Incredible India

Namaste!
I can't believe how we are only a few short flights away from Israel. India feels like a world away. We took a 45 min flight to Amman Jordan, and Kaitlin was frightened because the plane kept slowing down and it felt like we were standing still in the sky. We saw our first Starbucks in the airport in Jordan! I had my first frappachino in awhile. It was great. I went to a money changer and bought 15 dollars worth of Jordanian Dinars just to add to my money collection. They look cool. They had the king on them. There were some fellows in the airport with the ray bans and full robes and headdresses who looked like oil sheiks from a 1980's sitcom. They seemed nice enough. The people in the airport were friendly. The flight to India was good except we couldn't put our chairs back so we only slept about 25 minutes out of the 5 hour overnight flight. They were playing episodes of friends on the plane so that was fun. I had forgotten that Rachel almost dated Joey! Oh, and there were thunder showers on the last leg of the flight. We saw the lighting exploding far below us in the darkness of the Indian countryside.

We made it to India early yesterday morning. We got a prepaid taxi from the airport desk, which helped us not have to haggle with cab drivers outside. We had to still figure out which black and yellow cab to take. It was 6am and they were all full...so we wandered around until we found a decent boarding spot. A guy helped put out bags in the passenger side of the cab *the left side, as they drive on the right, because the trunk was stuck closed and he wanted a tip. I told him we could have loaded the bags ourselves, I didn't want to mention that I only had 500 rupee notes on me... and no small bills.

When we got to the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi, three security guards jumped out to let us in the gate and check the car for bombs? Then another three security guards checked our bags and a series of doormen and desk clerks tended to our every need. The lobby was immaculate marble with beautifully carved desks and soft chairs and two fountains. They wanted to charge us for another day because we were checking in so early. However, we talked them out of it.

We set up a guided tour for 2pm. There was a protest in Delhi yesterday so we were unable to go on a tour of the old city as we had planned. Also, all of the sites including Gandhi's house were closed on Monday. So we hired a tour guide to take us to a few historical sites in the new city. We saw the government buildings, the presidents house and the senate building, and many Mugal tombs. The guide was so friendly and knowledgeable. It was a great way to see Delhi.

We had a superbly well crafted and craftily priced meal. Our first meal in India was delicious, and we took all the appropriate cautions. I feel like we might be overly so... but we have to stay healthy for the next month on the road.







The train ride to Agra this morning was a tad bit more on the "realistic" side of India. The Delhi train station was a muddy mess. The morning rain had unearthed the usually subtle aroma of India. It is a good thing we had purchased our tickets ahead of time because the ticket lines were very long at 6am. There were people sleeping and sitting all over the station, on every spare square tile. Out Shabati express train number 2002 was not on the flashing board, so we were afraid we had missed it or had the wrong station. We found no one in the station managers office, and then I found our names on a typed up list of passengers tacked to the wall. The print out was made on a dot matrix printer. It had the letters E1 on the top. I figured that was our train car. We wove our rolling suitcases in and out of the crowds and families until we realized we were heading in the wrong direction. We saw a few westerners/tourists waiting on the E1 platform so we figured we had found the right spot.

We saw a lot of rural India in the short 3 hour ride. I had forgotten that the train tacks serve as the public facilities for many rural folks so we saw a lot of people doing their morning business. Agra station was a bit less muddy. I just remembered why people don't bring rolling suitcases to India. Our Agra cab driver had a "guide" with and they were nice today and they offered us tours of Agra. They drove really slowly so they could get to know us on the ride to the hotel. We graciously declined but tipped them for helping us take video of a passing camel and cart. All of the cabs have been "Ambassadors" Indian made cars with designs from the 1940's? Classic. You'd recognize them.

We didn't explore Agra today, we just relaxed and took it easy. We have been watching World Cup re-runs all day, we played chess in the lobby, and we have a view of the TAJ MAHAL from our room. The Gateway Hotel is a five star, and it is very nice. We had our 2nd meal in India and our tummies are ok so far! so far so good!



We have seen cows donkeys and camels in the streets, and pigs goats and monkeys beside the train tracks. We are seeing the red fort and the Taj tomorrow!

This is quite a place! We'll keep you posted. Love Kabe