Day 0 – New Delhi
After clearing immigration at midnight, we finally arrived in a very busy and noisy New Delhi.
Our half blind, half crazy taxi driver, part time rollercoaster driver took us to our hotel which, unsurprisingly was overbooked! The manager has put us up next door in the Majestic Palace Hotel.
It’s not majestic, nor a palace but the bed is comfy and there is intermittent hot water.
After a night of horns, dogs barking and possibly rats scurrying in the cavity walls, we’re off to get lost in Delhi!
Day 1.
Awoke to dogs barking from the adjacent rooftops. The porter from the hotel we were meant to be at knocked at 8.30 and took our bags to our actual hotel (next door), where we had potato omelettes, papaya and bananas for breakfast. For a country that grows its own bananas, they’re rubbish compared to what we get at home.
Becky and I decided to go for a walk around the block to orientate ourselves. Within a minute we were accosted by tuktuk drivers wanting to take us elsewhere. One guy was really persistent and kept following us around. And then there’s the beggar children holding onto your trousers as you’re not wanting to stop.
After an hour of wandering, we decided to brave the metro. Ignore the machine gun totting guards and the sheer crush of people, the Delhi metro is really slick. Picked up a day travel card for the equivalent of £1.50 (TFL take note) and off we went to India Gate. Bit like the Arc de Triumph but of course bigger!
Could not get access to the park though as this Sunday is National Republic Day and security is crazy tight, but saw the ladies Royal Enfield riders practicing their stunts for the parade.
We wandered past some ex-palaces and found wild chipmunks on a wall, then stumbled across a smoothie cafe and artisan cottage industries co-operative. Lots of trinkets and niknaks. Becky could have been in there all day!
Back to the hotel for a siesta and then off to dinner with our guide Chetan for the rest of the week.
Our dinner was a vegan feast thali. Vegetables, pickles, sauces, breads, parathas, jalebi, sweet chai and something green that was so spicy it could knock over a horse!
Travel Dude 