Written on December 6, 2009

So if you ever go to India, flying to Delhi is a good idea because it's cheap, but plan to leave ASAP. The forecast every night is "smoke". There are 13 million people, and many of them are poorer than you can imagine (please disregard if you've already been to India or anywhere similar). Well, maybe you can imagine it, but it's different if they're right in front of you constantly. There's poverty in New York, but you don't constantly see street children without any legs or missing eyes.Also, there are no road rules here. Might makes right. It's like going on a crazy theme park ride any time you go anywhere. I'm not complaining though, because as long as you decide to enjoy the chaos, it's fun. I'm even starting to become somewhat skilled at haggling. A lot of these guys take you to a different hotel that pays them a commission, and you have to get out of the auto-rickshaw and threaten not to pay anything until you get where you agreed upon.You really need your wits about you, both physically and financially. Whether it's the motorcycle speeding through the crowded bazaar or the people sending you to a travel agent who wants to book you on a 2 week trip for $600 or charge you 20 times the cost of a train ticket and tells you a bunch of BS about your options, you need to stick to your guns. But you can't get angry at them, because they know and I know they're stuck in a crowded polluted city and have to make their money somehow, and western tourists are large sacks with dollar signs on them. You have to strike a balance between remembering it's your trip and your money and that they're just trying to feed themselves like anyone else.The Taj Mahal is amazing, but obviously crowded with tourists and scam artists.The people are very friendly. They all want to chat you up. Most of them want you to buy something, but a few have actually just been helpful and tried to practice their English. My second night I hung out with two Muslims from Kashmir and a Swedish girl in a tiny one-room apartment. They made us dinner, told us how life is great (even though they're very poor) and how much they love meeting people from around the world.I'm on my way to Varanasi tonight, one of the oldest cities in the world, and source of the Ganges. People say it's the biggest culture shock in India, so it's a good thing Delhi smacked me around (jet lag is still hanging on, too).I've already met a lot of fellow travelers too. Some have been here before, and but most are rookies like myself.Anyway, thanks for reading.Peace,Ben