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Soooo... the plane ride was great... very quick, and we were two of about 4 non-indians on the flight. They served up some rad curry, and had Alpenliebe, the besssst caramel candies ever (we ate them in vietnam).
Arriving at the airport wasn't quite the hectic experience we'd been forewarned of... we just avoided the rickshaw driviers, hopped on a very rickety bus (with bomb warnings painted on the seats), and walked from the stop to the Paharganj area. Not bad at all... of course, we were hassled for rickshaw rides, but upon refusal, they were pretty accepting... Sooo very unlike the persistant/realllly annoying tuktuk drivers we'd experienced in Bangkok.
Walking down the "main bazaar" was amazingly CRAZY! Hundreds of people, mostly INdians, the women all in brightly coloured saris, were rushing about amongst rickshaw drivers, touts, and food stalls... all on this tiny little road. The heat is intense here, but it's dry, so not too bad... but the dust in the air is horrible! The air is sooo hazy, and thick with dust... it coats your nostrils and lungs with dirt. Ahhh! ANd walking down the street is impossible without hearing a "hello sir, excuse me maam,
please have a look...", beckoning us to make some purchases at their shops. Actually, everyone here tries to strike up a conversation with us, whether they have things to sell, or not... Many of the indians we've met are just genuinely friendly, talkative people! So it's really hard to tell when to ignore and walk, and when to stay and chat.
We can't imagine how crazy it would have been for us to come here, not being in Asia first. Defenitely would have been the vicims of mannny scams/confusion/culture showck. But it's all good. It's crazy, but in an adrenaline-rush sort of way... we LOVE IT so far, anyways...
Our second day, we saw the Red Fort. It was big and red. It seemed like we were the tourist attraction, inside - we were asked to be in like 20 pictures with people and their families. Gah!!! It was fun, though...
We then saw a giant mosque, one of the markets (they sell a looooot of acid-wash jeans here. a lot.), and got offered many an interesting item... like strollers, pot-holders, plastic helecopters, cattle whips, and (this ones the best) a Fake BEard! yesss... just what we
needed!!!
We saw Connaught Place, which was a big circle of shops. A lot of beggars... The rich/poor gap is reallllly obvious here. THere are the tenagers having parties at the local Pizza Hut, with IPods and cellphones... and then there are those on the streets, covered in dirt, with deformities, baies hanging off their arms. Really sad.
The next day, we ended up spending a few hours in the shop of an incredibly cool, animated, friendy fellow named Fasim. He herded us into his store, talking about how much he looooved Canadians (this guy was quiiite dramatic!!!), and ended up sitting us down, serving us some delish chai tea and cookies, and chatting away the afternoon with us. Very cool... the funiest guy ever. he comes from Kashmir, and sells rugs and scarves, handwoven by his uncle. Kashmir sounds like a really rad place... and looks kinda like Canada! That's for another trip though...
Sooo... today we hung out at a few restaurants (the indian food here is SUPERBly fantastic!). Masala dosa is our fave dish so far... and guess what? Evan's going veg. for the trip. It's neccesary. SO few indians eat meat... it's verry
unsanitary, and the power outages that frequently occur make the meat a little rancid. So, as we've been told by every other traveller we've met, meat = hospital trips. But the food's so good, it hardly matters that there's no meat... so far, at least.
We're off to VARANASSI!!!! on the train... we're a tad nervous, but it'll be great. Later!
EVan and SArah
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Leslie Youngson
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Happy 19th birthday Sarah!!!
Hi Sarah and Evan - what a way to spend your birthday, enjoying a totally different lifestyle. Your trip has sounded so amazing - good kharma has been following you and hopefully will continue throughout the rest of your trip. I envy you the great food you've been having - my mouth waters every time you describe a different dish. Sounds like you're having an amazing trip, and should be a wonderful way to start off your 20th year of life. Love your commentary, you're a great writer!! Thanks for sharing all the details - it makes me wish we were travelling somewhere exotic again! We're here in Hamilton visiting your family, and you missed a wonderful meal of thair curry salmon not that I'm trying to make you homesick or anything :) Marko's sorry he missed you but hopefully you'll see him in the summer when you're back. ciao for now Leslie and Marko...