leaving india

10/1/05 10:40 pm
Waiting for flight

Leaving India is not easy (literally)

Since an immigration officer forgot to stamp my passport, I was denied departure at the airport. I had to pay a personal visit to their foreigner registration office. It took me a full half day just to get a stamp. Their attitude were good enough, but they seemed more interested in playing PC PacMan than stamping my passport. After I got the stamp, of course, all flight was full, and I had to wait four more days in Delhi. It was not a particular negative experience. Delhi is a big city and is not difficult for me to find entertainment for a few days. Having an extended holiday was actually a mildly positive experience (I still don't like Delhi much, but the experience itself was positive)

My overall trip was also a mildly pleasant experience, but I can't really say I like India or not. It is a complicated answer (which only seems to apply on India). There are just so many aspects of India that I can't really answer yes or not.

For sure, it is hard to like Delhi.

"It is dirty and people cheat all the time," said the sullen Nepalist taxi driver, "in my country, it is clean and everyone is honest."

I can't disagree with him, but I'm just a tourist, so I don't hate the place like he did, and I kind of like it in some aspect.