Spice Box, masala chai and more...
Trip Start
Jul 08, 2011
1
10
11
Trip End
Jul 25, 2011
Delhi, India
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The newer airport is such a huge change from the former arrival airport where I landed in 2006...where cows and incense were there to greet me as I departed the baggage collection area. IGI is a proper international airport in design which falls a bit short in execution...but is nice enough though. Some good green features such as motion sensor escalators...which I figured were just broken until I got closer and was pleasantly surprised.
Sat next to a young woman from Chicago volunteering for an NGOin Udaipur for a couple of months. She relayed stories of her family's concern over her traveling alone in India. I imparted some wisdom her way about women traveling alone and she seemed reassured. The flight w as extremely bumpy and I stayed buckled in tight.
We landed and my driver was at the curb smiling with a sign with my name...so easy. Sat in the front for pictures sake which made the driver laugh nervously as he expected me to sit in the back. We rolled into town through the usual Indian roadway madness...culminating in a roundabout type intersection with multiple cows some standing, some laying across the road being kept company by a few lounging dogs, tuk-tusk, motorcycles, pedestrians and bicycles. We all managed to weave through each other and when the dog got up, sailed on through.
As we approached the old city, the lanes narrowed and the chaos grew until we arrived at our destination. I checked into my view room, snapped some pictures, took a masala chai and dal fry at the roof top restaurant and then headed off to my cooking class at the Spice Box where I learned to make a proper set of veg Indian dishes!
Headed back pretty much completely beat and collapsed into bed for my first Indian night sleep!
