April 30 Day 74
We got us well rested and with plenty of time time to get our act together before our 9:40 departure to the airport. Unfortunately, the hotel staff didn't have their act together as wen we went downstairs they said that they had a buffet breakfast but we had to wait awhile to find out that it wasn't close to being ready yet. Later it was ready but they hadn't wiped the tables and we weren't told that we could ask for eggs, we just found out from watching another table.
We got packed and picked up and said goodbye to Rinchen and Tswong at the airport. Rinchen had changed half of the money we were owed into Indian rupees, which was a big help.
Apparently, the government strictly controls new buildings to make sure that they follow traditional structure. The airport has to be one of the nicest anywhere, as it is colourful and set up like a large Bhutanese home.
Security was no problem and we had a good view of the mountains on the way out with just a bit of heavy cloud. The flight stopped in Kathmandu on the way out so we had a snack and a meal on our trip and other than a bit of turbulence, it all went well.
The heat of Delhi met us as soon as we got off the plane but once in the airport we were fine. Delhi airport has signs saying it won airport of the year and I believe it, as it was modern, not crowded and comfortable. Our bags came very quickly and we were at our door in no time.
The instructions from our charity were clear not to go through gate 6 as we would not be able to re-enter he airport and many scammers would be waiting for us. There was someone waiting with a sign we couldn't read so we asked an army guy at the door if he could help us. The sign wasn't for us but the guy holding it was able to call our emergency number. Our contact didn't seem to know about us and asked us where we were staying, making us reply with, "you're supposed to be telling us!"
There was talk of a taxi and we ended up being given an Uber to our location. The pickup site was well marked and people around us were helpful to get in the right vehicle, so we got there. Our Uber actually played the best local music we had heard in some time, as all of the stuff we heard in Thailand and Bhutan were tinny songs played on cheap synths with drum machines. In the car we had spirited music with real instruments.
The ride took us down many streets, mostly wide boulevards with trees and plants and not many buildings visible. We went through one small slum area with shacks, people lounging on sofas on the sidewalk and kids relieving themselves on the street. The traffic was insane, but the city itself didn't look bad from the window of our Uber.
Once in the Tibet Travel office we were told that they were busy and forgot about us, which didn't help our morale or our trust in the organization. We were tole to wait to get our ATM money and simcard in Dharamshala and so changes our remaining Canadian money for rupees.
Our hotel was right across the street. The room was decent but weird. The tv gave a double image after watching it for awhile and there were strange brownish-yellow grainy piles under the bed that we hoped weren't insect eggs. A few wasps came out of the ceiling and wasp corpses almost blocked the light coming from a few of the ceiling lights. the room had modern amenities but teh lack of proper cleaning was noticeable.
We ate at The Big Apple, a strange name for a Tibetan restaurant. They had nice momos (although I didn't like the cream cheese in them, probably because of my traumatic Chilean sushi experience) and tasty lassis. After eating we used their wifi to research the best sights in Delhi and then went to sleep.
We got us well rested and with plenty of time time to get our act together before our 9:40 departure to the airport. Unfortunately, the hotel staff didn't have their act together as wen we went downstairs they said that they had a buffet breakfast but we had to wait awhile to find out that it wasn't close to being ready yet. Later it was ready but they hadn't wiped the tables and we weren't told that we could ask for eggs, we just found out from watching another table.
We got packed and picked up and said goodbye to Rinchen and Tswong at the airport. Rinchen had changed half of the money we were owed into Indian rupees, which was a big help.
Apparently, the government strictly controls new buildings to make sure that they follow traditional structure. The airport has to be one of the nicest anywhere, as it is colourful and set up like a large Bhutanese home.
Security was no problem and we had a good view of the mountains on the way out with just a bit of heavy cloud. The flight stopped in Kathmandu on the way out so we had a snack and a meal on our trip and other than a bit of turbulence, it all went well.
The heat of Delhi met us as soon as we got off the plane but once in the airport we were fine. Delhi airport has signs saying it won airport of the year and I believe it, as it was modern, not crowded and comfortable. Our bags came very quickly and we were at our door in no time.
The instructions from our charity were clear not to go through gate 6 as we would not be able to re-enter he airport and many scammers would be waiting for us. There was someone waiting with a sign we couldn't read so we asked an army guy at the door if he could help us. The sign wasn't for us but the guy holding it was able to call our emergency number. Our contact didn't seem to know about us and asked us where we were staying, making us reply with, "you're supposed to be telling us!"
There was talk of a taxi and we ended up being given an Uber to our location. The pickup site was well marked and people around us were helpful to get in the right vehicle, so we got there. Our Uber actually played the best local music we had heard in some time, as all of the stuff we heard in Thailand and Bhutan were tinny songs played on cheap synths with drum machines. In the car we had spirited music with real instruments.
The ride took us down many streets, mostly wide boulevards with trees and plants and not many buildings visible. We went through one small slum area with shacks, people lounging on sofas on the sidewalk and kids relieving themselves on the street. The traffic was insane, but the city itself didn't look bad from the window of our Uber.
Once in the Tibet Travel office we were told that they were busy and forgot about us, which didn't help our morale or our trust in the organization. We were tole to wait to get our ATM money and simcard in Dharamshala and so changes our remaining Canadian money for rupees.
Our hotel was right across the street. The room was decent but weird. The tv gave a double image after watching it for awhile and there were strange brownish-yellow grainy piles under the bed that we hoped weren't insect eggs. A few wasps came out of the ceiling and wasp corpses almost blocked the light coming from a few of the ceiling lights. the room had modern amenities but teh lack of proper cleaning was noticeable.
We ate at The Big Apple, a strange name for a Tibetan restaurant. They had nice momos (although I didn't like the cream cheese in them, probably because of my traumatic Chilean sushi experience) and tasty lassis. After eating we used their wifi to research the best sights in Delhi and then went to sleep.
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