Kindess of Strangers: Part I

For the second night in a row I feel too spent to write much of anything, but don't worry everything is going well and I'm actually feeling quite happy and balanced. Yippee! That's amazing because today, like many days in India, have been a mixed bag of highs and lows.

However, just when I was starting to doubt my wisdom in traveling around India instead of zenning out on some beach or mountain somewhere, preparing myself for my impending plunge back into Corporate America, I found myself feeling inspired, awed, hopeful, strong, and invigorated. I owe those feelings mainly to a number of wonderful fellow travelers that I met today, the tranquil alone time I had on the train to and from Agra listening to my music, feeling like a bad-ass for starting to get the hang of this country, and my experiences at the utterly breathtaking Taj Mahal and Red Fort today. More on that later when I can actually do it justice.

To Edwardo from Chile, who was traveling today to a place that I forgot and will be in Dharamsala in a few days, Thank You! for saving me at the train station this morning!! Ok, so he didn't really save me, and I'm sure I would have been just fine if I hadn't bumped into him. But, he did help me find the right counter, helped me to fend off the aggressive drivers who deliberately steer travelers in the wrong direction (I honestly have no idea what they hope to accomplish by that behavior but it's super frustrating), flagged down a man behind the glass to assist me, identified my train number, and then spotted me 200 rupees to buy my train ticket. Guardian angel anyone?

The internet keeper is now motioning for me to get off the computer. Drat. Writing was actually energizing me. No matter. I'm off to Dharmasala tomorrow. Hope you are all well!