It worked!

We survived Delhi, barely...

On the subcontinent : 11 August 2004

We're in a whole new country, and have experienced our first time-zone change in months. We're in New Delhi, India, and it's hot. It was sad moving on from South-East Asia, as many of you know, and the rest of you probably guessed, but we're also excited to get moving again, and see new things. The last couple weeks weren't terribly exciting. I was working a lot, and we were enjoying the luxury of a really nice hotel. The Sheraton was quite a change from the Baiyoke. Our view, though not as high, was much nicer, and the hotel was right next to both the Sky Train and the brand new Bangkok Subway system, so getting around town was infinitely easier. Getting around Bangkok is much easier when you don't have to try to explain where you're going to confused taxi drivers, or negotiate a price with a tuk-tuk driver just to have him drop you off after one block because you're not buying his scam. Clearly, we both love Thailand. I'm sure we'll be back (hopefully pretty soon to watch over the Paradise Palms!!). We actually got to the airport nice and early for once. We had to ship some stuff out, but even after checking in, and dealing with the post office, we still had nearly 2 hours to hang out and find something to eat before the flight. The flight itself was good enough, about 4 hours long, and too crowded, but otherwise uneventful. We landed at about 11pm local time here, and by the time we got to our hotel room it was nearly 1 in the morning. The room itself left a little to be desired... strange that an "upgrade" to the suite got us a room that was actually not as nice as the normal room we're in now... but we weren't going to deal with it at that hour. Today we wandered around the center of New Delhi a bit. It's, well, different. It's certainly unlike any city we've hit so far. The people are generally pretty nice, though the touts can be extremely obnoxious, and some of the beggars are pretty persistent. The city itself doesn't have the modern developed infrastructure of any other major capital we've been in so far, though they are working on it, it seems. The hardest part is just that the poverty here is much more obvious and much more depressing than even the worst we ran across in central China or backwoods Cambodia. It's probably worse in a way simply because there are so many more people here. So we're now working out our basic itinerary for India and Nepal. I can guarantee we'll be out of here no later than September 18th, though, because that's when our India visas run out, and, aparently, it's impossible to get an extension if you're in the country!

Replies: 2 comments

Hey World Travelers! A quick hi from the wild west. Teresa and I talk about you and your grand adventure often, and wish that we weren't so damn busy so we could visit you in Asia. I myself may be in China around Xmas with my mom, (but I know you've already been down that road)... Bummer! We went to Fiji and Tonga with my son and thought how cool it would've been if you hopped over. Wish it were that simple. Any plans to get to the south pacific? We are talking about Bali in Jan. (????) It's so cool reading about your ventures. Being an avid traveler, I can totally visualize the places you have been by your great descriptions and wonderful stories. Be safe and..."Keep on Truckin!" Wes P.S. Teresa has been really bogged down with work, especially after losing an employee. So I am saying hi from her 'cause I know how much she thinks of you and misses you. Just feeling the effects of being a slave to the business right now. Peace... Posted by Wes and Teresa @ 08/11/2004 10:46 PM PST

Hey guys. Thanks again for the play by play LOL. Sari, I mean Sorry, it's a bit overwhelming at thte time. At any rate enjoy all the food while you're there. Take lots of pics and I'm sure Andrea will get some cool clothes. Getting ready to go to Greece on Tuesday for the Olympics! Woo hoo! Have a curry or four for me...xoxoxo chris Posted by Chris @ 08/12/2004 02:11 AM PST