Tuesday, December 8, 2009 (according to our schedule 13 1/2 hrs. ahead of LA)

Malaysia has a strong Muslim influence. As we were biding our time awaiting the final leg of our flight to India in the Kuala Lumpur airport, it was striking to see the proliferation of women wearing burkas. It was quite a dicotomy to see so many couples and families as the husbands and fathers wore t-shirts and jeans and the women were completely covered in black burkas. Some of them only had their eyes exposed, but in this well-to-do city, some women wearing this religious attire, were also adorned with beautiful jewelry and bejewled scarves.

Arriving in Delhi was quite an experience, as we found our way through the Customs and were picked up by our driver from the hotel. After spending 36 hours in transit, we were exhausted and sticky, but the Shangri-La Hotel was exquisite and after a brief cleanup, we hopped back to the airport to pick up our daughter, Lauren who finally emerged from her flight at almost 4 am. A grateful Hoffman clan was thrilled to be on solid ground and looking forward to the next 6 days in New Delhi.

Linda