My feet are sore and filthy. Today is my last day in India, and it only seemed right to walk the streets of Delhi to revisit the places we saw four months ago and to explore some new ones. The idea was to finish off with the “real” India and after getting lost in the maze of alleys in old Delhi and seeing huge forts, temples and mosques, I think I found it. Eight hours of walking, only consuming food and drinks that was prepared and served on streetsides (note the difference between this and “sidewalks”). Mango lassi, chai, samosas, chaat, fresh cucumbers, mangoes and peaches, and mysterious rice/veg dishes that have probably been in the works for several days. Children’s cricket matches in the park, arrogant police officers and palm trees in the haze of pollution. The mix of sweet, sour and acrid smells that only a sweet chop and an open sewer can produce. It has been a completely appropriate final day.

The last month has gone from happily lethargic while finishing my internship to hectic bouts of traveling by local bus up the coast. Finally, I made it to Pune, rested, and fought on through Mumbai to catch my final Indian Railways chariot – the Rajdhani Express. Now I’m waiting for my flight to take me west, back to the land of hygiene, order and great cheese! I still have thousands of photos and words to sort through and expect to be posting them as soon my photo library un-breaks… probably back in Canada! But first, it’s time for a holiday from this vacation so I’m headed to southern Germany for the week… See you soon!