Tearing up...

"Aww, isn't that sweet! Tom's getting sentimental about the fact that he's leaving a part of the world that's grown close to his heart in the last 5 months! I really love it when a guy can show his emotions like that..."

Took the words right our of your mouths, right girls? Wait, you mean the whole "sensitive man" approach isn't all that Hollywood cuts it out to be? Dang you, Toby McGuire, and numerous other not-so-manly-man-actors that I've been modeling my moves after since early adolescence! Dang you!

OK, so that was perhaps one of the more bizarre fabricated dialogues that this blog has seen. Might as well go out with a bang - this is my last installment in the Orient, after all (I've determined that the occasion also justifies my use of over-exotic colonial vocabulary). Flew into Delhi late last night, and my long, predictably grueling flight to Toronto will commence at 2 AM tonight, if all goes to plan; something that I shouldn't take for granted, however, if I allow my first impressions of Indira Gandhi International Airport to generate some broader conclusions. Piece together every tidbit I've written in the last 5 months on the general state of Indian infra structure, and use your imagination to paint a rough picture of what I'm talking about.

Luckily, my air arrival at Delhi wasn't my first impression of India (although my arrival at Chennai airport, which wasn't a whole lot better, was), and I had a whole lot of good memories rush back the second that I stepped out of the terminal. During the taxi ride to my guesthouse - with the pollution-riddled air rushing into my face, and mid-20s local dudes laughing and pointing for no apparent reason at the white dude in the back of the minibus - I really did have a bit of an emotional moment. I realized that despite my unforgettable experiences in SE Asia - Thailand, Laos and Vietnam - India remained the place that I felt closest to, most at home.

I think India has a strange way of making foreigners feel at home, compared with other countries. All of you that have traveled in India, hear me out: I assure you that this statement is not an indication that I'm currently high on opium. Sure, it might seem like an absurd claim at first, considering the fact that India can be one of the more uncomfortable places to travel, in general. The lack of western amenities, which are more readily available in places like Thailand, is an example of a factor that can occasionally alienate a foreigner from the Subcontinent. It's a country that can be really inhospitable at times, and can thus thus pose a challenge for even the most weather-beaten backpackers.

However, I regard this lack of "hospitality", in the widely understood sense, as being contributory to the "homely" feel of the country. By forcing you to adapt to the culture and grim-and-bear scenarios and conditions that you may feel a bit uncomfortable with (i.e. squat toilets), I think India is actually inviting you to become part and parcel with it, as opposed to remaining a semi-detached tourist. Kind of like being immediately invited to sit down and socialize at the kitchen table of a family you just met, as opposed to the well-groomed, but comparably impersonal, parlour room. I really get the feeling that I've experienced the "real India" more so than any of the other countries that I've been in, and not only because I've spent more time here. Looking back, I really appreciate this, and hope that this blog will inspire others to visit India, and experience the genuineness that it's people show towards tourists, if we let them. OK, so they'll show it towards them whether we "let them" or not. It's all good!

I'm going to run - I'm jonesin' a masala dosa for breakfast, and I'm going to meet up soon with a couple of Swedish guys that I've been constantly running into at random intervals throughout the trip (this type of occurrence is certainly one of the joys of backpacking). Despite my imminent departure, I won't by any means be shutting down this blog anytime soon - keep checking in the next couple of weeks for some follow up posts! Specifically, I have a feeling I'll write a little bit on my feelings towards the whole idea of "backpacking", as well as fill ya in on what Ontario will have presented me with upon my arrival.

Cheers,
Tom