Nobody Told Me There Be Days Like These!

Sticking with your "use a song title for the heading" theme Therese...
Oh My God!!! This place is totally out of control. I have never been so thrown out of myself before as I have in the last however many hours since I left Sydney. The flight was good, long at 12 hours and not much sleep prior to leaving, but the taxi ride from the airport to my first hotel was UNBELIEVABLE!!! I didn't know whether to laugh, cry or vomit. We nearly had an accident before we even got out of the carpark. I was doing my best to seem like a well worn traveler, giving attitude where possible and making sure I picked a driver that was smaller than me so that if he tried to attack me, I would win ;-). The ride was out of this world, people sleeping on the side of the road, the smell of urine and food and sweat and incense all rolled into one, a woman with the tinest baby you have ever seen sticking her head in the cab beeging me for money... Now, I have read all of this before and I know its cliche, but it is all so true. There were beautiful women won the back of motorbikes with saris flowing behind them, the absolute symphony of horns bombarding my ears and a taxi that was carpeted internally that looked like walt disney had thrown up all multicoloured dreams.
My hotel is a 5 star apparently, and was essentially in a slum area (took a photo from my bathroom window to show you Mum, Rach and Alison... HORRIFIC) and was very dissappointing. Smelly, air conditioning stuffed and no window in the room. Then, I went to the loo and realised something was missing replaced by a funny hose and a bucket. Eeeewwww! Thankfully somebody insisted I bring 5000 packets of tissues. Anyway, you get the idea of my first night in India. I found myself at some stage in the fetal position chanting "Theres no place like home, theres no place like home" without the ruby slippers. So, after seriously melting down this morning and seriously considering sneaking back on a flight and living at Dads till christmas so no-one knew, I decided to have my splerge on a nice hotel tonight and meeting with the group tomorrow. I know that this first stage was always going to be yucky on my own. There are seriously no other white women that I have seen yet since I left the airport, so feeling part of a group is sure to make me relax abit more and begin to enjoy this.
FOR THE RECORD: I, Lisa-Jane Williams, hereby acknowledge that I am a dick and should have brought a few things that you all told me to bring. I am here without my Itinery, an alarm or even a clock, my phone and any phone numbers except a few. Should have listened!!!

Well, my love to you all and I will be online again soon. Thanks for your email Mum, was nice to read. Got yours too Matte, no sweat baby!