So I will be frank firstly, this is obviously being written after the fact. The opportunities to write have been few and far between, whether it’s lack of wifi or just lack of time. We’ve been on the go from 7am to 9pm almost every day. This post is being written a little over a week past the actual date.
We arrived in India, and were met by our Insight Vacation representative. We had collected our bags and while waiting for other passengers we chatted as it was the Diwali season. I had asked him the story behind Diwali, and he explained it as best he could. There have been a few different stories told so far about Diwali so I suggest that you check it out yourself. Suffice is to say it is a celebration of light.
After the next passenger was wrangled up we were off to the hotel. They gave Christine and I some beautiful marigold garlands and put us in a taxi to head straight to our hotel. Just past midnight in a strange city with a strange driver who can hardly understand your questions is slightly terrifying. It took us 15 minutes just to get off the airport property, the parking lot seemed to go on and on and on.
After close to an hour we arrived at this oasis in the middle of Delhi, the compound was simply amazing, lit up with fire and ponds everywhere. We were welcomed into the hotel Trident Gurgaon, and quickly ushered to our rooms. It was a welcome respite from the cramped flying and hurry up and waiting.
The morning we awoke, relatively refreshed, obviously the jet lag hadn’t hit us too much yet, we found breakfast and wandered the grounds a little bit. The pool at the hotel was amazing. The way they designed it was phenomenal.
The only issue with this hotel seemed to be that the internet was free for 30 minutes a day and we would use it up just past midnight. We learned real fast that free internet is great, but sometimes you have to pay for it.
That night we met the rest of our tour group, and the tour director during our Welcome Dinner where local wine and beer was free. The tour director is called Devinder, quickly dubbed “Dev”. We have 35 including Dev in our group. Dev was born and raised in the Rajasthan province and had at one point lived in Toronto for a few years before being told that the winters were killing him by his doctor and being strongly advised to come back to India for his health.
Our group consists of 5 Canadians – us, two from Vancouver, and one from Toronto; eight Americans – two from California, two from Connecticut, two from Rhode Island (one currently living in Thailand), and two Norwegian immigrants that have lived in Pennsylvania for over 40 years; I believe two from Christ Church, New Zealand, and the rest from Perth or Melbourne Australia. (I tried my best to document this accurately, I apologize if it is wrong.)
Of course we hit it off with the Canadians and the Americans. During introductions we were asked to say what our occupations were. I mentioned I work with the Calgary Stampeders, and the Vancouverite and I talked about the upcoming Western Semi-Final in CFL. It’s difficult to make sure the Aussies understand when I say I work with the local football team, that they understand that I don’t mean soccer or NFL.
We all chatted and laughed, this being a second time to India for a few people in this group. It was a great evening. To cap it off, Christine and I went for a walk along the grounds of the hotel chatting and laughing about dinner and such.
Now I should explain something for a minute before continuing. Driving in India is a whole different kettle of fish. We were told by our taxi driver from the airport that there are three things to learn about driving in India – braking, honking, lights. The normal rules of the road are mere suggestions to Indian drivers. It is a normalcy to honk several times before passing someone, you honk to tell people to move, you honk to tell the livestock to move out of the way.
Christine had heard somewhere the the most pedestrian deaths in the world happen in Delhi, India. As we were walking, and kind of sheltered from the traffic of the city but walking along a drive way, Christine heard a series of honks, and thought she saw something and jumped from the roadway to the curb. Once our safety was assured, I started to walk along, but Christine coming off the curb somehow misstepped and fell. She twisted her ankle and bashed her knee in pretty well. There were a few employees of the hotel around and they rushed to her aid.
She got up and after a few faltering steps was able to hobble back to our room with the aid of one of the employees showing us through a maze of hallways. I ordered some ice and we had her ankle elevated with an ice pack and hoped for the best.
Little did I know this would be a sign of how our holiday would go.