Unity is our strength... They all struggle down the crowded streets together, as one...

Journal and photo by Neil Dana

Wow, I must say, arriving in New Dehli is like nowhere else in India we have seen before. There are traffic lights, nice vehicles on the road, Mc Donald's, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, shopping malls, upscale hotels, and fewer cows and less mayhem in the roads. In fact, we arrived at 3:30 a.m., so there weren't any vehicles on the road. It is like stepping back into America, well.... sort of. There are still tons of Indian people running around and constantly trying to sell me something or beg for money or food, and you still have to watch your step for cow dung. It also really depends on where you decide to go. You can go to Cannought Place, which is a big circle in New Dehli that has all kinds of pubs and nice restaurants to eat at, or you can go to Old Dehli and many of the various markets and step into small alleyways filled to the brim with people selling silks, saris, antiques, jewelery, pipes, and whatever your heart desires. Old Dehli takes you right back into the heart of the Indian lifestyle that resembles the rest of India we have visited so far. The streets are filled with so much traffic, people, and rickshaws, that it just all stands still together......I guess that is what they mean by unity here in India?

We are staying at the YMCA, and it is an alright place. Your breakfast and dinner are included in the price you pay for staying there, which is pretty steep, and they still charge you 100 rupees to use the gym or pool. Every morning you can hear whistles blowing and people doing their exercises with their swim caps in the pool. It is just a few blocks away from Cannought Place.

The rickshaw drivers here are pretty good at trying to rip you off. The trick is to get in without negotiating a price, and when the ride is over, just give them what you think is fair, and then walk away and don't look back. It has worked every time for us, although the ladies have more trouble with it than we do.

Today, I spent most of the day lying on the cement floor of the Land Rover dealer about 45 minutes outside of Dehli. Justin, Adam, and I were waiting around all day for an itemized list of all the work that needs to be done on the vehicles. The problem is that one of our vehicles is at another site, and that is where the information was being delivered from, yet their fax and email wasn't working. So they eventually called and we sorted it out. I was feeling terrible, had a minor fever and the runs, so lying on the floor was the best remedy. India has had its fair share of sending me to the bathroom. I always knew coming here would give me the runs, and it sure has. I haven't had anything real serious, just super hot burning fire liquid streamline poops every now and then!!!

So now that we are in Dehli, we have some time to chill here and get a lot of work done. I have to edit tons of photos and catch up on all kinds of emails. We are getting our visas sorted out and taking care of the vehicles as well. Justin is running around getting the press lined up, too, so we have our work cut out for us. I will go and explore Dehli in the coming days. Until then, enjoy yourselves and next time you go pinch a loaf, smile for me and appreciate how good and solid you have it.

Neil

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