What else could go wrong?

Rest assured everyone, it all turned out ok. But yesterday was high stress for sure.
We started off going to the Lotus Temple in New Delhi. This place is amazing. The temple was is a Baha'i house of worship. Like all Baha'i places of worship, this temple is open to those of all faiths. It is written in the sacred texts that their places of worship should be somewhere that all people should be allowed to communicate with their God. It really is a beautiful sentiment. Only Baha'i texts, or texts of other religions can be read aloud (in any language) and the only music allowed is that made by the human voice. No instruments are allowed to be played. While we were inside, we were instructed to remain silent and I was very happy that everyone in the the temple followed this instruction. Sitting in that beautiful place, I was the calmest I have been in a long time. I don't even know how to describe how wonderful I felt. Then as we were about to leave a woman came to the front and started chanting. I got the chills it was so moving. As you can the, the temple is very large, and the acoustics are something I have never experienced before. If  I was allowed to record I would have, but I am sure I would not have done it justice. That was probably my fave part of the trip so far.

Sadly things went downhill fast. When we got back from the temple, we discovered that one of our group was missing- my roommate!!! We totally started panicking, and sent the boys back to the temple to see if she was there. This whole time we can't get a hold of her because only half of our phones are working. Luckily she has a good head on her shoulders and made it home! Our first real adventure in India.

Once we were all safe and sound we headed home for lunch and went right back out into the world again! This time for shopping :) It was just the four of us girls this time. One of the things we really needed was toilet paper. Apparently it's not an Indian thing. Their indoor plumbing is so delicate that the paper really messes it up. Buuut we got some for the house anyway because we are Americans lol. Can you imagine the sight? Four girls wandering around a market with arms full of toilet paper haha! Foreigners. I got a little swept away in the moment- I was on a competitive bargaining high I think :) I bought 3 scarves, a shirt and a skirt for 500 rupees. That's like 10 US dollars. I love this country.

Getting a rickshaw back from the market was really difficult, and it was getting dark. The 4 of us split into 2s so no one would be alone. The group before mine got a ride right away, but it took me and my roommate 15 minutes!! I guess because it was dinner time everyone was leaving. When we finally got one, we got hardcore stuck in the middle of Delhi traffic. As in our driver turned off the rickshaw and just sat and waited. Fun fact: auto rickshaws use the same engines as our lawnmowers. Being stuck on a highway in New Delhi means some serious pollution. Let's just say my cough isn't getting any better. So we finally get going and we are driving around in the dark, and it becomes clear to me and Keona that the driver of this auto rickshaw has no idea where he is going. And neither do we. We are totally new to the area and it's dark. Oh and this guy speaks no English and we speak no Hindi. We finally get him to pull over and ask a group of women and after some deliberation they give him directions we don't understand, give us assuring smiles, and we are on our way again. Within 3 minutes we were home safe and sound with a hot meal waiting for us. Phew!! This was all yesterday, so today me and Keona are being lazy bums around the house, unpacking, catching up on the internet, and relaxing. After lunch (at 2pm) the 6 of us will probably wander around the neighborhood to see what's around us, and hopefully not get into any trouble!

ttfn