Does the weight of one's dog determine their happiness?

Ok probably not, but the owners of my hostel in Goa had the fattest dogs I've seen in India and the people were some of the most laid back that I met there. All the pups in the big cities were treated like nuisances, and I wanted to take each one home to feed and love them! Now in Thailand, there are 'normal' size and some really fat pups. And people here are proportionally friendly and laid back.

Side note: I have a new appreciation for earplugs...making sleeping on concrete airport floors possible and quite comfortable! Still questioning how many airport personnel and luggage tags it takes to load one plane. Person #1 makes sure my boarding pass matches my passport. #2 takes and rips off portion of boarding pass. #3 checks the obscene number of luggage tags to see that they match my boarding pass. #4 checks my boarding pass before I enter the bus that will take me to the plane. #5 checks from the bus to the plane. Lets not forgets all the people in security line who don't care that I have a full container of water, as long as its not in a plastic water bottle. So backwards, then again, maybe it's me. Anyway...

First impression upon arrival: great. And an actual free bus to my transferring airport in Bangkok? Ok! The woman at information was chatting with friends and crocheting something. My bus driver did a little '5 minutes til we leave' dance. And the DMK airport had two Starbucks about 100 feet from each other. How can this not be a happy place?!

I flew to Chiang Mai, in the northern Thailand. The seats were obviously made for small Thai folk, but it was a short flight. I hadn't been able to book a hostel yet, so gave my cab driver an address an hoped for the best! A $3 cab ride later, I got to the hostel, which was booked. But she directed me next door. Another $3 and I had myself a night stay! My stomach was still mad at me for the delicious indian street food i had with Rajesh, so my meals consisted of $1 refreshing local fruit smoothies. Maybe I shouldn't have taken so much money out of the ATM!

I walked around chiang mai for a day and when my backpack got heavy, I took my first tuk-tuk to the bus station. From there I took a four hour bus ride north to the popular backpacker mountain town of Pai. Again, lots of white tourists here, but that means it must be good.



I had booked a hostel but forgot to download the info to my iPhone when I had Internet. Oops! Luckily I found a cafe with wifi. There was still just enough sunlight to make out the roads, and once the road ended and I had to go further, there were friendly Thai folks on each corner, asking if I needed help, then pointing me in the right direction. I made it to these quaint bungalows atop the side of the hill...overlooking the mountains and city. How did I get so lucky?! The bungalows have huge covered decks, and I sat out with my new roommates and neighbors, swapping travel stories and jamming on their ukelele. Rain started pouring...doesn't get much better than that!

Where do I begin?!

First stop was Delhi. What madness. The roads were a chaos of cars and bicyclists and buses, all honking and in between lanes. Seemed like the ones who honked the longest and loudest have the right of way. On two lane roads, it's a constant game of chicken...who will move over first? I have to look in the side windows to not get sick. New York City's rush hour is peaceful compared to this.



No matter how much the people sweep the streets and their market areas with their broom made if a few twigs, it still feels dirty. Perhaps it's the smell of incense and chewing tobacco. Or my driver who constantly throws his plastic tea cups out the window, despite my efforts to take it from him.

I knew it would be a poor area, but just didnt expect the packed conditions. The ride to Agra where the Taj Mahal is located should have taken 2.5 hours. It took my driver and I 6 hours. Granted, he took me the back roads to save himself the money. It was eye opening to see. There was some country, but it was mostly shack after shack, people hanging outside, packed like sardines in trucks on their way to build something at work, and cows tied up to ropes. Delhi constantly had a fizzy haze...more it was a deceiving warm red hue with freezing temps, afternoon gray/brown fog and a warm upper 60degrees.



My driver was a sucker for the kids who came up to our car when we stopped at lights. He'd give them what would be equivalent to a US penny or nickel...and say that these were his brothers and sisters. If he helps them out then God will help him out. He was a 21 year old Muslim, saying he didn't have a girlfriend because he didnt have money. Lol. His rent per month was US $60, and made $75/month. He would take me to good restaurants...I asked for middle of the road, not dirt cheap but not expensive. The food was delicious, especially the chai teas! So it was great having him know the places, and he'd eat in a separate room, for half the price. I was getting annoyed with the American rate like this, but realize he gets a discount from bringing people to the restaurants. I suppose it'd be the same in America.

Seems like people here value the afterlife much more than the here and now. The taj mahal was just a huge tomb for the kings favorite wife...other temples are just as magnificent. The people seem to know they are poor, but have the attitude that it is what it is...next to impossible to get out of their rut. They must not have had the 4th grade lesson about writing letters of complaints to get what you want? They are go go go, worrying only of themselves. Typical big city attitude? The schoolchildren were the friendliest towards me...smiling, looking, and some daring enough to say hi then shy away when I said hello back. The drivers to/from the airport could care less...didn't really help me with bags. Though I found my driver to Agra via my hotel to be legit, he kept hounding me for a tip, and would take me to his friends stores where they offered all sorts of silk goods and rugs. 'Madam. Just look. No pressure. You like, I get you good deal.' Rrrrrright. Granted I did talk them down to good deals, but I did not appreciate the constant hassling. Either way I left feeling like I was the American girl who got screwed over or who screwed them over. It's been easier on the beach to just walk past and ignore them.

So yes, I made it out of Delhi and to the beaches of Goa. Though the drive from the airport up to Anjura was a pricey $20 and chaos of honking once again...and it still has a faint smell of incense, this is much more my style. Apparently other white folks feel the same as there seems to be an even mix of folks. The wealthier Indians are here on holiday too...instead of hassling for money, they hassle for photos with a white chic. It was flattering for the first couple times, now I say no. One young indian dude asked to hold my hand on the beach. When I told him I saved that for boyfriends, he asked to be my boyfriend for just 15 minutes. No thanks.

Side note: I think I have inherited my great aggressive habits from people here. After all, most Chicago cab drivers are foreigners and are quite aggressive but composed drivers...I'd like to think I'm that way most often! Also...I thought it was funny how Indians tilt/bob their heads side to side. Apparently this is like nodding your head 'yes' only this bob move means 'ok'.



I was warned that I'd have little personal space and that is so true! People cutting in line, people wanting to chat, etc. As I came alone for this portion of the trip, I am grateful for the friendly folks. Everyone but the backpackers question why on earth I'd travel alone! There are few Americans, but lots of Brits and various Europeans. The area was actually settled by Russians and Israelis...an most people guess I'm from Germany or Norway. Lol. Still the basic language is English.

Here is my present view. 90 degrees and cloudless. America is right beyond the horizon and Africa and to the right....or rather, directly beneath me. I'd be lying to say that I'm not missing denver and snowboarding...but I'll be back to that in no time! Off to get some fresh fruit...

India!!

I have to admit, I'd never thought I'd see the day. Maybe because I never thought about this side of the world until my company branched out here and coworkers started telling me about life here.

But here I am in Mumbai! I arrived about midnight, a half hour late from all the snow and de-icing in Munich. Again, a first time experience flying in snow...I thought for sure the flight would be cancelled but I was happy it wasn't!

Another pleasant 8 hour flight...I almost wish it was longer so I could sleep more! Half kidding :) I was surprised how many people from India spoke English so well...and always wonder how they know to start speaking English to me. I guess as someone pointed out to me, English is the default for any language, especially flights. God bless America. We seriously are spoiled.

Not sure what's with me and scents, but I expected India to smell like Indian restaurants or something. The airport smelled like a hotel lobby, with a pool nearby. Must be because it's humid and was just cleaned with chlorine. Again, I like hotels with pools, so it's pleasant.

Other differences: the time is about 13.5 hours from home I think? Don't quite understand the .5 thing. Friends and I were just discussing if the moon would look different here. We went back and forth and eventually concluded that it would not look different. But it does!! It's a half moon, but the bottom half is lit up...don't we usually only see it from one side or the other lit up?!

As I waited in line for customs baggage check, the security officer pulled me aside and let me pass through without a scan. This happened before in Ecuador...what's with the gringos getting special treatment? Not sure why they'd trust a foreigner but I'll take it.

A bus ride to another terminal later, I finally meet up with Rajesh, 2 hours late! By this time he's been waiting for two hours, to generously lend me his phone so I can contact him while in the country. We've only worked virtually together, but meeting him in person did feel like we were old friends. I have to ask myself, if someone I barely knew was coming to the states, could I be as generous? From now on I will certainly attempt...would love to pay it forward.

From here I fly to Delhi for a couple days, then will meet back up with Rajesh in either the beaches of Goa or Mumbai. So not to worry, Mom and Dad! I may have forgotten to use a straw with my last drink and got a mosquito bite, but I have pills for those.