#45 So.. India huh? It's a world I've never seen, cow's roam the streets and there are Indians everywhere.

India... ah India.
I had set up to be picked up by a guy who I spoke with on the phone who would drive me around northern india. Instead, for the first four days I was assigned a driver who was very nice but spoke almost no english. With that said I talked to myself a lot while I thought I was talking to someone. Shib (the driver) was there to pick me up at the airport with my name on a sign (I always see this at the airport and laugh thinking that will never be me). First night we headed to Agra for a freezing night of sleep to prep for my big day at the Taj Mahal.

Traffic in India:
People in lots of the world check about safety before they buy a car. Some check the gas mileage, some worry about lifetime of the car and some just want a good look.
I am convinced that in India they first check about how loud the horn is and second how long the life of a horn in the car is. While driving in India I think it's a rule that you must press down on the horn the whole time you're in motion. While driving with Shib, when he honks at someone and they don't respond he gets quite upset with them and follows it up with a wave of the hand or some mumbling (in hindi of course). Now when he has 4 or 5 cars honking at him for being in their way or cutting them off, he hears nothing and doesn't even budge one way or another.
Right of way usually goes like this: the kid moves for the adult who moves for the bike who moves for the bike pulling a person who moves for a 3 wheel taxi who moves for a motorbike who moves for a 4 wheel mini taxi who moves for a car who moves for a truck or SUV who moves for a semi truck. Everyone moves for a COW that might be in the road because cows are sacred here. Nobody eats cattle in India.

Back to the Taj Mahal.
Beautiful, Gorgeous, Amazing, Spectacular.
It is the highest sign of love. The King built it for his wife who died delivering her 14th child in 19 years. He had 20,000 people working on it for 53 years (I think). When it was finished the artchitect wasn't allowed to travel anywhere with more then 5 people for fear he will try to design something similar. (I don't think he had another 53 years to build) I toured the Taj Mahal with a very nice family: The Choi's. They are a Korean family that have lived in Bangalore for over 10 years now. They had a guide taking them around and telling them facts about the place and let me join in with them. It was the best thing I could have asked for on my birthday; to meet a nice family and have them be extremely nice to me at a time when I spent the other 20 hours a day with people that don't understand what I have to say. Although Shib did wake me up this morning with a pound on my door saying "happy birthday sir", and that was all I heard of that.

After the Taj we headed to another famous building that I can't remember the name of outside of the city; actually it was like 50 buildings that were all part of this complex. It really was quite enjoyable and relaxing. One the most interesting buildings was one that held a tomb of a famous elephant, he was the kings favorite and very special because he could smell a person and tell if they were good or evil, and if they were evil he would kill them. In total he killed 4 or 5 people; I got to get me one of those.

We then headed to Jaipur which is quite a big city. After visiting Fort Amber and the City Palace I had had enough of the tourist sites. I did however ride my first elephant ever up the hill to the Amber fort; it was extremely comfortable on my little toosh. OK, so I didn't ride it bareback, there was a nice chair hooked up with cushions thicker than the beds I've slept in since I've been in India (this isn't saying much at all). Every time I check into a room and they show me it they point to the bed and say "nice? very comfortable" I say "it's ok, and really hard" and then they say "ok, good, you like, yes very comfortable".

I have fallen in love with pomegranite. I learned from Boss in Kuwait how to eat one without making a mess and even without cutting it. I have since eaten many.
The food in India is quite good, spicy and cheap. Most meals that fill me up cost around $2. I am full and still eating about 20 times less food than I ate in Kuwait.
It is a good thing I'm the least picky eater of anyone I know. For every meal we go to a little restaurant and they give me a menu that is translated into English and still means nothing to me. When I point to something and ask them what it is they read the words on the menu to me as if I can't read. I end up shutting my eyes and pointing to something or waiting for more people to come in and order and then look at their food and if I like it, I tell them I want that or if it looks bad find out the name and order something different.

I met two brothers who spoke some english and after not knowing them very long they invited me back to there house after I go to the north. I was told he was getting married and he would like me to be a special guest and come for the week before to see all the things building up to the wedding and the wedding itself; of course I accepted and will be heading back to Jaipur in about a week to see some Indian culture; I am extremely excited about this.

This morning I wanted to go to this place that I read about that was up on a small mountain that overlooked the city. My driver didn't want to but then we ended up going anyway. It was my favorite place in the city thus far, away from the congestion and all the many busy tourist places. There were a few tourists but I hardly noticed them.

I am back in Delhi now and on my way to write this blog I had a fresh squeezed fruit drink for under $1 and went to get my beard and neck cleaned up. Somehow in the middle of the shaving he was convinced I told him I wanted a facial along with a face massage and my hair combed back (I haven't tried in anyway to have any control of my hair since I left for this trip) and then charged me 10 times the price he quoted me. It is hard to argue with the man who has a blade next to your throat, so I paid him the eqivelant of $7 and went on my way.

Tomorrow I am supposed to get picked up by my english speaking driver/tour guide (it will be easier to be a guide when he can communicate with me)

Piercings in the left nostral of woman is a big thing.
Men dressing like it is the 70's in the US is in.
Cow's rule
There is garbage everywhere.
Everyone still tries to charge me more when they see my skin color.
I love life, I was told here it is the golden gift.
50 cent and eminem are not known in India so nobody knows Detroit and when I say Michigan they still reply Mexican.
Pepsi wins the cola war in India where Coke dominated in Africa.

I is out.