Arriving in India

I arrived in Delhi, India about 36 hours ago, after a mostly-uneventful journey of over 24 hours.  I have already learned a few important lessons.  The first is that while Guatemala may not care if you have a ticket back out of the country, India does - they won't even let you on the plane without a return ticket.  So after much creative footwork by the sales agent, I have one, subject to change with a small fee (having picked an arbitrary date in April).   The second is that they are really quite strict about those weight limits - and the real reason one needs to arrive 3 hours ahead at the airport is because it will take that long to re-pack one's suitcases and move stuff around until they are sufficiently satisfied to let you on the plane.  Suffice it to say, I used the entire 'extra' time that I had, (having arrived uncharacteristically early) and I got on the plane at the last minute, a little harried with no coffee. I should point out, for those laughing at this image, that I had managed quite proudly to jam everything into 2 large suitcases - and only one was so far over-weight that they wouldn't accept it (even with a fee).  I still maintain that this is directly related to how heavy the suitcase is empty. The other bag was well within weight limits. So there. 

Once on the plane, I learned another important lesson.  If you are on a plane that is less than half full, and you have the misfortune to be traveling economy class, don't wait to move.  Grab that stretch of three seats IMMEDIATELY and hoard it, because it you will need it to sleep.  Don't contemplate the possibility - just do it.  I did not.  I also did not sleep.  13 hours later, I arrived, very tired in Hong Kong, where I stretched out on the waiting benches and snored for 2 hours. (PS: truly, I don't usually snore - but I swear I must have I was SO dry from the airplane air.)  Fortunately, on the Hong Kong  - Delhi leg of the trip I was so wiped I passed out there too for a couple of hours.  The upside to my difficulty sleeping in transit has been that upon arrival I have been able to switch my clock around quickly and sleep through the night, despite a 13 hour time difference. Sheer exhaustion is a powerful sleep aid.

I arrived in Delhi around 2 am, and navigated my way through customs and luggage retrieval, and then out to where a nice man had a sign with my name on it.  What a strange feeling.  He took over hauling my luggage and we pushed our way through the crowds, in and out of elevators and down and around parking lots, finally arriving at a little Toyota Corolla.  (rather than the Innova mini-van I was promised).  I mention this only because with 2 big suitcases, a carry-on and my laptop, the Corolla couldn't fit it all in the trunk.  This meant that I had to sit in the front seat for the drive to the hotel.  It provided a great view, but was a little unnerving, as the seat-belt was non-functional. I was very relieved to be doing it at 3am, when the traffic was light.  I don't think I could have handled that in full traffic.

Which brings me to my next lesson: Indian driving.  I still haven't figured out what purpose the lines on the road serve.  Unlike back home, drivers here feel no need to stay within them, but rather appear to take great pride in driving directly between two lanes.  It's bizarre.  And the horn is a VERY important part of driving.  What's remarkable to me is that it all seems to work. Really.  The  rule of the road here seems to be: honk and go.  Others will work around you . . . and they do. I found myself trying very hard not to laugh out loud today as my new colleague drove me around, drifting from lane to lane, across lanes . .. whatever worked.  There were some points where the lanes just disappeared altogether.  Truly confounding. I expect I have more to learn on this one.  It might even get it's own post at some point.  We'll see.  For now I'm simply grateful that I won't be doing any of the driving while I'm here.  I just don't think I'm that brave.

In the mean time, I'm settling in at my guest house.  I'm not positive yet, but I think I will likely stay here as my primary 'nest' for the duration.  As in Guatemala, it is taking some adjustment to adapt to the different standards of cleanliness and conductivity. (Electrical sparks? What problem?) But it's coming.  And the family here is lovely: warm, welcoming, helpful and eager to have me.  Apparently this is a hobby for them rather than a profession - which has both pros and cons.    The house is large and lovely, my room is simple, and faces an absolutely beautiful temple.  The noise here is constant, but that seems to be par-for-the-course in Delhi.  It's interesting for me to recognize how often I am seeing comparisons to my experiences in Guatemala.  I am so grateful for my time there- truly I think this journey would be much more difficult without that base. 

Now it's time for an afternoon nap.  Despite sleeping through the night, I still feel pretty whupped. They (whoever 'they' is) say that recovering from jet-lag takes a day for every time-line crossed.  I've got a few days to go yet.