Well, it’s 10 pm and we just returned to our hotel after a 4:00 am start to the day. And we have a 4:30 am start tomorrow. Sooo…no catch up blogs tonight. I’m tired!
Tomorrow afternoon is free time – yah! So I’ll finally get caught up on my postings. A little teaser – watch for news on leopards and hot air balloons…
In the meantime, here are some random observations about India so far:
- I’ve had burning, itchy eyes since arrival from the smog.
- Flat bed trailers on the highway with two or more unsecured shipping containers sitting on the trailer. Wow!
- Rock and gravel loads to come right up to – and over – the lip of tailgate. Without any covering. Another wow!
- Rather than water buffalo that I had expected, the cattle are almost all brahma.
- Cows are sacred in India. As a result, cows cross the streets, walk the streets, and lie in the streets (and highways). They do what they want with impunity. (Of note, India does raise a lot of beef for slaughter and export.)
- Monkeys rule their territories – don’t make them mad.
- Roads outside of Delhi range from good to abysmal, on an alternating basis, but leaning strongly toward abysmal.
- A man taking three kids to school…on a scooter, on the highway. A common occurrence.
- Traffic is perfectly disorganized chaos, but somehow people seem to get where they’re going and we’ve seen few accidents. Not sure how.
- I estimate that 75% of all cars here are white.
Still, India is fun and interesting, the people have been fabulous, and who am I to make suggestions to a civilization as old as this. India is a land of wonder and a land of contradictions.
A short & witty ending…
Pro-Tip: Always pack half the clothes you think you need and twice the patience.
