dear diary. (jill are you appreciating my huge level of wank right here?)

this internet cafe in Amritstar took us about 45 minutes to find...i like to think through no fault of my own. (45 minutes doesn't include the fact that we've been looking for one for about 3 days.)

this country is absolutely insane. i've seen nothing like it and if i can't summon the courage to come back, i probably never will again. the people here function in extremes, out of necessity of course. i've never felt so baggered, harassased or flattered in my life. my need for personal space has just disappeared.

our coping strategy has been to retreat to drink beer any time it becomes too much, which usually occurs at approx 3PM each day. these small hands groping up at me for food or money or christ knows what is getting to me more than i thought. and i thought it would.

we tried to get a rickshaw driver back to our hotel this afternoon. we had a man cart us on his rickshaw 10 minutes in the wrong direction, drove in circles with a tuk tuk driver and then finally got a driver who expertly drove through the streets, incidently without hitting anyone. i think i would absolutely choke in this country, I would be the first tuk tuk man driving in circles, lost as fuck with a big, panicky smile on my face. Unlike wild whitford city i don't think india offers tax breaks for companies to employ the mildly retarded.

food has been amazing, the stingy side of me is just is heaven...$2.50 for dinner?! so far no issues but Megz has been pretty good at veto-ing what I am eating. She is a strict lady, no butter chicken for me yet (it exists here though, whoot!)

lots of love, namaste.

prep time, multiple hours

blogs are absolutely not my thing...but travel blogs are something I am willing to at least attempt. the first hint of diversion from the travel experience and the blog will be revoked.

day 0. planning not going exactly finished. i do have an amazing number of half completed lists, piles and forms that have been post-ited in colour code. now if only I had a packed bag...

see you in dirty, smelly india...(my excitement was probably not helped by my colleagues filling a whiteboard with things i should avoid...including breathing, and drawing pictures of various toilet situations.)

kel.