In Asha's Country

We are in Delhi! So far, the trip has gone so smoothly that we are somewhat shocked. Our 15 hour flight to Dubai was really not that bad. I slept a good 10 hours (thank you Ambien,) and Kirk slept 6. Emirates is a wonderful airline. We had our own televisions, with hundreds of channels and movies. You'd think we'd never flown on a plane before, the way we were giggling over the luxuries! We were so taken by some of them, we actually took pictures. (I would like to add that Kirk and I have traveled all over the world, and the excitement of meeting Asha has made us a little giddy.)

So there are these stickers, and you put them on top of your seat, and when the flight attendant comes by, she knows whether to wake you for food, or duty free.....

Yes, there were menus. With gourmet food choices. And I ordered vegan meals for us and they were very good. It seems as though this part of the world is not the least put out by our veganism.

Here we are in hour 22 of the trip! We arrived in Delhi and breezed through immigration, picked up our bags, and breezed through customs. Then we walked out into the main section of the airport, ready to be bombarded by taxi drivers, merchants, and people and children begging for money or food. I think arriving at 2am has its perks, because the airport was pretty empty. Right away we noticed the bright yellow placard stating "Mr. Kirk and Mrs. Emily." Our tour guide led us to a nice little van, and a short trip later, we arrived at our hotel. This whole trip, Kirk and I keep looking at each other and saying, "I can't believe we're here! Can you believe we're here??" It just feels so surreal. We had some time to rest this morning before our driver returns to pick us up for a tour of Delhi, but neither of us could sleep. We are too excited. For almost a year now, I have dreamed of meeting Asha Moni. I have pictured the myriad of ways it could go. I have wondered what her little body will feel like in my arms, how it will be when I give her her first bottle. In 9 days, I will know! We are in Asha's country now, and we cannot wait to get out and see everything!