Week 1: family, food, bazaars, food, rickshaws, and food

I feel like a fish in slightly spicer water...everything has been great so far! I'm surprised that I haven't felt more of a culture shock (maybe that's one of the advantages of having family living in Brampton;). Things have been very gogogo since I only have a short time in Punjab. My family has been very accomodating and kind, I'm actually very humbled by how affectionate and attentive everyone has been (and I got a loooooot of family here!). Hightlights have included:

* Etihad flight- I ended up staying awake for the whole thing, butI had this fantastic little personal tv and sat next to very entertaining ladies...time passed quickly and no turbulence to deal with!
* Motorcycle ride in Delhi- if I ever think that traffic in Toronto is bad, I'll just think about Delhi...cows, cars, rickshaws, autorickshaws, trucks, dogs,people, bicycles, scooters, all sharing the same road! It's Insane how close all the vehicles get to one another! I was a passenger on the back of a motorcycle and it was an absolute thrill! you don't go fast, but dodging cows is a fun pasttime!
* Family- I've seen so many family members, and it's been great to talk to them (although I quickly realized that my punjabi skills are in dire need of advancement). My cousins' kids are all firecrackers and very sweet. It was very nice to see my grandparents, grandfather is quite weak now, and gramma has that same gramma feel I remember :) Everyone is very attentive and loving, it makes the "when are you getting married?" and "Why did you cut your hair so short" and "why don't you wear more jewellery?" questions bearable haha.
* Shopping- shopkeepers are very attentive,none of this "just browsing" business! You sit down, they get you a tea or water (no no for me!) or a pop and they show you peice after peice of clothing/shawl/jewellery/suitcase (yes I had to buy a suitcase for the things I've bought...haha, so much for backpacking!).
* Eye Candy- It's like the colours are put on ultrabright here...everything is so colourful- shop signs, clothing, vehicles, there's such vibrancy and hustle-bustle everywhere...takes some getting used to.
* Bingo- haha, my aunt took me to a "Kitty party" in a hotel which is just a meeting of women and they play this bingo type game and eat...and eat. I was asked to be the number caller (in english), and they couldn't understand my accent-I had to channel Russel Peter's accent- oh, if only my friends could've seen me ;)
* FOOOOOOD- Last time i came to India I honestly don't remember eating anything beyond mangos and cucumbers...not so this time...I've been eating so well here...all the home cooking is out of this world and I've indulged in some roadside food- *touchwood* I haven't had any serious "delhi belly" problems yet-haha, gross but true! I even went to McD's and had a McChicken samdwich, although it's made with mint chutney instead of mayo...they've also got McAloo Tikki burgers *insert giggle here if you know what Aloo Tikki is*

All in all,things have been "first class". I'm off to Amritsar in a couple of hours to visit my aunts for a couple of days...then Nurmahal for a day, and then back to Delhi for October 3 to pick up Claire and start our India adventure...there's just so much to take in!

Until next time...

I'm a desert rose in Abu Dhabi

The flight had to be rerouted to Al Ain airport for a couple hours because there was heavy fog in Abu Dhabi. I'm now in the Dhabi, the flight was great, Etihad has this personal entertainment system that makes time fly. I sat next to the great lady who is an OBGYN living here. She was fun to talk to. Didn't get any sleep though, it's now 12:30 am on Friday for me, but the local time is 9:30 am...my flight to delhi is boarding now, and it will take about 3 hours to get there. Hoping I get some sleep on this flight. This airport is cool, looks like a giant green and blue honeycomb dome...plus free internet so how can you go wrong.

I saw the desert, my seat mate told me I should come back one day and take a desert tour...wind surf on the sand...sounds like it will make my to do list. There are some sheiks here...very cool experience, althought shortlived....

On to the motherland!

Passport...CHECK....Toilet Paper....CHECK....I'm ready to go!

But first, Confessions of a Serial Aunt: It's hard to resist playing and hugging and kissing two little two year olds who have the onset of a cold. I think once you become an aunt, the sight of boogers and the sound of a hacking cough is no match to your "Oh, but you're still so cute!" mentality. Thusly, I have a slight tickle in my throat...it's my own fault and it was totally worth it.

Playing with the toddlers aside, the past few days have been crazy busy. I was previously nervous about staying in Delhi on our own...but now, thanks to the power of random strangers/distant relatives of even more distant friends, we are crashing with a family in central Delhi. My folks set it up for us and it's a sister of a childhood friend of my dad...he met her the last trip and says she's very sweet and has a couple of kids that will be good companions. It's nice to have that kind of generosity from strangers, and I trust that my parents aren't throwing us to some crazies (fingers crossed anyhow).

So, when I land, this family will pick me up and I'll spend the night with them, then be off on a train (5 hours by myself!) to Jalandhar, which is in Punjab and a family member (who I've actually met before) will be there to pick me up. Then it's family fun for 12 days before heading off to Delhi and starting our India a la carte adventure.

Looking forward to the flight tommorow (bulkhead aisle seat and a personal tv woohoo!). Hope I can get some sleep tonight.

Let the adventure begin...

Potlucks, Oprah, and Blanche Dubois

My dear friend Krissy hosted a going away party for me tonight in her home. We ate like gluttons and spoke at decibels that had the neighbourhood dogs yelping. It was awesome to have my friends in one room, sharing their best travel stories (Cappadocian Caveman anyone?) and other words of wisdom. Today's airplane crash in Phuket makes me queasy and tells me to be more cautious about my travel plans (which from this point on, is very flexible to delay a flight if the weather is severe). Tania gave me a very thoughful set of quotes to encourage me...of which the Oprah one is my favourite (of course).

"Breathe. Let Go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure"

IS THERE ANYTHING OPRAH DOESN'T KNOW????

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day of packing and figuring out where I'm staying in Delhi. Crucial item: making sure Claire and I meet up on Oct 3rd. Sounds easy, but I am trying to avoid cow-initiated traffic jams in a mad dash from the train station to the airport. I've got a bunch of feelers out there with friends of friends and family of family friends...I always rely on the kindness of strangers...

82 hours till take off!