Hello from India!

I've been neglecting the blog so horribly! I think of writing everyday... But find myself too beat at the end of the day. The trip so far has been unreal and I'm glad I didn't go it alone. I don't think I would've survived without Pat along. We're both enjoying it so much and I'm already dreading the end of the trip even though it's about five weeks away.

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Above is a rough plot of our journey so far: Delhi, Agra, which is famous for the Taj, then over to the state of Rajasthan where we have visited Jaipur, the pink city, Johdpur, the blue city, and are now in Udaipur.

Our arrival in Delhi was a shock to both of us. We left Chicago at around 2pm on January 12 and touched down in Delhi at around 5pm on the 13th. Sure enough, a guy from the Hotel Hari Piorko was waiting at the airport with a sign that read, "Ms. Emily." We took the long drive from the airport in Delhi rush-hour traffic to the Paharganj area, the backpacker's haven of the city. It was especially foggy and cold the night we arrived, so everyone everywhere was lighting fires, from shop-doorsteps to the middle of the street. The mixture of fog and smoke made the air so thick and sooty, I wanted to open a window and let the air in even when outside.

We decided almost the moment we arrived Delhi that we would leave as soon as possible. It turned out the gentleman from our hotel who so kindly met us at the airport was from our hotel's tourist office. The guy wouldn't let up! He had all these expensive safaris and hotel stays in other cities he wanted to sell us, and his desk was stationed directly in the entrance way of the hotel, there was no escaping his sales pitches. Outside the hotel we also faced endless haggling from shop owners and rickshaw drivers. We had to get out! We booked our train tickets to Agra for 5pm Friday, the following day. But by the middle of the day Friday, Delhi was beginning to grow on us. We found a nice rooftop to hideout in. While we were eating lunch, a hawk began making her nest right next to Patrick at our table. Sitting at the restaurant and looking at the dusty mayhem below in the street, with birds, cows, people, all living and working in tightly-knit quarters, there seemed to be something harmonious and homey in the insanity; everyone trying to survive and relying on each other, coming together, rather than spreading out and going it alone. I would definitely give Delhi another chance.

More later... it's now time to head to the rooftop and watch the sunset over Udaipur with my brother and a Kingfisher and papad (pappadum), our new form of happy hour in India.