Arrived in One Piece!

Hello from New Delhi!

After a perfectly uneventful 14 hour plane ride and another hour drive in the craziest bus ride of my life, I've arrived at the YMCA Tourist Hostel in Delhi. There are 17 students including myself and I think we're all going to get on wonderfully.

The plane was great. I had a row to myself, except for the little Indian boy who liked to climb over me to press his face up to the window periodically. There were tons o' babies. Babies were everywhere. My friend, Becky, and I split a bottle of wine and killed an hour baby-watching. Great fun. Customs was a breeze but once we got to baggage claim we felt like caged exotic animals. Everyone was staring at the hoard of American students toting backpacking backpacks and money belts. But, we were staring too. Actually, I don't really know who started the staring, us or them.

The second I stepped out of the airport I was run over by an autorickshaw. Ok I lied. But he came a little too close for comfort. We all piled into a rickity bus with the word "TOURIST" emblazoned on the windshield...in case anyone was confused by the busload of white people staring and pointing out the windows. The bus ride made me feel like I was living a videogame. There was honking and swearving around bicycles and pedestrians and yelling and speeding. You know how in America there are signs that say "Click it or Ticket." Well, in Delhi they say "Lane driving is sane driving" (I have a picture to prove it). We were definately NOT driving in any particular lane for most of the ride. I decided it was better just not to watch.

Anyway, its not 9:30 PM here...which means I should have been asleep 8 years ago. Goodnight and tashi delek!