On the road again...

Ok, so I tried to post this this entry below from Delhi, but because of computer issues, I was only able to save a draft and post it now. I am back in Kathmandu; I arrived yesterday afternoon. The plane ride went smoothly with no problems. I met a few British people on the plane, Kimberly and Owen. They were with a group that organizes volunteer work abroad. Kimberly is going to teach English for the summer, and Owen is going to do construction work in a small community.
When I arrived yesterday, Shanti, Pastor Nagendra's brother, his wife Vanni, and their son Nahum were at the house. I had heard a lot about them, and it was nice to finally meet them. Shanti even told me that he's been keeping up with this blog! They've been in the USA for three years while they went to seminary, and now they're back in Nepal. They are a really nice family, and I look forward to getting to know them.
Well, that's all for now. Sorry once again, I tried to upload pictures, but I promise I'll have some soon! Once again, the quoted part below is a post I attempted to post in Delhi, enjoy!
matthew ;^)

"Hey everybody, Namaste from Delhi!

We just got into Delhi around 7am this morning. It's now about 10am. We left Vijayawada at 4am on saturday morning...which means this train ride holds the record for my long train rides: 27 hours! We didn't have any problems on the train...the eunichs weren't a problem because they usually ignore foreigners. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, "eunichs" here are people that are either eunichs by force (meaning a castrated male) or it can also mean a hermaphrodite. They typically dress like Indian women, but have very masculine faces...needless to say they are usually greeted by inquisitive expressions on the faces of those around them. Well, they typically can't find work, due to social prejudices, so they are forced to get money by harassing people in markets and on trains. They make a lot of noise, whistling and clapping, and if you don't give them any money, they'll harass you until you give them something. Well, they didn't bother me, but it was quite a sight to watch them pester people on the train.

This train ride was probably the worst ride I've had, all thanks to a screaming toddler in the berth beside us. Conveniently, he chose to scream his head off around 2am. Other than that, the ride was pleasant because of the rain, and drop in temperature it brought.

It was interesting to watch a Muslim man that was in a berth near us. Of course, when it came time for him to pray, he would go to the bathroom and ceremonially wash his face, hands, and feet. He ususally asked us if he could use our berth to pray in. He kept a small compass, I'm assuming to help him find the direction towards Mecca. Well, in the evening, just before sunset, it was time for him to pray (consequently, the sunset was to his left meaning he was facing north, when, if my navigational skills didn't fail me, he should have pointed directly at the sunset to face Mecca...but hey he was on a moving train!). I looked out the window, and that sunset was the most beautiful sunset I think I've ever seen. The sky was just splattered with pink, blue, and purple color. I wanted to interupt this man to tell him that if he was looking for God, all he had to do was look at that sunset, and see Him. Anyways, he finished his prayers and the rest of the ride went smoothly. We arrived in Delhi, and now I am writing to you!
Well, gotta go!
matthew ;^)"