Return to Delhi
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2004
1
13
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Trip End
Apr 26, 2005
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Delhi, India
Friday, November 5, 2004
We returned to Delhi with new eyes. After just two weeks, my perception of Delhi had changed drastically, and as we arrived I found myself feeling relaxed and happy. We stopped at the office through which we originally booked the trip, and enjoyed some chai while Pan Singh took care of some paperwork and formalities. We chatted with some fellow travelers who were just beginning their journey. They looked jet-lagged, anxious, and totally freaked out - just as we felt in that very office only two weeks ago. One couple in particular seemed as though they needed a bit of reassurance, so we shared our experience and answered their questions, clearly easing their fears in the process. We couldn't believe how different we felt about India in general; we were sad for our Indian adventure to be over and wished we could stay longer to see more of the subcontinent.
India defies attempts to describe it. People always claim that it's full of contrasts, but I consciously and stubbornly attempted to avoid the cliché. However, it's impossible not to. India is a place of extremes: it's good and bad, rich and poor, alive and dead, genuine and artificial. It is active and static, its inhabitants slowly moving a million miles a minute - like molecules existing in space, somehow avoiding collision. My emotional contrasts in India echoed everything I saw. I felt conflicted yet pacified, detached yet connected. I hated India and I loved it; I can't wait to return!
