Arrival in India

Amy checked the weather in Delhi, it said, "Smoky." I figured out what that meant when I got off the plane, phew! The air was like a blast from a weird smelly sauna. Eric Dannerhoj wasn't kidding. Didn't bother me, though, made sense that a place so unfamiliar should also smell and feel different.

Taxi ride to Manju Katilla (Tibetan settlement) was harrowing. No one stays in lanes, ubiquitous trucks don't have rear view mirrors so driver has to honk everytime we pass. The best was driving on the shoulder, the wrong way, to get to some side street. Advice to travellers: Don't hesitate to ask the driver to slow down.

Enough on driving... Manju Katilla felt like a kung fu movie. Clotheslines, thin dirt alleyways between houses stacked upwards like wobbly jenga towers. Mangy (but very cute) dogs everywhere (ruff ruff!), hanging out eating trash. Saw some puppies bathing in a trickle of green water. Cows, too, wandering about. A bit sad at first, but reassuring to know animals are respected and cared for - lots of veg & animal shelter posters.

Wandered around the village, met a nice British Bhuddist named Tammy who explained Bhuddist tapestries - created with a mathematical pattern of sorts, so when you correctly draw Bhudda's face it should looks the same no matter how big you draw it. Neat.

Speaking of meeting nice folk, I'm thankful for the abundance of friendly faces here. Off to dinner, more news soon!