Near Disaster in Delhi, Dec 18

I didn’t want to die on a rickshaw today and I kept telling that to Allynn, over and over as giant busses swerved by us nearly removing my arm or my rib cage as I sat out in the open,wondering what the hell to do. The driver was a thin older gentleman and his three passengers were weighing him down so he would occasionally get off the bike and walk and push his vehicle. We’d been in a taxi for 2 hours, trying to get to the famous Spice Market , which I imagined to be a colorful swirl of sights and smells.
But our driver dropped us at a tea shop. I was so disappointed, I wasn’t sure if he just didn’t want to go to the Spice Market or what! We had an appointment with Sharon’s travel agent early in the afternoon so we were pressed for time. We’d already spent an hour in a taxi, trying to get to the Spice Market and our guide, who was the third passenger,hanging off the back of the rickshaw told us it was the only way to get to the Spice Market- by rickshaw. So here we were, sashaying thru rushour morning traffic and I had definitely had enough! Allynn seemed to be enjoying himself and I wanted to stop the world and get off! Then I saw the driver get down, off his rickshaw and he was pushing it! My God, I thought- what is going on here! This poor man needs a break! I saw a temple appear near us on our left and I called to our guide,hanging out behind us, what’s that? He said oh, Shiva’s temple is over there. And I said- those red towers? He said- that is a Jain temple. I was looking for a good landmark where we could stop! He had just told me we had a 20 minute drive More in the rickshaw to get to the Spice Market. It felt like a bad dream. So I raised my voice and I shouted- we’re stopping here! And jumped down to the street.Holy shit, I was glad to get off that thing! That rickshaw. That was no joy ride- no sleigh ride- a nightmare from Hell!
Then I had my husband to deal with and make a plan B. Right away some guy starts pestering us and warning us that we were in a really bad area- all kind of pick pocketers and thieves are around there. Comforting, I thought as I clutched my fanny pack and zipped up my jacket. I phoned the travel agent, described where we were and he said- I know exactly where you are. I was so relieved. I said we are wearing funny hats.

He didn’t seem to need that information and in about 10 minutes a distinguished looking gentleman appeared, introducing himself as the travel agents’ driver and we shook his hand and happily followed him to his spiffy white sedan parked nearby. There were 2 men in the front seat and it dawned on me that driving around Deli is a 2 person job! And doesn’t everyone need a partner in their job? Yes! At last I could relax and breathe! A moment later my phone rang and I realized the guy in the front seat, who just picked us up was calling to be sure he had the right person. Clever, I thought. I reached over for Allynn’s hand . So good to hold his hand in the good- and the difficult moments in life. We were at the travel agent’s building in no time but we had one more hurdle to face- the elevator. We were waiting at the elevator for a long time.
Allynn and I cheerfully announced we’d be glad to walk- how many floors is it? The man said 12. I pictured a dark staircase and I was relieved when the man said no- we’re not walking. Meanwhile, the group of people waiting for the elevator was growing and another worry came to mind- getting stuck in the elevator! In a far away land of India! Yikes! Then our driver motioned to us to follow him and we walked a short distance to another elevator and got inside. Tiny, I thought- holds 4 people-tops.

The metal door swung open and we had Arrived! – at the office of Shailendra Gupta, Sharon’s friend. I asked if he was related to Sanje Gupta, from CNN. He said no- it is a common name in India. I looked around his dusty office and I tried to relax with our new situation.
We explained our objectives in India- going to Mysore and Rajhastan – and our time constraints. We set our sights on South India now because we have a 6 week chunk of time and we’ll do a 10 day north tour in Feb and wind up in Rishekesh for 2 weeks before we head back to Delhi for our return trip Home. Finally it was making sense of how we could put all the pieces together and this guy-Shailendra was going to help us make it happen. He booked our flights to Mysore on this coming Monday with a return to Delhi on Feb 2- Allynn has a few days of shows with Sharon’s school. So we will be in Mysore for Christmas. I will stop at the Yoga Shala to check out the scene and my plan is to announce my arrival at the Institute ( saying I never got an E mail saying I hadn’t been accepted.) act dumb and see what happens. If they let me in, I would have to decide if I really want to be there a whole month- while Kerala- on the beach is waiting with a jungle sleep over boat ride. Tuff decisions. Things are changing daily. And our friend Shailendra booked us in a better hotel tomorrow- closer to parks and coffee in Delhi and closer to Sharon’s house where we are going on Sunday to get our luggage reorganized. I can get a change of clothes and summer stuff and Allynn can replenish his balloon supplies.
I keep thinking about how this is supposed to be FUN! And Stress Free! Well- we now have a clear feeling about our return home- We will both kiss the ground!
PS We saw something so funny on our everlasting terrible ride around Dehli today. Allynn noticed first, when we were in the taxi and had come to a red light-which are few and far between- but last forever-he saw a guy wipe clean the back of a three wheeled taxi and apply an advertisement on it- sticker style- and when he was done he was looking for the next vehicle to do the same thing to! It was an ad about losing inches at your waist. Strange things are going on here!