Made it Just!!

Well I managed to get the early flight but last one onto the plane in an attempt to get a nicotine fix prior to leaving! It serves me right for smoking at my age. Schiphol at least has a glass cage in which maybe ten people can mingle like monkeys with cigarettes, while the great Dutch & International public look on sympathetically. The flight to Delhi is straightforward enough unless you take into consideration the fact that I had to eat two vegetarian meals (Yuughh!) and watch a Bollywood version of some musical. Also my neighbour in the seat next to me seemed to be a bit of a psycho as she fell out with the guy in from for lowering his seat back even although she'd finished her meal. I thought for a moment I should have packed my referee's white outfit to placate the pair of them.

The guys from CCS met me when I finally went out the right door (a ciggie break again but it was 8 hours without one), and although the airport is much better than Lagos, the traffic is much the same! At least there wasn't a huge immigration officer asking me for a bribe to let me in! One of my fellow volunteers is from Seattle and has travelled for almost a day, so my journey is as nothingin comparison. I'm still trying to work out which side of the road they drive on here, but since the steering wheel is on the right I guess it must be the same as the UK, though I'm not sure based on experience so far.

I'm definitely the only male here and had an apartment to myself which is not all it is cracked up to be, it's better if you're not practically in solitary confinement. My watch tells me it is 3a.m. but my metabolic alarm clock tells me that it is still early evening and going to bed would be stupid.

Saturday dawns and the weather is very pleasant for me, although the locals are still wrapped up as though it were cold (they want to try Stonehaven sometime!). More volunteers are arriving by the day! As I anticipated 90% from the mainland U.S. and so young. Some seem only a year or two older than my Grandkids, but voluntary service is a way of life for them during their university time and they are all a great bunch, which should keep me on my toes.

Lunch and it is more vegetarian food, what can I tell you! I'm an inveterate carnivore and would kill for a steak pie from McHardy's, there is mild salvation in the evening as the dinner has some chicken (albeit cutlets), still it's a step in the right direction.

The females all had to go out today and get themselves some more traditional Indian clothing to wear, I declined to follow suit as I don't think the #Nehru# look is quite me, I went along for the ride off site, I can't think why as the traffic was even worse than the early hours of the morning when I arrived.

Every one uses their horn here even if it is only to let someone know they're there, guess what guys people have mirrors and use them too! So give the horn a miss sometime.

Ready to go

Everything is packed, but how do I get up at such an ungodly hour to get the plane to Amsterdam? I could stay up all night and then sleep on the plane, but I need every nano-second of beauty sleep I can lay my hands on! You don't get a face like this (lived in!) without some sacrifices. Read Laiah's blog and thought it terrific reading, this stimulated the few grey cells left in my head that I might try and do something along the same lines, if only to keep a record of the next two months in Delhi. I've always had a soft spot for India and the sub-continent, I've never met an Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Sri Lankan I didn't like, so am very excited at the whole prospect of two months immersed in their culture. I even like cricket, which for a Scotsman with Irish connections is anathema.