Namas Te! from India!
Safely in to Delhi this morning having had a very enjoyable flight over on the Virgin A-340. Light loading so lots of space to spread out and relax which was a bonus. Spent the majority of the flight chatting to the captain and co-pilot, both of whom are ex-RAF types I've flown with in the past. Got invited to the on-board bar - yes, there really is one - in upper class to sit and chat. All extremely civilised! Interesting route took us over Russia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan before crossing into India. If I was American, I'd qualify for a chestful of medals for crossing several combat zones, for that trip - in fact, I'd probably get a purple heart as I stubbed my toe on the toilet door over Georgia. It hurt for ages until the stewardess brought me a glass of champagne to ease my suffering.
Well, Delhi certainly lives up to it's reputation of being a vibrant, clolourful and diverse place. If you thought Leicester Square was heaving on a Saturday evening, you've not seen the half of it! I am staying in the main market area of Pahar Ganj - home of hotels more modest than those with which most of us would be familiar. That said, it's perfect for what I need - clean, cool and with a fridge to keep that bottled water cold. Almost fell at the first hurdle this morning when about to brush my teeth - remembered in the nick of time to use bottled water. Could have been a bad start!
The traffic here is hugely enjoyable, if you are an occasional passenger! If people honked their horns in the UK like they do here there'd be fist fights breaking out all over the place. I saw no accidents, but a few wing mirrors were clipped and I became quickly de-sensitised to the millimetre tolerances that drivers employ to miss other road users, be they rickshaws, taxis, government vehicles, mopeds or bison.
Spent a couple of hours wandering around the local market areas this afternoon. UK-based electricians would be interested to see the jungle of supply lines running overhead, looking like the culinary output of an epileptic spaghetti chef. I had the most fantastic pint of freshly squeezed orange, guava and pomegranate juice, before dodging the livestock and kamikaze ta-tas on the way beack to the hotel. This evening's activities have been limited to an excursion downtown to eat the most delicious chicken tikka with naan and mint sauces I have ever had. My local guide 'Prince' knows the good haunts! We used the brand new metro system to get back to Pahar Ganj - it puts the tube to absolute shame. Our return walk from the station was made more interesting when I thought I was being pick-pocketed; in fact, an elephant was using his trunk to warn me of his approach, carrying fare-paying passengers on his back! He walked right past me as if it was the most natural thing in the world!
I think I'm going to like India - in fact, I am loving it already.
Back at the digs now and almost time to turn in - 16:10 in UK, 20:40 here, and I leave the hotel for the airport at 02:30 local tomorrow. My destination, Leh, is at 10,500ft and so a hideously early flight is required in order to land there before the temperature rises too much.
More from Leh, where I hope not to be too out of breath to type!
