Delhi, India: The People and Critters

While couchsurfing in India we met the most amazing people. People who fed us, showed us the town, taught us about the history, gave us beginner Hindi lessons, and cared for us. It was a miracle that we found them. And it was another big miracle when we also met our new friend Catharine. Together the three of us traveled through Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Amritsar. Another blessing of couchsurfing and backpacking-you met people who become your friends. 

And so I never forget how other people live a few pictures of where we stayed including our roommate the big spider.

The REAL Delhi: Rooftops, Kites and Kids

When we arrived in Delhi our host had just cancelled on us but lucky for us a wonderful woman offered to host us. She showed us what a real neighborhood was like, and introduced us to some of the most amazing people. We spent the evenings on her roof watching the children laugh as they flew their homemade kites. As we stood there surrounded by families gathering together at the end of the day on each of their own roofs, I realized how really united we are as a people. Despite our different languages, homes, and even appearances for the most part we are all seeking love and peace. 

Jaim's words

Hey hey hey!!! Wow delhi! lots of horns, people, dust, yelling, and pestering, adorable children with bright eyes and smiles, and humid humid heat, black boogers, oily of all oilyest food, and lots of sweat!  We got into delhi, got to the place we are staying, with this dear of a woman named Sonu who's husband is a sikh and she lives in this tiny home in the back ally of a neighborhood some people call a slum. it's crazy bc you go off of hte main road and there are just networks and allyways and more buildings and stairs and tall crumbling brick apts. and it's a whole other city back there.  sonu teaches a primary school for kids in the area who can't afford to pay for school and therefore don't go.  She's never said no to one woman couch surfer before and since january when she started she's had 67 couch surfers including us nuts!  My room is a cement box with a near cement bed, a rickety ceiling fan that helps move the hot air around, complete with a spider named bob,  and multiple other creatures that i can hear and feel come out at night when the lights are off but can't see. yikes!  We're hear in delhi 3 nights and after 3 days i think i will have had enough of it and will be ready for a bit of a br3eak from it.  oh! we went to church! it was really great! it was ripping down rain (monsoon season) so we came in all wet, and had three hrs of church in english/hindi for the first time in about a month and a half, it was great!  WE met two other girls who were traveling - one from switzerland and one was from germany.  all of hte missionaries there were indian and there are 9 branches in delhi alone! i've leanred that the church really is the same everywhere: LDS members all over the world  show up late for church, go too long in their testimonies,  like to chat in between mee4tings and there's always a bit of spice in relief society. ha! no the meeting was great - we also brought along w/ us a 16yr old boy who is a friend of sonus who she kind of looks after and helps out.  They had people who had just returned from the temple (Hong Kong is the closest one) bear their testimonies and it was really really neat to listen to their experiences.  so we go on a bit of a tour around delhi, saw some forts, temples, tombs, and when we get back from it all we say hi to sonu and she tells us that another woman arrived today - and she says that she was so surprised bc she doesn't drink coffee, tea, or drink alcohol....cam and I exchange glances. so she's staying at a different buildign that sonu has just a minute walk from where we stay, and we go up looking for this other girl fro mthe U.S. anmd we meet her and are talking to her abit, she's wearing short sleeves and a knee length skirt...are you thinking what I'm thinking? so we tell her we're studying in Utah and then we wait...she says what school, BYU and wait...."oh! wait, so are you guys mormons?" HA!  crazy right??!!!! She had been traveling on her own in different places (basically the exact same itineraryt as ours but backwards, italy, hawaii, thailand is next) and had been praying that she would be able to meet someone in india to travel a bit with so she wouldn't be alone then there we were!!! so so cool!!! so we've changed our pans around a bit and are sticking with her until she needs to fly out. our biggest accomplishment today was getting train teickets resereved for the rest of our travels in india at the actual tourist train reservation center at teh train station. SOOOOOOO many people trying to con you and tell you that their shop is the right one and that you're not allowed to go into this place or dow this road that actually leads you to the right train station.  We went into one polace but didn't actually book anything or pay anything and sauid we'd come back and we finally found the right one, and hte closer you get the more agressive they become, they stop you and say " excuse me mam, ticket please" or chekc your baggage here please, we just plowed on through and ignored them all, yanked our arms away and walked on, found the p[lace and got all our tickets booked for WAY WAY cheaper than what the other office was selling just one tiecket at.  They also at the other place try to tell you that they are all booked up and offer their personal drivers for the whole weekend and make it out to seem like that is the only option you are left with.  We didn't relly buy that and found out that really loads of seatrs are open, AWESOME!!! so we're all booked for aour last two weeks here in india!!!  We're really loving it and feel so so blessed that the Lord really is giuding our every step and keeping up safe. got to go, really bad, not having hte same problem i was earlier w/ the bathroom sooooo peace!

love you guys so so much!!! and love your emails!

jaimo

Delhi, India

Delhi cannot be captured in words. And it would take a life time to really experience all of the smells (good and bad), and sites. In just a few days we saw more forts than I knew existed. And ate wonderful curry while being shown the city by a wonderful tour guide we met in the neighborhood we were staying in.