Post 3 - India to your face
The trip to India was great. I met two flight buddies, Shira and Itai. Together we spent a great time talking about conspiracies, movies, and life. Getting to know them reminded me of the part about how on a trip you can become a bestie of someone you just met 5 minutes ago. A bit like how a dog can become another dog’s bestie right after sniffing their behind.
On the plane with Itai and Shira
We landed after a wonderful but sleepless night straight into the real Indian mess, which included, among other things, messy lines, a lot of waiting, and a general sense of confusion.
After we leave the airport, the real mess begins. There is no word that can describe such a mess, so I will call the phenomenon “Delhi”.
In “Delhi”, taxi drivers catch of you before you even realize where you want to go.
In “Delhi” honking is not a dirty word, but a way of life.
In “Delhi” almost every corner smells of pee, and when there is none, there is the smell of poop.
In “Delhi” the hands are getting all the germs that live on the metro handles and rupee notes, and immediately afterwards a few momos are thrown into the mouth.
But nevertheless, Delhi is interesting and very real. A city that definitely shows the not-so-easy life of many people in the world.
After a few mistakes in choosing the right metro, I arrived at my hostel for the next three days. A short shower and rest were enough to feel at home among the other Indian guests who fill the hostel.
The experience of being in a local hostel was not easy for me at first. I felt like everyone around me was alien, and there was no one here who shared the same foundation with me. Of course, as time went on, I met some great guys here who reminded me that in the end we are all more or less the same, we all have friends and family, things that make us laugh and things that annoy us.
I got to look at the people coming and going on the metro (and there were a few thousand of them), choose a “victim” and imagine his life, work, family, what he likes to do and more…
I think that when I arrive in an environment where they don’t speak a language that I know, I tend to believe that no one around me is like me, and this gives me a sense of not belonging and even a little apprehension. But, I can say that after some time of adaptation it feels really natural and not strange to me.
I didn’t do much in the city, I did some shopping and visited a few cute spots. The part that interested me the most was the busy and bustling streets that somehow despite all the hustle and bustle play a kind of orchestra of noise and sirens, and in the end every driver reaches his desired destination (maybe with a dash of accidents here and there (okay maybe not a dash, there are about five deaths every day in New Delhi from road accidents))
The last day in Delhi was nice. In the morning I met Angelo from Cyprus and after a short chat I discovered that he was a photographer. It worked out great for me considering I had bought a camera the day before and had no idea how to operate it. We arranged to go for a tour of the Lotus Temple and on the way he would give me a photography lesson.
How fun are these spontaneous meetings in hostels that introduce you to “teachers” in all sorts of fields. I truly believe that you can find something in everyone that they can teach you.
The Lotus Temple is a Baha’i house of worship, and therefore it is really very well-kept and maintained in quite a big dissonance with the dirt and mess that comes out of it.
We returned to the hostel, made some arrangements and off to the airport because we had to catch a flight! To the next destination, Hyderabad
