india begins

india is intense. i have been told so many times that it will flip your world around. well there is no amount of prep that can come which will ready me for delhi in the middle of the day. it is hot, crowded and everything is multiplied by a billion people. it is wonderful. i transported myself to the city center as soon as i awoke the first day. i took an auto rickshaw from my hotel in the far north of the city in a Tibetan enclave/colony where i am staying. the ride blew my mind. no traffic rules obeyed. huge trucks everywhere. so many horns. so many people.

it has taken a few days for me to really SEE what is going on in this country. the first few days were just a blur of information overload. it was almost as if i could not discern different things and was just wide eyed the whole time. i have seen crowds, i have seen poverty, i have experienced heat all before, but never on this scale. it is wonderful.

as time passed and i started to walk the alleys, streets, bazaars and stations i have begun to pick up on the subtleties of this place. i have seen through the desolation and despair, i have seen the beauty and love, i have seen the horror and fear, i have seen the tradition and peace. never have i experience so many polarities juxtaposed so snugly. things are extreme here. i feel almost catatonic when i sit and think about what is going on in this place. it is wonderful.

i went far of the beaten path yesterday and wandered through a street. people almost stopped what they were doing in the hustle and bustle to stare at this strange kid with weird hair. i smiled. they smiled. i met locals. i ate really REALLY hot food. to find my way back i went through the most impoverished trash filled shanty town i could imagine. people were tired. kids were playing in waste. people were joking. there were smiles. my heart pained and swelled. things are extreme here.

later in the night i met up with some people that i encountered at a museum a few days ago. we went out with a friend of a friend from the area. after spending my day in trash piles i suddenly found myself in a car being chauffeured around. we went to someones house that had an armed guard at the gate. there were street kids wandering around barefoot aimlessly outside the walls as we entered the A/C of a 60 degree house. where am i? we went out to a hipster bar and had delicious food and a pint or two. what i am doing? i struggled all night to understand how this was happening. how can i or anyone else do ANYTHING when there are so many needy people everywhere. how can this happen?
i always thought there was a huge divide in the USA between rich and poor, but everything is extreme here.... all in all it was a fun night and i saw yet another side of this place. i get the feeling i could spend and eternity here and never really understand what was going on.

amidst all of polarizing experiences i have found moments of extreme solace in this land. i can make out distinct smells, rich colors, individual souls and beauty in everything. i have never been anywhere like this before. i am excited to keep exploring and move out of the city and into 'the hills.' my cousin nate was right when he said, "india is gonna F you up!" thanks cuz.