Back in Delhi

Well, I am here for the last day of my India trip. I will visit with my new friend Anil today and then have dinner with Shubh and David. Then I go to the airport for my flight which leaves at 12:55am. Twenty-two hours in a plane and then I will be back in the States, Florida to be exact.

So, what can I possibly say that I have not said?

I am so sad to leave here. I love it so much.

Did I tell you some of the minute details that make me love it here? I know I told you about the food. Yes, the food continues to be great. The cooking at the place I stayed in Goa was not too shabby either. What a lovely time I had there. I cried when I left Sirus and Shantana. I will definitely bring a group there.

But did I tell you the the drivers never have a negative vibe while on the roads? They honk the horn a lot to communicate with other drivers, but never a foul word is heard, not one "Fuck you!" the whole time I have been here. As a matter of fact, I've been meaning to take a photo of the back of a truck which plainly states in painted letters, "Honk please." There is a different kind of respect for others on the road and for oneself as a driver. Even though when I first went on the roads in the begiining of my trip, I was scared to death, I now have great respect for the drivers.

And the people are amazing. Their hearts are full of love radiated from their eyes. Even the poorest of people here seems happy in certain way that we (Americans - I cannot speak for the rest of those reading) do not exhibit. In the West, people are miserable for the most part. Having everything doesn't make us happy. Here, the simplest things make people smile and they do that a lot. Children fly kites from every roof on holidays and Sundays. Three people cram onto a motorcycle to get somewhere or ten cram into a motor rickshaw, all smiling and waving at me as I passed them by in any place that I visited.

As I passed the children of Goa, they came running out of their houses to say, "Hello." And as I passed the buffalo grazing the field I had to cut through on my way to the beach each morning, I would say, "Hello," to them. One of them would look up from the grass and wave the ears back and forth for me.

Perhaps for me, the most important thing is this. It is absolutely safe here for a woman to travel on her own. There was never a glance of raw sex objectivication from anyone here as I made my way along the adventure. It was very different to come to experience this fully. When I felt that type of fear (like walking in front of a construction site anywhere USA), I came to realize that is my fear which I embody from my culture and it comes with me in the psyche. It doesn't exist here. People just look out of curiousity rather than staring at tits and ass. It really took something for me to see this. But I did finally see it while sunbathing on the beach by myself in Goa. I had on a suit, but many women around me had on very little. Never a side glance did they get from any number of men walking by. Very freeing feeling.

I have limited time now, but I'm sure I will write more in the days to come. I must pack. Ugh.

Much love,
Laurie