Rob and Anna's travel adventure

INDIA, arrival

Anna's Entry

"Nepal, you have to go to Nepal", said an Indian woman sitting next to me at the New Delhi International Airport baggage claim area. It was 3:00 a.m., we just arrived, and had been waiting for the time to go buy before we would catch a ride to the city. The woman kept smiling at me, as if encouraging our decision to come here.

Shorlty, another younger woman sat down next to me, I have noticed beautiful intricate drawings all over her hands, and I asked her what it was. "It is a traditional Indian tattoo drawing", she explained. "It lasts a week". The woman was dressed in a traditional sari, with a veil over her shoulders...

We spent several more hours watching people arriving, passing by, carrying strange looking objects with them, and exchanging smiles with passers-by.... Eventually, the morning came, and it was time to make arrangements to leave the airport. Finally, we can start our India journey.

India had always been a top destination to visit for Rob. It had not been for me to the same extent, but more like a personal challenge. So, I was put in charge of planning our route. The more I read about India, the more I believed that the only way to really enjoy it is to be open-minded, and expect the unexpected. One person told us that we would love and hate India at the same time, but at the end we would always be grateful we had a chance to experience it. And, this is exactly what we came for in India - the experience.

So, there we were - at the beginning of our journey to discover India. We headed out to a kiosk making long distance train reservations. The line was formed there to speak to the official. When we reached the line, men told me to go in front of the line. I asked them why, and they told me "Because you are a foreigner, and you don't have time to stand in line". "What?" I thought to myself, "is it possible that people in some parts of the world still care about well being of others?". I still felt guilty to cut through line, so I let several people go in front of me.

We left the airport and headed out to New Delhi. We had a home stay visit planned through a peace organization we belong too, and we were looking forward to the real authentic cultural exchange. We arranged this visit when we still were in San Francisco, and finally we are here, in India...

posted by Rob and Anna @ 12:51 AM