Alex's Asian Adventure

I suppose there's good news and there's bad. The good news is that the day was actually rather nice! The bad is that I didn't get a wink of sleep the night before, or for reasons unknown. I got up after a fitfull night feeling like a million rupees and likely looking the part as well. Coffee cures all. Move on with my life.

Around noon I decided that it was no use feeling tired and went sightseeing. Delhi has a number of interesting gems to see. I saw the following cool places:

• Rajghat, Ghandi's memorial park, including the spot where he was cremated. There is an eternal flame there. There's also a nearby museum, very nice.
• The Lakshmi Temple, which is a wonderful Hindu temple - very peaceful and very pretty and just a very nice spot.
• Jama Masjid, the giant mosque in the old part of Delhi - Hindus and Muslims seem to have no trouble living together in India, although the relations between India and Pakistan are anything but friendly....
• The Indian government area, and the massive India Gate. From the government compound looking down, it seems like it might as well be the Arc de Triomphe!

To do all this sightseeing, I was going to get rides as I went in the local tuk-tuks. As I was stepping off to find myself a ride to the Red Fort (something of a letdown I must say) I was intercepted by.... the tuk-tuk driver I chatted with the night before! I said "allright, lets go" and I had my own personal tour guide or the day. It was real nice. I had no idea what I wanted to see, so Lakhan basically set the agenda and showed me very nice places. He also found good places to eat and drink tea - it helps to have a local expert.

It seems that I found a tuk-tuk driver who's honest and dependable. At the end of the day, we came back to the hotel and it was time to discuss what this adventure would cost. He kept insisting that I pay whatever I thought was fair - and I had no really good idea of what was fair. It turns out, in the end, that my ballpark of 500 rupee was close to his ballpark of 600. I got the tour guide for six hours, with transpotation, for only 600 rupees.

Another amazing thing about Lakhan is that he's illiterate, but seems to be able to speak English (reasonably well). What blew my mind, though, was when we encountered a pair of Japanese tourists and he was actually able to speak a bit of Japanese. This is an Indian man, a native of the country who grew up with nothing and never - ever - attended school. And yet, he seems to have a very good sense of ethical conduct (as a tuk-tuk driver who doesn't rip tourists off), seems to pick up languages easily, and seems to be a nice guy to boot. Amazing.

The evening was spent at dinner with most of the trekking crew. We have quite the diverse group, with three doctors, a few university-types, a retired lawyer (currently teaching) and a few others whose background I haven't identified. The majority are Americans (including one fellow who's very, very obviously American - ahem!). The age range is 23-60ish. I sense that subgroups are starting to develop and it'll be curious to see how the group dynamics pan out. More on this later. Maybe.

Tomorrow is another almost-full day in Delhi. We leave for Manali at six-ish - Katie & I are going by landcruiser. I'm hoping to do a bit more sightseeing in the evening before the long trip. There should be internet access in Manali, and I understand there's some access in Keylong (where we stay the next day). After that, it becomes sketchy.

Just days from now, I'll be in the Himalayas with sun in my eyes and a smile on my face.