Delhilation

Back in Delhi, and it is hard to convey or even understand the elation we are feeling from the streets that are filled with filth yet so magical. No more straight sidewalks to walk on, or putting your legs on automatic pilot while your mind wonders around. You have to be here now, or you'll get run over. Our minor irritations have left us as soon as we came to Delhi and although it is hot here too not like Thailand. We feel happy and our appetit0es are rising day by day. Streetcarts are full of mangos and we are giddily using our Hindi once again, much to Indians' glee. Alp and his moustache remind folks of Bhagat Singh, the legendary freedom fighter, and people give him his due respect. We are staying in a rat trap hotel but Esin and her travelling swiss cheesemaker companion are staying one floor below us. We are spending a lot of time in our cramped rooms, drinking tea and eating mass quantities of the Isins' favourite things (like honey, yogurt, and bread) and talking about our travels. They left the motorcycle in Almora, in the foothills of the Himalayas near the western Nepali border, and we will pick it up in about a week. We'll be waiting for the high passes to open to start our Ladakh and Kashmir trip, so in the meantime we are going to attend a ten-day Vipassana meditation course in Dehra Dun at the end of May. We don't know too much about it but it is ten days of silence, men and women separate, everyone avoiding interpersonal interaction. There are centers all over the world and it is run on a donation basis. Click on the title for the link to the website.