There was night then morning in Dehli

We landed in Dehli in the midnight haze that permeated the air. The fog was so dense that it could even be seen inside the airport terminal as you looked down from the rows of baggage claim conveyors to the exit.  It seemed to get thicker as we approached Dehli.  The smell was that of automotive exhaust and/or other burnt fuels. I feel for the folks that live here and have to breathe this day in and day out. 

Arriving in Asia in the middle of the night always makes the first experience of the country, the drive to our accomodations, seem something like of roller coaster and tonight was no exception.  This guy was a maniac.  Lines were pavement decorations, auto-rickshaws were slalom gates, pedestrians were thankfully scarce.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was 1:30 in the morning and there was someplace he would rather be.  After every crazy move i would turn around and connect eyes with Tara and she would just shake her head and laugh.  Still, this guy might have been a safer driver then a few of the boys in T's class.

We arrived in one of Delhi's market centers where Patti had booked us after much debate between the Huth version of luxury and location.  In the end we almost always go for location which usually leaves the accomodations wanting.  The bazaar was shut down for the night and looked like a bit of a war zone when we drove in.

For some reason this first night we opted not to turn on a sound machine.  The hours wore on quietly apart from the occassional dog frenzy, I know because I was awake through them all.  That ended when the market opening preparations began around 6:00.  As the bustle began to burgeon I could distantly, but distinctly, hear the call to Muslim worship.  The last, and first, time I had heard that was when we stayed in Fez, Morrocco right next to a large mosque.  That sure made me jump out of bed all those years ago, but today it was just a faint reminder.  The morning street were cleaner but more chaotic.  Riley and I both collected a big cow pile for the bottom of our shoes which seems now to be never leaving our shoes.  Tara was on the lookout for something that could work as a jacket as she donated hers to the fine folks at Delta Airlines.  


After that we hit the road to Agra with our driver Himraj to take in the Taj Mahal the next day.  As it turned out, it was very cheap to hire a driver and cut out some of the logistical challenges we have had in the past when navigating public tranport systems in places where we had no clue what we going on.  Yes, figuring that out is part of the fun, but we will save that for later.


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