India Adventures — Delhi — July 23rd
Leaving Atlanta for the third time this summer didn’t make it any easier. As much as I love to travel, I always have a hard time saying goodbye. Nevertheless, at least I now know what to expect. They took my shampoo, conditioner, wrinkle-out spray and facewash at security, even though they all met the requirements and just because they were trying to be difficult. But I can’t complain, I got all three seats to myself for the 14 and a half hour Newark-Delhi flight. I made myself a little nest with five pillows and three blankets and spent most of the flight sleeping and reading Harry Potter…which by the way, it’s really good!
Arriving in Delhi was an incredible experience. I went through immigration just fine, didn’t have to wait for any checked luggage because I didn’t have any, and passed through customs without delay. I was greeted by a very nice man in a sailor suit holding up a sign with my name on it. I’ve never had my name on a sign before!! I felt so important. He drove me, on the right side of the road, to the Sheraton New Delhi to meet my friend Jonathan and the hotel certainly didn’t disappoint.
The ride there was an adventure in and of itself. Even though it was after 10:30pm, the streets where packed with people. They were shopping, talking, gathering on sidewalks, cross-legged sharing tea, surrounding a new-old motorcycle, or simply sitting….waiting almost…for something miraculous to happen. I was jolted from my people watching by the sight of the most enormous dog I had ever seen. It was standing on a street corner…just chilling…people watching. However, imagine my surprise when the dog turned out to really be a cow. No matter what any one thinks, that was even more amazing that seeing the planet’s biggest dog. I had heard cows roamed the Indian street, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that they really did. And it wasn’t just one… there were dozens of them…every where. Bulls, too. Sitting on the sidewalk…chilling and contemplating who knows what…probably the same think everyone else seemed to be concentrating on.. I just couldn’t figure out what that was.
We arrived at the Sheraton New Delhi and were greeted by the most handsomely dressed Indian man I have ever seen- turban and all. The lobby was majestic and in absolute contrast with the poverty outside. The hotel was luxurious and opulent and all the synonyms of those words you can imagine. And the room was a dream. My favorite part was the massage chair in which I perched myself two minutes after walking through the door. As tired as I was, however, it was hard to sleep. I had an 8am flight and I kept waking up thinking I’d miss it. What I missed though, was a night of sleep I direly needed. Jonathan called me a car to the airport at 6:15am and I departed excited that I get to come back here again for at least one more night!