Oh India!!

OHHHH, India!!!!!

Tashi Delek from Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh!

We are in India...
Up yesterday at 5am...
Taxi to airport at 5:30am...
In line forever to scan our bags and buy departure tax, (CHAOTIC) then get inline to check bags and get seats...
Lucky for us they were in 'business class' just behind first class-I think it is because that it was a full flight and we were in line first to get seats! Yeah, good karma!!! only departed 15 min late (8:45am)-not too bad...
Especially when Royal Nepal Air, (RNA) which stands for Rarely Never Arrives, or something to that effect...
We arrived in India about 10:30am...
Got to Delhi (which I would not wish on my worst enemy)...
It all started with all the lies that they tell!
first lie-an announcement comes on the speaker that there was no baggage carousel for our bags so we had to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait...
There are 6 baggage claim carousels and only ONE was being used, and, get this...
We were the only flight in!!! I don't get it! Just tell us that there is a delay in the handling of the baggage, don't LIE!!! You also would not believe the smell of marijuana in the baggage claim area, the lobby of the airport, and the parking lot area, it was just incredible and unbelievable! Hell, by then, we could have used some...
Then all the counters had signs that said TAXI Strike-typical (lie #2) !!! Even the police counter (where the book says to buy your taxi tix-so you don't get ripped off)....
They lie as well...
No one would drive us...
But oh, yes they will, for 450Rp each (about $10US/person)-a fare that normally cost 100Rp total, not per person...
We finally got the dirt that it was not a taxi strike, but that the government closed down some neighborhood factories due to pollution...
And the drivers were just plane bozos! LIES, LIES, LIES!!!

We hopped on a 50Rp bus to the New Delhi train station-met 2 lovely Indian men that helped us out...
One a doctor from OH, on vacation, and the other an assistant bus driver (the guy that takes your money), who was busy pointing out all the sights to M and me through all the smog! Just a very lovely men!!!

Then the train station...
Cologne, take me away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...
ANYWHERE BUT HERE!!!...
We were accompanied by 2 young (23yrs) girls from Australia-one of their sisters had recently been to india and told us to go up on the 2nd floor of the train station and buy our tickets from the Tourist Ticketing office...
Not the main floor where all the chaos is-and believe me, if you have never been to an Indian train station, you have NO IDEA what CHAOS really is! People sleeping all over the dirty floors, going to the bathroom in the parking lot, etc, pulling you, asking you questions that are basically NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!...
I took the lead and led the way, not making eye-contact with anyone and not listening to anyone (my other 3 comrades-M included, were listening to all the bullshit and lies that the local trainies told...
(sorry about the swearing...)
We found the stairs-Yeah! A feat in itself, as there are over 200 people in a very small area...
A man ran in front of me, I plowed through him...
It was a major feat on my part-being that he was about 6'4 and 225 lbs, and I am only a mere 5'6"...
Meet liar #3 (no, not me, the BIG GUY!)......
He tries to jump in front of me again, this time with a pen, (oh, my) and says that the tourist booking office is closed due to the Muslim holiday...
Ok, first of all Dehli, is NOT a big Muslim area, and second, by now, I'm on the 2nd flight of stairs and can see the office and all the westerners buying tickets! I plow on again, and call him a LIAR, and he calls me something in Hindi-which I choose to ignore,because-

1. My Karma is good
2. He is a HUGE-ASS LIAR, and
3. What comes around, goes around, and
4. He will be re-incarnated as a dung beetle, that gets squashed by an elephant (one of my favorite animals, actually-the Hindu God Ganesha actually comes to mind)...
   Go Ganesha!!!

I have had it with this country that is full of LIES (my perception of Delhi, anyway!) we buy our tickets...or try to...an Indian guy with an American passport, yes American...
Cuts in line, in front of a very lovely Indian man, and my lovely Michael-there is a 'slight' exchange of words between Michael and the nice Indian man with this RUDE AMERICAN...
And even more words are exchanged when I get there...:) ...
Something about having his American passport revoked rings a bell :) I am losing it, and losing it FAST!!!

Too much Irish in my blood, I think, and too quick of tongue, which I'm told, should be locked up at times!!!

We purchase our tickets to Pathankot, about an 11 hour train journey...
YEAH...
We're on the 9:50pm train that evening (and sleeping births to boot!)....
We catch a cab (oh, yes, they are NOTon STRIKE at the train station-hmmm, don't ask,it will just make you go crazy!~!!) to our favorite American Restaurant....
One that feels like home and the food is always the same-kind of like CHEERS, with Norm and the Gang, but with Burgers and Fries and Ronnie McDonnie!!!
Anyway, we actually hang out at Mc'D's for 5 hours!!!! I AM NOT KIDDING!!! We get a lot of reading done, and no one there lies to us, or asks us to leave, THEY LIKE US!!! Hey, India is getting better by the minute!!! But I must tell you that a Maharaja Mac is nothing like a Big Mac...
But the fries were delicious!!!

Back to the train station...
More hassles, but I am in my ZEN mode now, after my Mc'D fix, and M and I are speaking Spanish to each other-which helps-this gets the Liars to go away and leave us the HECK alone!!!

On the train platform we meet a lovely man who travels in to Delhi 2xweek, who explains to us that all the people in this city are "cheats, and liars" Yes, it was his direct quote!....
He shares some fabulous travel tips with us and some cool, remote, and relaxing places to go!!! Thanks Roger!!! The train was fantastic...
2nd class, air-con, large beds...
We would have paid anything for first class, but it did not exist on this trip, and the conversation with Roger was the best!

Once in Pathankot, we bought another train tix to Kangra, (only an hour layover) closest train spot to Macleod (where the Dali Lama resides)...
This time, no assigned seats (hard wood seats at that)....
But we plowed onto the train like you see in all the Hindi movies-Indian style...and got ourselves some seats, hey, I think we are getting the hang of this!....
4 hours 15 min later we arrive in Kangra-very small village and we had a look around...
We walked up to the "abandoned police station" and had a man call us a cab....
Very odd, I know-abandoned police station, and all that...
But since we have been in S.E. Asia for so long, it is better NOT to ask WHY, just ACCEPT, as it is the asking that will drive you NUTS!

The taxi ride was lovely...
Only 20km to Mcleod, but took over an hour...
We are staying at the lovely Om Hotel-gorgeous view overlooking the valley of Dharmsala! We even have a hot water heater for the shower!! Believe, me its a huge bonus, as it is quite cold here, and having a water heater is something of a rarity! It's very peaceful here, an no one has tried to sell us knives, or Tiger Balm (yet!), or tee-shirts, or Hash, or Jiggy Jig!!!

So...
Basically we have been on some sort of transport for the last 36 hours...
Time for a "time-out", (as Christina, Alex, and Micelle would call it) a nap-but being that it is about 8pm, I think I'll retire now!

Tomorrow we plan on looking into some meditation and yoga classes, and see if the Dali Lama is going to be speaking this month...
M may even take a Tibetan or Indian cooking class...
We have made it to our first destination in INDIA, and we are feeling frustrated, exhilarated, and HAPPY!!! A lot of emotions to feel all at once!

Happy Turkey Day, and write when you get a chance!
luv,
SG