We've arrived!
Fleet Street
I left the house on Sunday, June 30 at 5pm, and after a drive, two overnight flights and day in London I arrived to the New Delhi airport at 10:30am on June 2. That's a lot of travel!
During my layover at Heathrow I hopped on the Tube and took a stroll down Fleet Street seeking barbers and savory and sweet pies. This was mostly for my kids and their friends who have been listening to Sweeney Todd all summer. The short walk around central London was invigorating. It's a lively and diverse part of town, with different languages spoken around every corner. I also completely forgot that Londoners prefer the left side in the roads, and on the sidewalk leading into a number of games of "chicken."
The 40 minute bus ride from the Delhi airport to our hotel was a fantastic snapshot of what we might expect in India. As my travel partner, Bill said, the ride itself was "worth the price of admission." This is an incredibly busy city, with lots of people moving in lots of different modes of transportation - busses, cars, big trucks, small trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, walkers, and seemingly hundreds of green and yellow tuk-tuks. Dehli traffic is legendary - lane markings seem more like suggestions, but, our driver navigted through without incident. We rode past delapidated old buildings, brand new modern facades, street vendors, street sweepers, street sleepers, and monkeys hanging out by the park.
I love these scenes of teeming everyday life across the world. I wanted to hop off our luxury bus, pick up a mango from one of the stalls, get into a tuk-tuk and imerse myself into life on the streets of this incredible metropolis. But, that will have to come later.
Rajesh gives me a Bindi
Our first day ended by meeting our Host Country Coordinators, Rejesh, Sonia, Punam, and Momta and hearing an overview bout the incredilly deep and historic culture of India. Known as the oldest continuous civilization, Indian scripture dates back to 3900 BC. To welcome us, we Fulbright scholars were honored to recieve a cerimonial Bindi, and adournment with flowers.
I am fascinated with Indian culture's mix of spirituality, science and art that appears everywhere from temples to tuk-tuks to hairstyles. Also, it turns out that this is a great place to find really good Indian food. I can't wait until tomorrow!
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| Fleet Street |
During my layover at Heathrow I hopped on the Tube and took a stroll down Fleet Street seeking barbers and savory and sweet pies. This was mostly for my kids and their friends who have been listening to Sweeney Todd all summer. The short walk around central London was invigorating. It's a lively and diverse part of town, with different languages spoken around every corner. I also completely forgot that Londoners prefer the left side in the roads, and on the sidewalk leading into a number of games of "chicken."
The 40 minute bus ride from the Delhi airport to our hotel was a fantastic snapshot of what we might expect in India. As my travel partner, Bill said, the ride itself was "worth the price of admission." This is an incredibly busy city, with lots of people moving in lots of different modes of transportation - busses, cars, big trucks, small trucks, motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, walkers, and seemingly hundreds of green and yellow tuk-tuks. Dehli traffic is legendary - lane markings seem more like suggestions, but, our driver navigted through without incident. We rode past delapidated old buildings, brand new modern facades, street vendors, street sweepers, street sleepers, and monkeys hanging out by the park.
I love these scenes of teeming everyday life across the world. I wanted to hop off our luxury bus, pick up a mango from one of the stalls, get into a tuk-tuk and imerse myself into life on the streets of this incredible metropolis. But, that will have to come later.
 |
| Rajesh gives me a Bindi |
I am fascinated with Indian culture's mix of spirituality, science and art that appears everywhere from temples to tuk-tuks to hairstyles. Also, it turns out that this is a great place to find really good Indian food. I can't wait until tomorrow!
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