October 15, 2014 
TASHKENT to DELHI Non-Stop on Uzbekistan Airways
Hotel Aura @ Airport $35
$1 = 61 Rs 

India Visas on Day of Departure/Arrival
 
It was nerve wrecking not to have our Indian visas in hand until the afternoon of our departure. But low and behold, at 3:30 PM, we had our India Visas in our passports with ample time to get from the Indian Embassy to the Tashkent Airport for our 8:10 PM flight. Our plane pushed off 45 minutes early, filled to 1/3rd capacity for the 3 hour flight..  

India time is 30 minutes later (don't ask me why). We pumped the ATM in the arrival hall for rupees. Are you sure that little stack is $500 worth of rupees?" I asked Dave. 


Balmy Delhi Night
 
We were hit with balmy humid air and a chaotic crescendo of noise pollution as we exited the terminal. We joined the queue at the prepaid taxi ticket booth. A friendly local gent gave us the scoop, "Just give them your name and destination, pay at the window, then hop in the assigned black/yellow taxis waiting on the curb." It was smooth as butter and half the price of a hotel arranged pick-up.

We knew we would arrive near midnight so booked Hotel Aura @ Airport which is near the end of the runway, a 10 minute drive from the Airport. Hotel staff was friendly and helpful. Our room was modern, spacious, clean and the wifi worked like a charm.

We hadn't made our Delhi exit plan yet. We were not even sure we'd get to Delhi, but now here, it was time to work out the details. 

Two years ago, we spent 6 months in India concentrating on Leh and Gujarat on our way to Goa. (See our Asian Occasion blog for those adventures.) 
 
This time we wanted to focus on the Northeastern states and work our way down the east coast to Kerala over the next six months. The NE states have been largely off-limits to foreigners but travel restrictions have recently been relaxed. We were enticed by the off-the-beaten track flavor as well as its tribal culture. Plus, we had visions of rugged Himalayan scenery and green tea fields. 

South India is known for peaceful traveler hangouts and high chill factor.... And we need to see our dentist, Dr. Fernandez, in Goa

Eh, it was late and we have time. We decided to work on that in the morning.

 
October 16, 2014 WAKING UP IN DELHI

The Smells, The Noise, The Beggars & The Spitting

Holy Krishna, the smells of open sewers and curry, the deafening street noise, music blaring in restaurants, the sights of dusty begging kids, spitting... Right, it doesn't come as a surprise but I am proof that even the most seasoned travelers needs a little time to become a little numb to the assaults on the senses. My ears, my nose and my eyes are still protesting.... Give me a week and it will get better.
   

Fly to the Northeast or Take a Train? 

Since our Indian Visa hung so long in the balance, we didn't dare book onward transport. So here we were without train reservations. And those are pretty hard to come by on short notice. Dave could not find any open trains on-line for at least 10 days. The guys on the front desk looked on our behalf. We had hoped that local knowledge would help. And they even connected us with the railway help line. Nothing was available.
 
 
Let's Boogie to Darjeeling

On the way out to lunch, we checked with a couple of the travel agents. Flying was our only option if we didn't want to bus or wait. All we really knew was that we didn't want to stay in Delhi.

So, after our marathon of last minute research, we booked a flight to Bagdogra for tomorrow and reserved a week at a highly rated hotel in Darjeeling (a 90 minute taxi ride from the airport).