The adventure begins

First things first:  I arrived safely.  I was not able to get to internet until today, so I have some catching up to do.
Second, I think I need to start with a disclaimer.  I'm going to be sharing my experience here, and having been in India for a whole day or something, I'm not claiming to be an expert.  However, I am going to share what I am seeing and thinking, whether it's accurate or not is up to you to decide.

The trip here was long-14 hours to Taipei and then another 6 to Delhi.  It was sort of like we chased the sun and finally caught up with it as we landed in Taipei.  Teri M took me to the airport and i was feeling a little foolish about getting there so early until we got to the checkin line.  At 9pm there was already a line and shortly after we got there, the line got really long.  Because we were near the front of the line, I got an exit row seat which is priceless on such long trips.  I held a baby and met a new friend in the course of the 20 hours, and got a little sleep.  I could not sleep for long at a time on the plane.  I think I told a few folks that I particularly wanted to fly on a non-US airline, both because they feed you better (and for free) and are generally nicer.  That proved true again.  Two meals on the 14 hour flight and one meal and a snack on the 6 hour flight, and the attendants were very nice.  They dealt with lots of babies, a sick drunk and various other issues with grace and discretion.

Wednesday:  The new friend was also going to the train station from the airport so we shared a cab.  The train station was a hoot.  I knew there would be crowds and really bad touts (and they were) but had read that the Left Luggage service was safe.  It definitely did not feel safe, but I left my backpack anyway and then David (the new friend) and I went to see the Red Fort to kill time.  We took an auto rickshaw over.  If I get organized, I'll try to video the ride in one of those, it would be a hoot.  It reminds me of the time I drove a rental car in Acapulco, or maybe Bangkok traffic, with even less regard for niceties like lanes and right of way.

Anyway, my train was leaving before David's so back I went to the station.  About that point I was so tired, I felt nauseas.  So I kept myself awake waiting for my train by writing down what I was going to post here.

Turns out even though a large portion of the population speaks english here, it's quite different than American english, or even British english.  I was riding back to the station in an autorickshaw, which is open on both sides.  The driver was trying to ask me a question as he drove, and between the traffic noise, and him speaking ahead and me trying to listen behind him, and his accent, he had to ask 3 times before I guessed that he was asking what country I was from.  After that, I just smiled and agreed with anything he said, there was no way we were going to understand each other.

So far, India is as dirty or dirtier than Ecuador.  Really dirty, everywhere.  I'm getting stared at a lot because of the blond hair.  My response depends on who is staring.  If it is women, I smile and say hello.  If men, I ignore them and put my scarf on my head or something to make it clear I'm not inviting attention.  No real problems so far.  Lots of touts in certain areas, but I have experienced that before, so while it gets annoying, I can get rid of them generally.  If this were my first trip to a less developed country, I'd probably be hiding out in my hotel room wondering what the hell I was doing here.  I do sort of wonder that, but I'm not hiding!

By the time I got on the train, I was so smelly I was bothering myself.  But that would have to wait, the train bathrooms are like the european stoop toilets, just a hole in the floor.  At the station, a bunch of people who weren't going on the train rushed on and used the toilets, then got off.  Compared to the rail station bathrooms, they are better.  On to the train...