Made it to Delhi after a very comfortable 14 hour non-stop flight direct from O'Hare. I was greeted by my driver, Satyam, who proved to me that one can, in fact, go 50MPH in rush hour traffic (can't wait to try these newly aquired skills upon my return). I imagined that this was as close as I was going to get to driving with Kerouac's protagonist Dean Moriarty in "On The Road". If he was anything like this - I am very impressed & can appreciate the lore surrounding "Cowboy Neal". What's more, he understands my Hindi, as do the locals in Delhi who clearly appreciate my neophyte understanding of the language.
One of the prices one pays for hitting the Indian & Tibetan Himalaya when the passes are clear is that the heat swelters in the cities below 100 meters. I am officially walking around in a sauna and take respite in my cosy room with AC cranked & satellite TV. Did I mention that it's very hot? OK, this is nothing new - when I officially begin my long journey to the great Indian Himalaya on Monday, I'm sure that the heat will seem like a distant memory. Quite frankly, it's no worse than LA in August!
