, beeping their horns at the cars around them so as not to get run over. i saw a few stray dogs and some cows in the middle of the street. like everywhere else in the world, there was lots of construction. oh yeah, and it was really fucking hot outside.
we arrived at our guest house, picked rooms, and had some time to get settled. it wasn't long before i was on the move again; i boarded the bus with some others and was taken 10 minutes down the road to a nearby market. walked around with new friends for an hour or so, then took a rickshaw (wahooo) back to the guest house. we had a few hours before dinner and i spent
kailash nath
in new delhi, for the first two days of orientation, we're staying at a family-run guest house. they serve incredible food and are extremely kind and welcoming the time getting to know the people around me, and then eventually passed out on a lounge chair near the pool. when i woke up it was just about time for dinner, but not before we were given our readers for the semester. 7 booklets/texts books covering cultural immersion, orientation schedule, semester syllabus, independent study requirements; everything i think we'll need to know that could be put on paper. where i'm going to put these inside of my filledtothebrim luggage, i have not a clue.
i think the best part of the day was the cold shower at the end of it. after that i read a little, wrote a few emails, and finally after what seemed like an eternity, laid my body down horizontally, placed my head on a pillow, and fell asleep.
now a new day has begun and i'm eager to see what it will bring.
i will write more as soon as i have time and something worthwhile to say.
sending love home to you all,
helen
Advertisement
Tot: 0.064s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 8; qc: 46; dbt: 0.0364s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Mac Griffin
non-member comment
buongiorno bella
Yo Helen, You're a crazy world traveler! I'm riding my bike to Colorado and am in Ohio right now. Sending you positive karma through telepathic transmissions as I pedal down the road.