Delhi

Waking up on the train in the morning as we pulled into Delhi, I was hit by the full blunt of India as for the first time all over again. Dozens of men performing their morning defecation by the side of the tracks. Slums and shacks squashing humanity up close and personal to views from the train. People washing, cooking, defecating, eating all in open view and side by side.
At the Old Delhi train station three large monekys scamper down the tracks as if they were narrow branches. One mother has a baby grasping onto her back, the other has one claspes to her stomach, the third moneky, an adolescent, travels on his own.

After a bit of confusion, I end up finding exactly the right train to take me north, and hop on. I fall asleep and one of my bags is stolen. I've really got to be more careful, I'm going lock up all of my bags with a chanin whenever I travel on train again. I was relieved that this small bag only had books in it, and actually happy to have karma decide for me how to lighten my load of things, which has grown since travelling in january. But then I realized the bag also had some precious letters and photos in it and I became terribley bummed. Oh well, se la vi, there's nothing I can do. Maybe the thief will learn some english from my double dictionary. And until I find another lonely planet guidebook, I'll need to learn what it's like to travel without the international backpacker's "bible".

So much for my high ideals, I didn't end up paying for my ticket for this train. I also think I might need to start being a little lax about my commitment to speaking the truth. I think I've been telling to many strangers about myself and what I'm doing in india. I might start telling people I'm married. In a faux identity that I developed in my head today, I'm a 25 year old Australian school teacher (married) who's travelling to India for a month for holidays. Which ever town I'm travelling to next is where I'm meeting up with my husband. I haven't tried it out yet, and think I may be caught fibbing when its discovered during the conversation that I don't know anything about Australian-Indian cricket matches or players.