THIS is India!

"THIS is India...." he said, tilting his head slightly to the left and lifting his palms towards the sky as a truck dressed up in tassles, glittering tinsel and bright colours as if it were a girl in a dance hall, comes barrelling down the road towards us. He veers at the last minute avoiding the collision I expected to happen.

THIS is India, where nothing happens the way you expect it. Where lines on the road are for approximation, not guidance and if it looks like there are supposed to be two lanes, well, three or four will do. Where if you want to turn, you just do it by barging your way across lines, in front of other vehicles and within inches of pedestrians, horses, camels and bullocks- who all share the road with you.

THIS is India where 6 squillion people crowd into the Taj Mahal at sunset to see the lights and the queque's are 45 minutes long so you can be body searched before entering the gate. Where at least 50 + people squeeze through a gate opening meant for 10 at the most. Where we are lead blindly through the tomb at the Taj in camel caravan style not knowing where the steps are and if you will trip or not. [Doesn't matter, "whatever" Rakesh our driver would say- and anyway it probably doesn't because if you tripped and fell you would land on at least 75 other people stumbling around in the dark too].

THIS is India, where young boys tell old western women how beautiful and wonderful and unique they are, so you will buy a carpet that costs $4,000 US while they also ply you with cardmon tea and other variations of compliments. Where you don't know if what you are being told is for real or a ploy to get some money out of you, and what does it matter in the long run? This is India and it is a constant letting go of everything- expectations, grasps on reality, opinions, plans. "Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu" says Rakesh, "we will be protected all of us, and we will be complete."

THIS is India where on one end of the same street there are beautiful houses, with roses in the front yard and a car in the carport and at the other end are brick buildings with some walls, no roofs- or ones made of black plastic garbage bags held in place with bricks and bamboo, and no front yards, only garbage piled as high and as far as the eye can see, and hundreds of pigs and cows eating the plastic and rotting food and excretement, while little boys play badmitton with god knows what.

THIS is India, where young boys and girls roam the roads and rap on the windows and point to their mouths asking for rupees for food. While other boys ask you about cricket and Australia and Ricky Ponting- hey I am learning Aussie cricketer's names at the least.

Here's where we've been- [photos will have to follow, as this computer will not let me upload them- and I've tried 3 times and it is almost midnight]

Delhi- one night and a morning for me- city of smog- only the locals call it "haze"
Chandrigarh- WOW what a place- wide streets-tree lined, beautiful buildings, lovely houses, millions of new housing projects [and those slums I was talking about]
Shimla- high in the mountains- beautiful fresh air, freezing cold, lovely atmosphere.
Delhi [again] then to Agra and the Taj Mahal

Today we saw the Taj Mahal, which was amazing- no photo does it justice. And this being New Years weekend, we saw it with at least 500,000 other people- what a trip! I just keep on laughing at everything that happens- what can you do?

The traffic cracks me up, the people crack me up, the experiences crack me up. And I have been very lucky that I have a lovely driver, who is extremely protective of me, so I have not been hassled too much, if at all really. It makes me feel relaxed enough to look forward to what will be coming next.

Tomorrow we are off to Rajasthan after another sunrise viewing of the Taj!