Delhightful Part 1

So after the adventure with the train, I saddled up and rode out to the front of the Railway station and waited for Joshua to arrive. Joshua, is a friend of my parents, he is the Pastor of a church, along with his father, in a city near Delhi. My parents had given me his contact details in case I needed any help, he had before put me in touch with another guy in Kerala who had assisted us dealing with the police.

Now say what you like about Christians, but in my travels and especially here in India, its been a bit of a strange coincidence that a lot of the people who I have met and offered to help, have been Christians. If you can get past them trying to convert you, which is not so difficult, as long as your honest with them. You really encounter some really sincere and great people. I grew up with it, so maybe its easier for me to deal with it than other people.

So God’s soldier, Joshua, rocked up, jumped on the back of my bike and we proceeded to head out of Delhi. The time was about 7.30 at night and dark. Delhi is not a fun city to be riding through at anytime but when its dark its even worse. There was dust and people everywhere.

I don’t know if I have talked about riding in India in detail but the road is just a nice smooth (relatively) place for everyone to enjoy. Im not joking when I say that people are everywhere. And not just people, cows, trucks, bicycles etc. Whatever you can imagine is enjoying the wonder of tarmac. And its unpredictable, which means you have to be constantly aware of whats going on. A kid on a bike, will decide he wants to cross the road, go right then change his mind as you approach doing at least 4 times his current speed. Two way roads exist only in movies and possibly your driving exam ( If this rumored test actually occurs ) It can be anything from 4 way and up. Vehicles literally come at you head on. Oh, and anything behind you does not exist. Hearing the horn behind you, indicates something has possibly materialized and you might need to get out of the way. Lines on the road are just decoration.

We finally arrived safely, and I got to meet Joshua’s lovely family, including his beautiful daughter Hosanna. I was the first white person she had met. So instead of being happy to meet me, she would burst into tears on sight. This improved by the time I ended up leaving, she could bear to be in the same room as me. Joshua’s wife also made the best Chappatis I have had so far.

Doug arrived a few days later, fresh from Radjisthan. We were going to spend some time in Delhi proper that same evening with friends of Sara’s who had invited us to come and stay. Before we left for there, I headed out to get some stuff for my bike, only to return to find Doug reading the Bible out aloud with Joshua’s father. He looked a bit bewildered by the whole experience, he told me afterward that he hadn’t read the Bible in over ten years. It would have been a bit of fun to try and prolong the experience for him but that wouldn’t have been fair to him. I think he was pretty scared.