New Delhi and Old Delhi

I went to India and Nepal for the first time on a Buddhist pilgrimage led by Shantum Seth in 2007. The following is from my 2008 trip, about a year later.

Heritage Inn (guest house)

I’m finally here! I’m confused and don’t know where the guest house office is located (although I suspect it’s through the front door) and have several questions to ask but feel hesitant to call the front desk, especially since I’ll likely have trouble understanding what they’re saying over the phone and they’ll probably have the same problem with my awful voice and my speech impediment… but at least I made it to Delhi!

Several incidents have reminded me of Sarah MacDonald’s memoir Holy Cow. Like at the Doha Airport after we waited in line at the gate, we went down an escalator to a tiny waiting room. As the shuttle came to the open sliding glass door, the crowd anxiously pushed forward, and I was afraid I would be trampled. That was a Holy Cow moment.

Most of the people were male, and nearly all were Indian. On the other side of the door, a guy in a navy-blue uniform was looking at each boarding pass stub before letting passengers get on the shuttle that would take us to the plane. One guy cut in front of me and held out his boarding pass. The uniformed guy, who was stern and unsmiling and therefore a bit intimidating, told the guy who cut in…