We woke up 5 minutes before we had to get off in Delhi, which was brilliant. Except for Barry, who got up early because the chai vendors were walking up and down the corridor passed his head. He finally got up an hour before arrival to enjoy a hot drink, but the chai vendors never came back!

At the station, Binu ordered some taxis but we had to have one last dramatic episode! There was a line-up of cabs, and we made the mistake of getting into the wrong one. There was a big fight amongst the cabbies but, as usual, Binu handled it well, and we were soon on our way. We got to the Metro Heights Hotel and decided to have one last breakfast together, so we went to the same restaurant we had started at two weeks earlier. It was decorated for Diwali, which Binu took total credit for, claiming he'd arranged it for all of us, of course. We'd even seen a festive cow on the way to the hotel. We couldn't believe our time together was actually over. After we got back to the hotel, we said our final goodbyes to each other and, of course, to Binu. We caught a cab back to the Smyle Inn, our home for the next few days.

When we got to the Smyle Inn, our room wasn't ready yet, so they gave us a day room to store our packs in and to hang out in. We had a lot to get done. First of all, our camera needed to be repaired. Barry had found the address for an Olympus camera service centre on the Internet, so Barry and Margaret left the kids with orders to do some schoolwork on the Internet, and took a rickshaw over to nearby Connaught Place. Unfortunately, the service centre was closed, and a nearby camera shop wasn't able to offer any assistance either as their service man had the day off. Come back Monday. Barry spent the afternoon editing our blog and pictures, while Margaret wandered through the Main Bazaar. People in India are anxious to sell but they aren't pushy about it. As she walked and talked, several sales people forgot to push the sale after they found out where we had travelled to and where we were headed to next. Finally, Margaret found a long sleeved shirt she wanted. To date, we've been travelling with summer clothes and, since China will be cold, she wanted something a little warmer.

When Margaret got back to the hotel, the rest of the family was hungry, so we went out to Connaught Place and ate at a chain restaurant called "TGI Fridays". As we entered the restaurant, every sense was transported back home with amazing speed. The music, smells, sounds, and sights were all western and after a charming waiter, with little to no accent, seated us with a smile and wink, we looked at a very western menu (with very western prices). We're ashamed to say this, but we totally pigged out (Seafood Alfredo, Ribs, Burgers, Fries and for dessert, the TGIF special - a concoction of ice cream, chocolate cake, chocolate bars, chocolate sauce…well, you get the idea). So much for shrunken stomachs. The kids absolutely inhaled everything.

When we got back to the hotel, the firecrackers were exploding non-stop out on the street - ending the Diwali weekend, we guessed. We'd hear the explosions and the subsequent yells of neighbours.

Barry went to work on the laptop but it died, this time for real. We tried a million times to get it to start, but it was truly fried. We were very disheartened and we still didn't have one of our two reserved rooms but, for some reason, it just didn't matter. Tired of waiting for the other room, we did what millions of families do every single day. The four of us shared a double room, squeezing together, happy for our health, our adventures, and our family (but not for the fireworks that continued on into the night). India is one place that makes us appreciate all we have and recognize that we can only do so much in a day.

November 11, 2007

We'd hoped to do some sightseeing, but awoke late (probably digesting all that food last night) and decided to update the blog on the computer in the hotel. We also knew we still had a lot of research to do on China and SE Asia. Binu and Intrepid organizing our India agenda had spoilt us! Unfortunately, the hotel computers weren't working properly either and needed service. However, when the serviceman came to the hotel, we were able to get him to look at our laptop as well. Diagnosis: fried hard disk. Prognosis: may be able to get another one tomorrow.

We went to an Internet cafe down the alley and the day ran away on us but, by the end, we were fairly certain of what we'd do once we got to China. The kids did some more schoolwork but when they had trouble with algebra and trigonometry, Margaret made them do some LA instead!

That night, we went back to Malhotra, the very first restaurant we'd eaten at in India. It was just as good as we remembered and we enjoyed the meal. On the way back to our hostel, we stopped at several shops and Margaret bought some new shoes.

November 12, 2007

Barry and Connor got up early and picked up our China visas. Next, they headed over to Connaught Place and dropped the camera off for repair. Next, Barry dropped the laptop off, hoping that they could find a replacement hard disk.

Again, the day flew by and in the late afternoon we went to Pizza Hut for supper, inhaling the familiar food. We received bad news when we went to pick up the camera. They couldn't fix it. We just hoped the same news wasn't waiting for us in regards to the laptop.

When we tried to catch an auto rickshaw home, some drivers try to rip us off. They asked for 150 rupees instead of 40 or 50 (which is still probably too much). However, a few blocks later, we saw another driver who quoted us 40. When we told him what the other drivers had done, he howled with laughter and gave us a wild ride home. He gave us the whole show, yelling at people in the way, honking his horn, joking, and chuckling the whole time about the 150 rupees. When he got us home, we gave him a small tip for being an honest man and he laughed some more.

We were now in a very good mood, and it ended up lasting because the laptop was fixed with a new and improved hard drive! Barry and the man at the shop spent the evening reinstalling software and it was as good as new. Total price for parts and service: 3350 rupees (about $85).

That night, Barry and Margaret didn't sleep well; thinking about the early morning start and a new country, hopeful that all would go smoothly now that we were back on our own.

November 13, 2007

Our cab arrived on time and we made our way to the airport, Margaret a little misty. She really enjoyed India and was sad to leave. Until we got to the airport, that is.

Indira Ghandi International has got to be one of the ugliest, coldest, most unorganized airports in the world. As we walked in, we were dismayed at the set-up. We had no idea where to go, but got steered "over there". We were told that Ethiopian Airlines check-in wasn't open yet, but another man said that we had to proceed through the baggage check routine. We were shuffled between line-ups, until some younger men told us to come with them. They put our packs through the screening process and then loaded them on a cart and then demanded a tip. Barry finally gave them a hundred rupees and one guy crumpled it up and stuck it in his pocket. Barry demanded change and it took forever to get it. Not cool. These guys worked for the airport! We watched them for a while, and they didn't try to shake down anyone else, but they also didn't "help" anyone else either, so…

The strange experience didn't stop there. While waiting to go through customs, a hoard of men (passengers) came back from within the holding area and rushed security. They were yelling and then broke out into some kind of chant in unison (like, "Hell no! We won't go!"But in Hindi). The Indian people ahead of us understood that their flight had been delayed. We went through customs and wondered what our fate would be.

It ended up that we, too, had an hour and a half delayed flight, but the flight itself with Ethiopian Airlines was brilliant. Again, it was just so much better than the typical Canadian flight - great meals, three glasses of wine, great movie, earphones that work, great tunes and lots of leg and shoulder room.