We've Arrived!

DISCLAIMER: future posts will not be this long, so sorry for the length!

After days of traveling and some time spent in Dehli, we’ve finally made it up to Herbertpur Christian Hospital. Here's a glimpse of the journey...(if you cannot read the words on the back of this truck, click on it with your mouse and it should enlarge)

We arrived in Dehli at 7:40 am on Friday morning, May 7 and met up with Zarema Dawson, the EHA representative who had organized all of our travel arrangements. She has been fantastic! We’ve really enjoyed spending time with her and her husband Jeremy. Anyways, about Dehli…if you haven’t been there, it’s really something to experience. Something about it reminded Clint and I of Mexico. Perhaps it’s the “somewhat in place, somewhat not” infrastructure, or the dry, dusty climate. Anyways, people drive like madmen over here. (I feel like this is similar to Ukraine or Jamaica). A big difference is the fact that the roads are shared by small cars, rickshaws, bicycles, people, motorcycles and a few random animals (mostly cows).

Yes, on our first taxi ride from the airport to our guest house, I looked out the window only to see the backside of an elephant…with reflectors, you know, the kind you see on the back of bicycles? I believe someone was sitting on top of the elephant. Because the roads are so congested, everyone uses their horn to announce their coming/passing of another vehicle/rickshaw. A basic “rule of the road” seems to be if there’s a spot of road where your vehicle can fit, take it, or else someone else will. And if that’s spot’s not quite big enough, go for it anyways, somehow it will work out. It’s very typical for motorcycles to be trying to fit in between cars and for cars to be missing their side mirrors. Honestly, there are people everywhere!!

Our first night, we were what we call "torched" by about 6:00 pm. Exhausted beyond words. But our host was making dinner for us at 7:30 (lunch and dinner are eaten much later here) so we did whatever we could to stay awake. After dinner we washed up and got ready for bed. Before we go to bed, Clint and I usually pray together. So, Clint began praying. I was attentive, or so I thought. All of the sudden, I realized that I had fallen asleep and the room was quiet. I figured that Clint was just waiting for me to pray, so I quickly said “Amen!” so we could climb into bed. Clint started laughing because apparently, I had only fallen asleep for mere seconds and then proclaimed “Amen” in the middle of one of his sentences!

So we spent two days in Dehli before taking a train ride to Deradun. From Deradun we took a taxi to Herbertpur. Let’s just say once we got off the train, we walked into madness. Porters trying to carry our luggage, haggling through a bazillion people with 4 heavy suitcases on dusty, rocky roads, while every auto rickshaw and taxi driver is vying for your attention. Meanwhile, we had to figure out how to find a taxi driver who knew enough English for us to communicate with us. In the near future, I hope to post a short clip of Clint and I taking an auto rickshaw to our taxi. Auto rickshaws are very small, so Clint is sitting on top of two of our suitcases.

Thanks for the prayers. With love, C&A