A New Arrival

On the flight out of Brussels I was finally able to relax. It feels like I've been in a state of blind panic for weeks. Leaving has simplified everything. Now there's only the long road ahead...

Arriving in Delhi was a lot less daunting than I had feared it to be. I took a taxi to Paharganj, the backpacker area, and found a room in the pleasant Ajay Guest House (clean place, good food and a sunny rooftop terrace for only 800 rupees). First I considered relaxing for a while but there was just too much adrenaline pumping through my veins. Finally in Delhi, finally on the trail! No time to waste, I must do something! So I jumped in an auto-rickshaw and started visiting numerous tourist attractions. Snapping pictures, running in and out of temples and observing the mad Delhi traffic from the back of an auto-rickshaw. At night, back in my room, I kept uploading pics on Flickr until I was unable to keep my eyes open any longer. Just like a kid in a candy store...

Of course, almost no sleep and running around like a mad man has it's price. On the second day the jet-lag, the noise and the crowds got to me. Tired and confused in a strange city of over 20 million people. But I refused to give in. Stubbornly I continued my Delhi tourist trip.
Ghandi Smriti, where Mahatma Ghandi got killed, was interesting (at least, for a Ghandi-fanboy like me) but the rest of the day was lost in exhaustion, fumes and noise. I dragged myself to a few more tourist spots but my heart was not in it any longer. Dreaming of palm trees and beaches I stumbled across a few more historical sights. Late afternoon, when it started to drizzle, I called it a day and took a rickshaw back to the guesthouse. When I paid the driver, he said:
"Whatever's fine, sir. I don't care about the money. I like you, you are my friend"
That's how I knew I had paid this sleazy bastard way too much…
Oh well, there's always an amount of learning money to pay in any new place. Everything's dirt cheap here anyway. At least I didn't fall for the "Hello, how are you? Please, follow me for a free map of Delhi"- line. Or, even worse, for any offers to buy dope. So far I've been an exemplary boy scout. I've been to busy to even think about getting drunk. My mother should be proud.

This is my third day in Delhi. That's about all I can handle. I do love the food, I love the chai (Indian milk-tea) and I'm excited to be in the East. But this city's just too much for me; too many people, too much traffic, too much noise. This morning I booked a train ticket out of here. Spending the rest of the day relaxing on the roof terrace; only getting down in the busy street to buy food, a Murakami novel and a brand-new haircut. Delhi is preferably enjoyed up on the fifth floor, in the sunshine, with a good book and a lassi fruit shake.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm out of here. It's time to explore more of this huge, weird country I'm in.
It feels like I'm on a roll...