Hello India!

The car ride from the airport to the hotel was insane, however typical for cities like this. No one uses the lanes, cars weaving in between motorcycles, buses, pedestrians, effortlessly and failing to slow down. I was pretty impressed with Delhi, couldn't believe how green this town is, nothing as I imagined. Each tree fenced off with a sign posted "Green Delhi." As I started to soak this in, we turned a corner and entered into the intro of Slumdog Millionaire. The paved road turned into dirt, more narrow and lined with shops. Cows meandering in the road, holding up traffic, and the smell of rain was masked by the smell of sewage. We drove a few blocks and i was dropped at my hotel, right in the middle of the madness.
After I settled in, I went to enjoy some breakfast at the rooftop restaurant. A garden was located in the middle of the roof. The view consisted of a dozen children, flying kites on the roof of surrounding high rise buildings. After breakfast, I decided to step out and see if I can avoid these hagglers trying to lure me into their shops. That did last about 20 minutes and while asking for directions, I got directed into a tourism office and of course, was not very helpful. The gentleman helping me was trying to convince me to spend an unreasonable amount of money for a guided tour, another sucker walked in to this scam. It worked out, because I now had a fellow traveller to wander the streets of Delhi.
First sight was the Golden Temple. I couldn't fully understand the gentleman who explained the history, but it is a place where all religions are accepted, as long as you believe in only one god. The architecture of this building was amazing. Everything was made of marble, including the ground. There is a pool on the grounds where people with an ailment, injury or sickness bathe in and pray for healing.
This day was the celebration of Krishna, so there were celebrations everywhere. Women and children dressed in their finest saris, strands of orange flowers covering entryways of various temples. Inside, there was dancing, and many posing in scenes depicting the history of Krishna. At the Lakishna temple, lights blanketed this enourmous temple, better than christmas.
On the walk home, a slight detour was made. Somehow, we ended up outside of the tourist area, and was surrounded by locals. Since it was late in the evening, all the shops were closed and people were sleeping on the small bit of concrete in between the shops doors and the muddy road. I felt as if I were in a maze, dark, people starting to follow us while asking for money. Feeling slightly uneasy, we turned a corner, and came across another Krishna festival. This time, it was all children dressed up and dancing. As soon as the children had seen us, the started to approach us with warm greetings. The entire group were hams when it came to taking pictures, and of course I have many of those. But before we carried on, ( thought of you Lindsay :) ) I was dancing and shouting with the children!
Finally all my reservations, regrets about this are gone, I do miss everyone, but I am now ready and so very grateful for this adventure! Not to shabby for a first day!