Delhi

Got to Delhi a couple of days ago. We took the plane because it was relatively cheap, and also because spending 18 hours on an Indian night train held little to no appeal to us. Some may say that we're getting soft, but the way I see it, we've had the Indian night train experience already, so there's no need to go through that all over again. We still have at least 4 more day train trips, so it's not like we're completely turning our backs on the Indian railway system. Delhi is a large metropolis, and looks much richer than Gaya (no contest) and Varanasi. It is quite similar to Kolkata in many ways, but it would still feel a bit strange to compare the two. I may still need to think about this some more, I may have an answer when I get back in August. We're staying in the backpacker's row near Connaught Place, so the touts are all circling like vultures. With one foot still in the hotel lobby, I'm already being offered bongo drums, miniature chess sets and other useless knick knacks (like party kazoos... who the Hell would want those???). I keep telling myself I'll be safe from the touts in Greece, but I know I'm just being delusional.
I came down with a sore throat immediately upon landing in town. This really sucks, because it means that I spent my entire day watching tv and sleeping in my hotel room (which has a strange moldy smell). I was able to find some throat lozenges, so at least that's a plus. I've been concentrating on getting better fast, because tomorrow, we're taking the 6am train to Agra. For those of you too shy to ask: Agra is where the famed Taj Mahal is admired by millions of tourists each year. Sebastien (from Hanoi) recommended that we should splurge on a really fancy hotel at least once in India because there's no way we could afford such luxury anywhere else in the world. So I expect this is what we'll do. Staying in a luxury hotel is great, but staying in a luxury hotel with a view on the Taj Mahal is just that much better. In any case, I think I might get pampered enough there that my sore throat might just dissapear. I'll check out what all the fuss is with this "Ayurvedic" stuff and get back to you all.

As for photos, I've yet to find a reliable USB port to download my pics, so you'll just have to use your imaginations for the time being.