Day 350: Day 1 of Our Indian Adventure

Last night (or you could say early this morning), we arrived in Delhi. We had a moment of panic when we couldn't find a driver holding a sign with our names on it, but we managed to locate him after a while. He took us to Hotel Ajanta, a fairly well-kept place on a street lined with so-so accommodations. Whenever you check into a hotel in India, you are required by the government to give a load of information. On top of the essentials such as name, address, and phone number, you must state your age, gender, and occupation, as well as your passport number, where you came from and where you'll be going next, and how long you plan to be in the country and why.

We were already exhausted from our travels, and our body clocks were nine and a half hours out of whack; but we patiently filled out the forms while one of the staff members went off to find us two sort-of-cold sodas that we hadn't asked for and didn't necessarily want, here at two in the morning.

But we could hardly complain. We'd been in the country for barely an hour and were already experiencing its incredible hospitality. And, wow, we were actually here. We were in India! The planning of this trip has taken over the past several months of our lives, now we were finally here - really, truly here! We were exhausted, but it was surprisingly hard to fall asleep amidst the excitement.

I set our alarm for only five or six hours later. The most effective and efficient way to cure jet lag is to just get up and start getting things done. So that is exactly what we did.

Our first stop was at the Red Fort in Old Delhi. This is a monstrous place, most of which you cannot even view because it is still in use by the Indian Army. Before we went in, we stopped outside to try out all of our new camera's fancy buttons. In the meantime, every passerby (all Indian, of course) stopped to stare at us. Some said hello, some just turned their heads as they walked by so they wouldn't miss anything interesting that we might do (like breathe or blink), and a few asked if they could take their picture with us. Yup, this is what happens when you are a white person traveling in India. You become an instant celebrity.




Once inside, though, we found it rather peaceful. We walked around there for an hour and a half or so, and then it was time to move on to the next thing.

Across the street from the fort is a Jain Temple. The only thing I really know about Jainism is that they build beautiful temples, painted in bright, bold colors. We weren't allowed to take our bags in, so we took turns walking through the small building, trying not to disturb the people who were praying.




From there, we walked to Jami Masjid, the largest mosque in Asia. You go up this huge staircase, and you must leave your shoes at the entrance. A little old man sits there watching them, and you pay him 10 rupees when you collect them on your way out. I also had to wear a robe over my clothes, as my cotton capris and t-shirt were not appropriate dress for the mosque. After we were all situated, a man followed us inside; we didn't know who he was or why he was talking to us, but to be polite, we listed as he told us the history of the mosque. We found some of this information interesting, but mostly we just wanted to be left alone. That, however, was not to be. Oh well...

But as we walked out of the mosque (in a hurry, as it was nearing time for prayers), this man asked us for a tip. And thus, we learned that here in India, it's very hard to get something for nothing (even something you don't want!). But, we only had enough money to pay the shoe man, and on top of that, we were angry that we'd been tricked; so we walked away without giving him a single cent, or rupee! He yelled after us, "It's not right, it's just not right," but what did he really expect?

I tried to laugh it off, but Brandon was upset. And why shouldn't he be? We paid the fee to get into the mosque, we paid the fee to bring in our camera, and we paid the fee to have our shoes watched; why should we also have to pay a fee for some unwanted guide to follow us around inside? And that's the last time we'll do that! But, while I was trying to take it as a lesson learned, Brandon was still fuming. I totally understood that, but I was worried that this negative experience would ruin the day, and possibly even the rest of the trip. "This is not what it's like everywhere!" I wanted to assure him, but that was neither the truth nor all that important in the heat of the moment.

So I did the only thing I could think of. I got Brandon his first samosa! That, plus a bit of time, did just the trick, and Brandon was relatively happy again. But he was also hot and tired and losing his patience with Chandni Chowk, which is possibly the most chaotic street in the world. So, we started planning our getaway, which involved getting through a parade (as I said, most chaotic street in the world) and finding a rickshaw driver who knew where our hotel was. It took us quite some time to succeed, but for our efforts, we were rewarded with a liquor store (well, maybe I'll call it a liquor counter) right there on the side of the road. Brandon paid the equivalent of about five dollars for four large (650 mL) beers, and just like that, the day was salvaged.

Now we are back at the hotel, where we have showered, eaten, and checked our emails. Our beer if chilling in our semi-cold fridge, so now we'll head back to the room, "drink" in our first day in India, and try to stay awake until it's bedtime on this side of the world. I don't know how long we'll make it. Then again, where there's cold beer, there's a way!