Heading for the hills....

The traditional Indian end of the meal. You will usually recieve a small, handwritten bill (which I can't read) and this bowl of fennel seeds & sugar crystals. This is the breath freshener here like we use mint in all forms.
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I'll start this entry with the good news...I'm going on my first trip out of Delhi. Myself and two Polish girls and going to Dharamsala for the weekend. But, I'll tell you all about that trip on Monday, hopefully with some great photos too.

This week was the last of registration and formalities before classes start on Monday. Abby went with me to the Foreign Registration Office. All foreigners who will be in India for more than 6 months have to go through the lengthy process and paperwork. We waited for about 2hrs before they decided to go to lunch right when my turn came up. We at least used to time constructively to do a Hindi lesson. Abby is almost fluent in Hindi and is a perfect teacher for me because we have the same linguistic background.

Abby had the McVeggie, I had the McChicken, though we could have had a McCurry if we wanted

Some more flora and fauna from campus. I don't know if you can tell from the angle of the shot, but these are beautiful hanging flowers. I think I'll have to buy a plant identification book. :)
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After the stress of the government office we decided to reward ourselves by taking the rest of the day off to go shopping and explore some of her favorite places in Delhi. We went to McDonalds for lunch. I had seen them around but hadn't been in one yet. Abby had the McVeggie, I had the McChicken, though we could have had a McCurry if we wanted. (Sorry Papa, no salads.) It's actually a pretty expensive meal by Indian standards, about 100rp ( $2.50) for a value meal. After McDonalds we went to some Indian clothing stores and even found a gellato shop to try out. It was a bit expensive too, but it was a treat not only for the ice cream but for the shop as well. It was an all white interior that was pristinely clean. Something you don't see much of in Delhi.

This is my hallway in the dorm. You can see my room, 101, at the very front. The construction of the building is very much like a prison, honestly. I'm not saying that to be mean, it just is. I'm sure it's to keep others out, not us in, though.
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So, other culinary learning experiences for the week....I went down for breakfast a few days ago and they were serving paranthas. They are a flatbread that can be eaten at any time of day. They also had something that looked like eggplant so I really piled it on. Turns out that it's a spicy Indian pickle. They must have been impressed how much the foreigner liked the spicy pickle since everyone else only had about a tablespoon on their plates. So, I scrapped the pickle off, got some butter and used the sugar for the tea to pretend they were french crepes. ( I also saw a French cafe in Pria this week, so I'll have to go check it out soon.)

Dal (or lentils) are a big part of the diet here & eaten at least once daily because of the vegetarian diet. This is one ailse of the supermarket with every bean known to man.
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The other culinary discovery of the week was the fresh lime soda. They squeeze fresh limes into the glass then top it with seltzer water. At this point I thought they sprinkled in a little sugar, but after the first taste I discovered it was a sprinkle of salt! It is astonishingly good. I can't explain how salty lime fizz can taste good on a hot and humid night, but it's just strange enough to work.

So, that's all for now, check out  the new pictures and I'll have some reports of my first outing on Monday or Tuesday. Love you all.