Touching India

It's been a crazy past few days managing my belongings between Singapore, Sydney and India but I've finally landed in Delhi, India at about 1030pm. As usual I try to get a sense of the vibe/energy that is characteristic to the region, on this occasion as the plane descends over India I feel as though I am floating into the outstretched palm of... an 'Ancient Knowing'. It feels as though there is a consciousness welcoming me to this ancient prayer soaked land, a place saturated with teachings where many Masters have treaded their way. It is a comforting feeling.

It doesn't take long before I realize the deduction of my personal space, I was prepared for this knowing that in India as with most other populous countries people tend to hem you in; but I've only been off the plane for 10 minutes and as I queue in the immigration line there is a man behind me breathing down my neck holding his phone as though we wants to share his text message conversation with me.

The plan is to meet up with Tom in Delhi, he checked into a hotel a couple of days ago and has already made a trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I have no plans to see the TM, I don't feel any urgency for such. Tom has arranged for a driver to meet me at the airport and I locate him easily by his sign with my name on it. It is a long drive and the roads are chocked with heavy traffic, not much can be seen, there doesn't seem to be enough lighting around Delhi and there is a thick haze in the air that obscures. I thought the haze in Malaysia was bad.

The driver eventually stops in the old section of Delhi. The poor lighting of the sodium vapor streetlamps cast a gloom around this dusty quiet section of shop lots, I cannot see anything resembling a hotel. I wonder if I am going to be slain here and have my baggage distributed to the handful of people milling about. A beggar is upon me even before I can offload my two bags from the trunk, I only have a few rupees in my pocket and I give them to him. Unsatisfied he continues to pester me as I am led by the driver to a narrow staircase, I brace myself for the standard of this 'hotel'. I'll be glad if what I encounter even qualifies for 2 stars at this point.

Fortunately, instead of a mugging assault I find a very modest hotel reception on the second level. And soon thereafter the bellhop leads me to the hotel room where a sleepy Tom answers the door. Tom seems to be in a poor shape, he recently had knee surgery and hasn't been getting outside much AND his back gave out a few days ago. He hobbles around the room. I ask him why he picked the saddest hotel in Delhi to which he replies "you can't expect much this is INDIA!". How much is this costing us a night? About US$120. How on earth did you find this hotel? From the Lonely Planet he replies. The Lonely Planet or the LOWLY Planet? I am glad that this is the only accommodation that I have left to Tom to arrange.

I ask Tom about his trip to the Taj Mahal and he says that when he got there it was closed. Closed? I never thought that the TM would have an off day but then he explained that there is a mosque inside and it was a Friday. Ah... Tom relays his experience with the taxi driver, on the way back from Agra they stopped at a gas station and he got down to stretch. The cab driver mumbled "something about a monkey man", and a few seconds later a man with a monkey showed up at which point the monkey jumped up on Tom. He pulls out a picture on his ipod touch and yes, there is a monkey on Tom's head and it looks like it is humping his head. I can't resist throwing a few jibes in, "you shouldn't let the monkey do that, don't you know that's how AIDS was started?". Ah yes, this is why I love Tom's company, there is always humor around the corner when he's around.

We don't spend too much time catching up, we only have 4 hours of sleep until we catch a 6am flight to Jaipur the next day.