In Transit (by Helen)


We left Halifax on March 15th in a rush of nerves. There was a sliver of excitement, at least for Will and I, combined with apprehension and a general feeling of uncertainty. So many weeks away from our home, family and friends. We had tried to pack quite minimally, and succeeded overall, I think. But will we really need the coats and the second laptop? After Alison dropped us off, Ben summed it up: “The trip I’ve heard about for my whole life is actually happening.”

We flew to Montreal, had dinner and a zoom call with Stephanie, and then boarded a 14-hour flight to Delhi. The kids and I slept a fair bit, spreading across each others’ seats and keeping a positive attitude despite plane sickness. We watched the airplane on the monitors in front of us slowly make its way across the Atlantic, Europe, and the middle east with an interesting dip south of Ukraine and circles in the sky before landing. 


Julian sent someone to meet us just off the plane and we rode in a buggy to get our luggage. We slowly made our way back to his apartment, seeing our first street cows and dogs towards the end of the drive. Then we slept and slept, this time all lined up like monkeys in a king-sized bed. On Thursday we had a short trip to a local shopping area and on Friday a longer trip on the subway. Easing ourselves in. The streets couldn’t be more different from home. No lanes, horns honking, cars and animals swerving. Each trip out is less intimidating than the last. 

Yesterday, Clara said that she thought her best friend would like it here. “The temperature is nice, the juice is delicious, and there are so many animals" (she circled the cow in the picture below when sending it to Claire). She was expecting India to be sandy, because we are reading a book set in rural Pakistan, and is relieved. I’m struck by the sounds. Constant birds chirping, the occasional airplane close overhead and at night the sound of a man herding the local cows. 


 

Today we visited old Delhi to see a market and the Red Fort. The kids rode in the back of auto rickshaws and the fort was enormous. We even saw two sheep inside a tiny tuk tuk- a definite family highlight. It’s been so nice to see Julian- it was 20 years since he and Will travelled here together. Somehow it feels like we just saw him last month. He and Jen have been incredibly welcoming and have made the transition to world travel positive in every way. 

                                          



I’ll ask Ben how he’s finding things so far. He says “I see you’re writing a blog” He is surprised by how developed Delhi is. When asked directly whether he likes it, he says yes, but that he wouldn’t want to live here. It’s hard to beat Halifax as a place to live, so that sounds fair to me. Will is also enjoying Delhi, especially seeing Julian. Here's to the Flanagans adventuring again. 




Comments

  1. StephanieMarch 25, 2023 at 8:30 AM

    I enjoyed this detailed account! Love the street cow and tuk tuk sheep stories. Nice to see Ben smiling too :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jane PennApril 10, 2023 at 12:52 AM

    Lovely to hear your adventures, thanks for writing

    ReplyDelete

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