delhi (picture update!)

Finally we're in Delhi! It feels fantastic to be in a city again. Micah and I have been making the best of it. In the past two days, we went to McDonald's, Subway, Costa Coffee, and Scotiabank, of all places. We've also seen some of Delhi's tourist sites, but who cares about that, eh? ;)

All in all, Delhi is a gorgeous city. I HATE auto-rickshaw drivers with a seething passion, but aside from that all is good, haha. Seriously, they're such douchebags here. They try to charge you at least triple the real price for anywhere you want to go, and then they don't even take you to your destination! You think you're going where you've asked, when instead you end up at a "very nice shop" owned by the driver's brother or friend or someone who is going to give him a fat commission for luring in tourists, where you're told you "no buy, just look, just look!" and if you refuse, get dumped out of the rickshaw in the wrong place. We're getting wise to it now, and demanding from the beginning that we go straight to our destination with no side stops (some drivers won't even take us because of it) and refusing to pay if we don't reach our requested destination. Such a hassle.

Also, continuing on with last post's topic of "Indian men are often sketchy", there are no shortage of creepy pervs in Delhi, oh man... the next guy who says "Hello Madam, please give me a kiss!" is getting a punch to the groin. What is WRONG with people? Holy crap.

Okay, it seems like all I do is complain, haha. I'm not actually that miserable, it's just the stories about things that make me angry are more entertaining than the happy ones where I visit tourist attractions. Now I'll post some pictures instead of bitching. But first, a quick Bollywood discussion, please feel free to skip to pics if Bollywood is not your thing: Last night we saw Jodhaa Akbar, unfortunately 3.5 hours long and without subtitles so I had no sweet clue what was going on. I have to say, it didn't seem very good and I don't think it will live up to all the hype it's been getting. The highlights for me were Hrithik Roshan fighting an elephant, and Hrithik Roshan waving a sword around with his shirt off. Obviously. There was even a sad lack of song and dance numbers in a film of this length. I don't think I'd recommend.

Pictuuuuures!

Sorry, my Calcutta pics were on a different memory card and it takes so long to get my pics in order that I didn't have the patience to do it with 2 different cards, so here are a couple from Varanasi! Us with some Israeli backpackers on the morning boat ride (ignore how greasy I am) and me looking pale and gross, but wearing a pretty sari! I have a nice tikka from the temple earlier too, haha.


And here are a few from Agra... Me with the Taj, me on the Taj with some random girl I don't know who wanted to take a photo with me so I took one with her too, the Taj being all pretty reflected in the water, and me learning Hindi on the roof of the hotel.


And in Delhi! Brief explanations in order, if you care. Random elephant in the street. Inside the Red Fort. Me inside the Red Fort. Bunch of crazy schoolgirls in the Red Fort who attacked me to shake hands (despite there being a million other tourists around to choose from). Jama Masjid (big mosque!) View from the left spire of the Jama Masjid. India Gate! Me in front of the India Gate! Micah eating a whole goat leg... eww.