Safely home after a 9 hour flight. And two more curries on the Jet Airways... and then a two hour+ journey via underground and slow train to Royston. Didn't get to bed til 5am (my time)
My last night in Delhi was very forgettable. I just wanted to be home. And now I am.
Seems I have been away for weeks; not just 11 days. What a colourful, amazing, awesome country India is. Such a mixture of experiences. I saw iconic buildings that in the end, did not move me as much as I thought they would. I saw so much and experienced so much in such a short time... it's hard to remember what and where I have been. The spectacle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, the noise, the confusion and cacophony of traffic and people will be unforgettable.
A couple of thoughts and reflections:
In the departures lounge in Indira Gandhi airport I watched a video documentary on an organisation called GMR Varalkshmi about the ongoing programme of building of public toilets. Apparently 53% of Indian people defacate in the open. Astonishing. But more of a reflection of the rural poverty than the lack of facilities in cities.
I read in the Saturday Times of India that an astronaut on the space station was surprised one day when he could suddenly see definition over China. Apparently the pollution smog over India and China is so bad they cannot see cities at all. The sudden change was due to the coal-fired electricity power stations nationally being turned off for a day.
I can believe it; as our airplane took off from Delhi there was a haze right up to 10000 feet... that haze lasted for hundreds of miles until we were nearly over Pakistan. Pollution is a big problem for India.
I had no idea that I would not be able to go for a run. Seems ludicrous now, and naive that I took my running shoes and trackies. But to run in Delhi? Along those streets and through that traffic and along those pavements? Naah. Same for Agra and Jaipur.
I had no idea that there would be so few white people around. We as a group and I often alone, were the only Europeans around and were almost a novelty. I really expected to be one of many, not conspicuous.
I expected to find India to be a very spiritual place but did not. I wanted to find a karma, an inner peace, a devotion to being the best you can and an acceptance of that. What I found was a country full of energy and thrust wanting to better itself...
Incredible India indeed.
My last night in Delhi was very forgettable. I just wanted to be home. And now I am.
Seems I have been away for weeks; not just 11 days. What a colourful, amazing, awesome country India is. Such a mixture of experiences. I saw iconic buildings that in the end, did not move me as much as I thought they would. I saw so much and experienced so much in such a short time... it's hard to remember what and where I have been. The spectacle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, the noise, the confusion and cacophony of traffic and people will be unforgettable.
A couple of thoughts and reflections:
In the departures lounge in Indira Gandhi airport I watched a video documentary on an organisation called GMR Varalkshmi about the ongoing programme of building of public toilets. Apparently 53% of Indian people defacate in the open. Astonishing. But more of a reflection of the rural poverty than the lack of facilities in cities.
I read in the Saturday Times of India that an astronaut on the space station was surprised one day when he could suddenly see definition over China. Apparently the pollution smog over India and China is so bad they cannot see cities at all. The sudden change was due to the coal-fired electricity power stations nationally being turned off for a day.
I can believe it; as our airplane took off from Delhi there was a haze right up to 10000 feet... that haze lasted for hundreds of miles until we were nearly over Pakistan. Pollution is a big problem for India.
I had no idea that I would not be able to go for a run. Seems ludicrous now, and naive that I took my running shoes and trackies. But to run in Delhi? Along those streets and through that traffic and along those pavements? Naah. Same for Agra and Jaipur.
I had no idea that there would be so few white people around. We as a group and I often alone, were the only Europeans around and were almost a novelty. I really expected to be one of many, not conspicuous.
I expected to find India to be a very spiritual place but did not. I wanted to find a karma, an inner peace, a devotion to being the best you can and an acceptance of that. What I found was a country full of energy and thrust wanting to better itself...
Incredible India indeed.
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