I arrived in Delhi at 4am

From Istanbul, I flew to Delhi. I was on airplanes for two solid days. All I wanted was a bath and a bed.

Shubh met me at the airport. All was quiet there when I arrived, no throngs of people as I anticipated. I guess they were sleeping:-) As we proceeded to the area of town where my friends live, I saw many temples to explore. They looked beautiful, awesome.

Today I had my first authentic Indian food cooked by Shubh's staff, very spicey vegetarian, very good. Then I walked the property. The Ranges live on a lovely parcel (what we might call an estate) with rose and vegetable gardens, chickens, ducks and three dogs. At the front door, there is a beautiful shrine to Ganesha (1/2 elephant, 1/2 man diety - remover of obstacles, bringer of abundance). I am comfortable and feel so grateful to be easing into my Indian experience being with friends from home. Tomorrow I explore the markets of Old Delhi. I'm certain I'll have had enough rest by then. Even though I've only been up for a few hours, I will retire early tonight because I am still really screwed up in terms of body clock.

Thanks for tuning in to those of you who have. I feel good when I hear from you. You make a difference to me.

By the way, I do regret not having had a longer layover in Istanbul. Never left the airport. I will remember this for my future travels. If an opportunity presents itself to see a new place, even if only a layover, I will maximize it by at least spending one night. Lessons, lessons.

Namaste,
Laurie