We flew to Delhi last night on royal nepal which was fine, though not as good as Thai.

We got in and stressed a while about who was going where and where peoples' butts were. Once we finally figured all that out we (me, slyvia, Becky and Annie) commandeered a tata sumo taxi to drive us to the Hyatt where I had reservations for the night and where my laptop was getting sent to. No laptop because Tihar is a hindu holiday and is perhaps more fervently observed by India than Nepal. The post office was closed friday so of course no laptop. argh! So I snuck everyone into my room which was supposed to have 2 beds but again, not as planned only 1 king. So 3 of us slept on the bed and one on the floor with sleeping bags. I felt better having people along with me which became valuable this morning when we got into the train debacle. Again the holiday messed us over because everyone is trying to visit each other - so much so that yesterday a stampede at the New Delhi railway station killed 5 people and injured 15. So we called the travel agent a bunch. He was completely useless, unable to get us tickets to see the taj mahal or to our destinations. Ultimately we just went there ourselves. Of course we got there at 2, right when it closed, so we have to wait until tomorrow morning, after the holiday. So hopefully it'll be less busy and I can get my laptop. Meanwhile Annie, Slyvia and Becky are leaving for deradun tomorrow, so it's going to be lonely. Nevertheless, I find a certain self-satisfaction in the solitude that isn't present when I'm in the presence of peers that I fear are judging me.

Thank god we're in the Tibet settlement now because I felt like I was being suffocated by every conceivable charge at the Hyatt. We're now in such a sketchy place, the "white house," but it's only 300rs/night for a room. So that's 150 for me, just over $3. The Tibetan settlement itself is just a single road by appearance and very small. It feels quite claustrophobic because all the buildings overhang the streets, in contrast to most of Delhi which is very spread out. Delhi, by the way, has about 10 million people which puts it below bangkok (I think).

Now, about the Hyatt - it was amazing. The building is ginormous and the valet driveway was fancily lit - the stairs up led to huge doors and handles that had to be swung with the whole body. The lobby was big - with desks without any designation making it look sleek and professional - marble flooring, a large center table - the desk people and everyone spoke near perfect english. I checked into 586 with a nice city view. The room itself was modest in size but fancy. The bed was amazing, the shower like a massage, with full marble bathroom (green). The view was pretty and when we ordered room service from the french chef - the pizza amazing, the chocolate cake out of this world (becky raves to this day) and the silverware, oneida. On the backside of the lobby to the left of the elevators down the hall was the garden and restaurant area. The large pool running along the side spilled over onto a waterfall that descended 3 stories to the sun room-like cafe as you looked over the pedway to the right. Straight ahead, the pastry shop and beyond a garden area with palm trees and a mandala shaped swimming pool. To the left, the polo lounge with oak panelling. The lobby also had a florist with every tropical flower imaginable including birds of paradise and the ones from thai airways. To the left in the lobby was basically a giant shopping mall. A bit excessive, and an interesting continuation of the play on extremes that I have found myself experiencing throughout the trip. For instance one night at the Hyatt, and the next in a dingy mosquito infested room in the Tibetan settlement. or the night in pinjore vs. the night in shigatse. The modernity of Lhasa and the antiquity of the Tibetan countryside. The opulence of some Indians in Delhi and the poverty of others.