Good old (New) Delhi

My dear friend Michelle pointed out that I owe you all a post. Truthfully the last few weeks have not been all that exciting, mostly just work. We did take a trip to go whitewater rafting, which was awesome although kind of similar to whitewater rafting in the US. There were a couple things that made it extra special though. The first is that we were in the Ganges river, which is believed by Hindus to be holy and is a major pilgrimage destination. It was extremely convenient because we were able to multitask by rafting and washing away our sins at the same time. Cliff Jumping!!!

The company’s official method of transportation from the end of the rafting back up to base camp was to stand by the side of the road and hold our thumbs out. A truck finally pulled over and we all climbed in the back and sat on top of their cargo, bouncing along and loving every minute of it. Halfway there the truck stopped and guide hopped out and walked away without a word. Now that we are accustomed to bizarre India-instances such as this, we were unphased by the fact that we were now in a random truck with some guys who didn’t speak English and just sat tight and sure enough they dropped us off at the base camp and asked for 100 rupees.

Squeezed in the back of the truck. As you can see, Little Ditty have really embraced India since we got here. Just kidding! Those are my other two roommates who arrived after us, Aakash and Monisha.

Since I’ve mostly been in Delhi the past few weeks, I thought I would bestow upon you a few random knowledge nuggets about this place I have come to call home. First, it is common for menus in restaurants here to refer to appetizers as “titbits”. Can you honestly tell me you are mature enough to not crack a smile at the word titbit? Yeah I didn’t think so. So without further adieu, here are a few titbits about Delhi:

1. It really is brutally polluted here. The city is covered in a permanent cloud of smog and you can feel (and smell) it every time you breathe in. To make matters worse, the other night we were walking along our street when we heard a loud truck approaching from behind. As it was about to pass us we realized it was dispensing a huge cloud of yellow awful smelling smoke that was then hovering over the street. I had a brief moment of panic where I decided this was chemical weapons terrorism and they hadn’t yet perfected the colorless or odorless part and were using it anyway. Despite my panic, there really was nothing we could do to avoid it and had to just keep on walking down our street through this chemical cloud. We asked someone and apparently it is mosquito poison. So now not only am I breathing in your standard toxins, but poison as well. Awesome. The next morning I read in the paper about a large debate in India about whether or not to allow genetically modified food. So far they have forbidden it because it might be dangerous. As I licked the poison off my lips I couldn’t help but taste the irony.
2. It is socially acceptable for men in India to pee anywhere, and thus the edge of the sidewalk is the most convenient place. Unfortunately there is not really a trash removal system either, so the litter and urine combine in the heat to create quite a smell.
3. On a more positive note, Delhi actually has a ton of trees and parks. Our street is lined with huge trees and we are within walking distances of some pretty nice parks complete with fake lakes and everything.
4. There are about 3 motorcycles for every car in Delhi, and it is not uncommon to see a family of 4 or 5 all squeezed onto one motorcycle (one kid in front of dad, one squeezed in behind him and one in mom’s arms at the back).
5. Lastly, homosexuality is not accepted here, although it was made legal over the summer – and by legal I mean not marriage but rather just being homosexual in your own home. It is, however, socially acceptable and quite common for men to hold hands while they walk or to sit with their arms around each other. It is also socially acceptable for men to order Bacardi Breezers at a bar. So often I’ll go into a bar and see three guys all sitting with their arms around each other enjoying Strawberry Breezers.

So there you have it, I hope these bits o’ tits have enlightened your day!