I flew back from Kashmir into Swamp@ss Land last night (aka: Delhi) to meet up with my friends who've completed the orphan project. I walked into the infamous apartment to find new faces, the familiar ones werent there yet. A long haired guitar student from Oregon and a few other girls from Brazil and the US.
I came back from Kashmir with a new outlook and a new attitude. I'm not scared or paranoid of the unknown.... or of anyone for that matter. So with that being said, I went into the shower to find spiders a foot away from me by the wall. "Oh no you don't" I said to the spider as though they could understand me. I went a bit crazy you could say and killed them all with my hands....one by one. Then threw them in the water and smiled. Yup, a new woman. No one messes with me in Delhi!
Earlier, a few of the new faces sat around me in the apartment asking in whispering voices "Is it always this hot?" I laughed. Yes it is. I went to sleep in my 'old' room per sey where the computer resides...the guitar student came in and went to type fast. So fast he typed that I knew what was going on. I got up and said while laughing "you're telling someone how hot and depressed you are!" He said "Yes, Im telling them how miserable and hot I am." lol/ BTDT.
I needed Kashmir. It rejuvinated my mind. My trip started out downhill fast and now I'm back on track. India is not easy. But once you do India, you can do anything, especially a woman being on her own.
Remember how I said in my older post that the place reminds me of Afgan or Pakistani people? Well it still does to someone who doesn't know much about the people and the culture. I found out that although alot of them look the same, they don't like each other and it would be wrong for me to compare them. I read in the paper that India is doing everything in its power to protect its northern border (Kashmir ) from being invaded by the Taliban in Afganistan. Which explains the military I talked about. I really really hope that never happens, its such a beautiful place with warm people.
I woke up this morning to find some of my old friends in the apartment and we hugged and couldn't stop talking. We had so much to catch up on. They said that they were worried when they heard I went into Kashmir. LOL....no worries, some of the best times in my life.
I asked about the little boys from the orphan home and my roommates said their mother came into the room and rummaged thru their luggage obviously trying to take things while right in front of them. Also, she never returned with the boys. Not sure where they ended up.
Well it's been one big adventure one after another for all of us and we still have a few days left in India. We're all (19 of us) going into the state of Rajastan tomorrow to visit Jaipur, Jodpur and Agra (Taj).
I spent the last few days trekking in the gorgeous Himalayan mountain area. Nothing crazy, 11000ft. Meeting gypsies and being invited for tea inside their tents and mudhuts will forever be cherished in my heart. We had nothing to talk about, but we smiled and laughed and hugged. That's all that mattered.
I'll catch up with you later.
This picture above makes me laugh. You know the nativity set you display during Christmas? Doesn't this image remind you of that? (ahem, ahem, minus me!)
