The crazier you drive, the less likely you are to get hit

"Follow the masses" is the reply from my friend when i asked her if she knew where the baggage claim happened to be. Luckily a 68 lb black canvas bag with a bright orange strap around it is easy to find on the line of luggage. My TSA lock had been disabled and my bag searched, but i believe everything was still inside. Navigating my way through the unfamiliar airport, i began to look for a "NOLS" placard that would denote the particular taxi driver that was to pick me and another student, Kyle Klein, up from the airport. You would think that this driver would be waiting with ALL of the other taxi drivers with placards, but no. T.I.N.A. (read next post for explanation)

After an hour of searching I do locate the driver chilling with Kyle OUTSIDE of the airport and we leave for the hotel. Hot Wheels......we are little Hot Wheels cars let go on a steep, smooth hill. Supposedely there are traffic laws in India....but of course "technically" there is a street in the city where I live that it is illegal to wear jeans while walking on (I've never seen anyone arrested though.) There are 3 lanes with 9 cars abreast those lanes jockeying for position, honking, cutting each other off, and drafting inches from their bumpers. Honking in the states is close to an insult, but it India it is as necessary to safe travel as headlights at night (many cars don't cut them on or they don't work...not sure.) Surprisingly we make it to Hotel Maan and once kyle differentiates the man at the front desk's accent between "hotel voucher" and "water bottle" we are set up in our hotel. Not jet lagged but also a bit restless, we wake up at 5 A.M. for a few mile run around Delhi. Despite the heat we are considerate of the culture and wear shirts. It is perfectly acceptable for me to find a nice patch of earth, pull down my pants, and defecate....but if I were to go shirtless in public we would have received more startes than we already were. I believe the incredulity was best translated as "what are those silly white boys running from?" as they looked behind us as we passed for the mad cow that must surely be chasing us.

P.S.- The computer I am using shocks me every time my fingers touch parts of the keyboard not including the keys....good typing practice T.I.N.A.