A week of diary (I haven't had internet)

12/31/08 So, I am in Delhi. Just sitting in my hotel room waiting for the reception to find a one hour wireless internet card so I can get on line. My flight was… annoying. In Paris we were delayed for about an hour. When they did call for us to board they just said board at will which meant about 1000 people rushing the gate. When I finally got on the plane the stewardess had given away my booked aisle seat so a Italian couple could sit together. While everyone else was being seated, I stood in the back of the plane waiting to get a seat. I was thinking that I would be moved to an upper class J, but when they led me to my seat it was a middle seat in between a guy and a family. I was squished for 71/2 hours. SUCK!

When I got the Delhi it was midnight. The customs took about an hour because three international flights (most likely all 747s) landed at the same time… then I waited about another hour for my bag. By this time I was going cross eyed from lack of sleep (those of you who work with me can imagine what I must have looked like, shout out to east 8!). I called my friend from a taxi counter (send your psychic thanks to the taxi counter guy) where they called me over to see it I needed a car. My friend, Sandeep, was waiting and came to pick me up at the private taxi area. It was 2am! He took me to the hotel he booked, The Ginger. If anyone is going to India, I HIGHLY recommend this hotel. It is about 20 bucks, has comfortable beds, clean bathroom with hot and cold running water!!! (ok if you have never been to a third world country, you have no idea how fricken awesome this is) I took a hot shower and fell into unconsciousness.

I woke up to the sounds of India. There was a pigeon outside my seventh floor window. There were the horns of the cars and auto rickshaws on the road… voices of the construction workers who are building an extension to the subway system taking a line from the main train station to the airport. It is a unique sound… India. I could hear it anywhere and know where I was. I will try to capture the sound and post it here. (I don’t know if I can do that… Jen or Meghan, can I do that… o queens of blog)

So here are a few pictures from my hotel room. My taxi is coming to pick me up in an hour to take me to the domestic airport … and I am going downstairs to eat some lunch before.

12/31/08 Ok… now I am in Kolkata. I took a taxi to the Math (pronounced Maat, with a long a) from the airport and am now in a room. I am not sharing at the moment, which is what I need tonight. I really just need sleep. I am going to Nabadwip tomorrow and will see my mother. I still have no idea what my service will be here… but I am sure something will manifest tomorrow.