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Back home, safe and sound, survived India without any accidents or Delhi belly. We even managed to dodge the Finnair pilot strike. 30 000 passengers are now stuck, because of the strike and many of my friends have had the travel plans cancelled. I even read from somewhere that a client called a travel agency on Monday and cried "Finnairs keeping me hostage in Bangkok!" I wouldn't have minded to stay in India for a little longer, but it was nice to get home hassle free and I'm presenting my thesis this week, so it would've been a bummer if I would've missed my graduation day because of the strike.
While we were in Rishikesh we went to see the Himalayas. We would've loved to do a trek there, but since we were short of time, the least we could do was to go and see them. So one morning we got up at five and went to a mountaintop temple to see the sunrise and the magnificent snowy peaks of the Himalayas. They were impressive and really must go trekking there the next time. We descended the mountain, not as easy as you'd think, because it was very steep, with loose rocks, so it took us a while to get down as we were tottering most of the time. We stopped at our guides friends house for some masala chai, then continued our way into town and went to our guides home to meet his wife, mother and nephew and enjoyed a lovely home cooked meal there.
I know I've already told about he dogs and their nightly fights, but it's not like it's just a few barks here and there, it's more like a dog warzone out there. During the day they are all chill and mellow, lying around in the middle of the street looking almost dead and you barely notice them, but as the sunsets - it's dogville. One night walking back from downtown to our own little yoga village, the dogs surrounded us and I was kind of terrified, but luckily I had this sweet frenchie to protect me (I bet he was as scared me, but he just had to act all though because he was in the company of a girl) He shooed the dogs away and they went to the side, but then more of them gathered, as if in to a meeting, to make plans to find the best way to attack us. So in a neat line they started to walk towards us again. But frenchie shouted nasty words in French so the dogs backed off. Although one of them kept following us, for the whole 20-minute walk and when I finally was assured that he came in peace, he was kind of cute following us, always few steps behind.
The bus trip to Delhi was once again an interesting experience. We stopped in the middle of the road for three hours because of a farmers strike. I snoozed on the bus and Liina was drinking masala chai with the locals. We got to Delhi six hours behind schedule. What made the journey interesting wasn't the delay, but it was that half way through the trip, as if someone had pressed a button, the bus transformed into a "Hupellus" bus (Hupellus is a yearly ski trip for students, where people are very drunk and very loud). First everyone was sleeping or resting and the next thing you know there's party at the back of the bus. People clapping, singing, laughing, telling jokes (or so I assume, since I didn't understand a word) and they were incredibly loud!
The second time in Delhi was a completely different experience. Whereas the first time it took us ages to cross a road, there we were now, crossing all big roads, running in the middle of the cars like any local. We went to a revolving restaurant and got a good picture of the city, it's huge! We also met with the daughters of dads friend, went to a crafts market and grabbed some coffee and did some last minute shopping.
I had to write this blog once more, because I wanted to finish it with it with this excellent quote from The Book, (also know as the survival guide to anyone going to India, the one and the only, the Bible, Lonely Planet) and last time I was writing, I didn't have it at hand.
"India is intensity, at least that has always been my experience. There's a unique sensation that surges through the veins on the day you arrive in India, when you drop your bags off and step into the streets for the first time. In one direction, a cow chews meditatively in the midst of honking traffic. In the other direction, women in iridescent saris jostle for space between the rickshaws and motorcycles. As you watch, a young boy rushes past with a rack of chai glasses and fortune-teller gestures towards a chart of astrological symbols. Suddenly, a call to prayer from the local mosque rises above the scene like a siren. Without prompting, a smile cracks your face from ear to ear. This is India and you arrived." Joe Bindloss, Lonely Planet.
(Although my face didn't really turn into a smile when I first got there, my eyes were probably just wide open and my mouth a firm line as I was taking everything in, but I'm sure that the next time I arrive to India, I'll be grinning too!)
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