Sunday - The Iron Sherpa

Up sharp for our first specially chartered steam train on the DHR known to the cognescenti as the iron Sherpa. D opts to go with the photo party to try to get some good pics of the train going through the bazzar. R goes with the balance to pick up the train at Siliguri Junction. Sadly the sun is in exactly the wrong place for photos on this section. there then follows a mad chase as the bus tries to get ahead for the key photo opportunities. Engine no 788 "Tusker", built in Glasgow in 1913, is performing gamely despite several very obvious steam leaks, and we have to move very smartly on and off the bus.
At the first station, Sukna, D swaps to the train and bags a spot hanging out of one of the coach doors. From here on the line starts to climb quite steeply and the pace slows. At Sukna the 4th and 5th crewmen get on to the front buffer beam so they can start sanding the rails. They do a good job as we only slip once. The railway runs alongside the road, crossing and recrossing numerous times. The curves are so tight that even from the second coach there is a clear view of the loco as it grinds it's way round.
We stop regularly for water. At one stop one of the crew manages to drop the brass cover of the cylinder lubricating point down a jungly embankment. There is a bit of excitement until it is found. We also have the unusual manoeuvering at the various zig-zag reversing climbs.By this time we are well into the foothills of the Himalayas, having climbed 2,000 feet. We also get the opportunity to watch the train complete the lowest loop on the line which produces some good pictures.
One of the forgotten joys of steam travel is the ability of smuts and small bits of coal to get everywhere. Even those who sat sedately inside the train finished up grimy. Our ride ended at Tindharia, at about 3,000 feet and we go to visit the works where the trains are maintained. As it is Sunday nobody is working and it has a slightly derelict air. We move on to lunch in a roadside restaurant and sample momos for the first time, vegetables wrapped in a kind of pasta and served with a very spicy sauce. At first we are told there is a choice of beer or beer to drink. What a shame. Eventually some Sprite turns up but we are halfway down our beers. It costs 100 rupees each - about £1.45.
After lunch we take the bus further along the line to view the washout. In summer 2010 there was an enormous landslide that severed the railway and the road. They hope to open the road in two months but it will probably be next year before the railway is reconnected 2011 monsoon permitting. Having seen the scale of the damage we forgive Indian railways for not having fixed it yet.
We return to Siliguri and the Cindrella in time to watch India piling up a massive score against England in the ODI. By the time supper was over England were back in it. D had an exciting hour or so in the bar with a bunch of racous Indian supporters until the final climax of a tied game. Quite something.

Up bright and early to get the coach to Delhi Airport. The guy driving must be the most cautious road user in all India. Either that or he is going to get fined for arriving early. Inside the airport it is utter chaos as they try to rush us through check in because we are going to miss the plane. All the boarding cards are issued but there are none for the Watsons. Eventually they sort it out and we make best time to the furthest gate in the terminal while the tannoy is announcing Final Call for our flight. Onboard we are agreeably surprised to be sitting in Business Class. Most of the group are at the back. The flight was less than 2 hours and we emerged at Bagdogra into quite scorching heat - they told us 29C but it felt hotter. Our luggage was strapped onto the roof of our luxury coach and a short bus ride later we were at the Hotel Cindrella (only one e) which is scheduled to be our home for the next four nights. We are greeted with garlands and mango juice.

It turns out that some of the GCIRC train guys are here having lunch so D goes to buy them a beer and hear their war stories. They cannot hang about for long as they need to get up to Darjeeling before it starts getting dark.
The restaurant offers some South Indian specialities such as dhosa and uthapams so a good lunch is enjoyed by all.We then get the news that the plan has changed and that we are going to go up to Darjeeling on Monday, not Wednesday, in order to take advantage of the lack of strikes before it all kicks off again. So no point in unpacking.
After lunch all the men visit the loco shed at Siliguri while all the girls go to the bazaar and a Hindu temple. At the shed there are half a dozen of the legendary B class locos and 3 of the modern diesels. One of the B's is in steam and another is undergoing running repairs. It is wonderful to watch a true craftsman at work. We had a great wander round and also took the chance to walk across the main line ust like the locals.
On the other hand we ladies set off in search of retaill therapy with a visit to the market. Our bus driver and mate set us down on the main drag and we wandered off in the wrong direction. A nice man put us right and we crossed the road, avoiding the general melee into the shops and stalls. I did not find anything to buy as the quality of the merchandise was not great, I missed an opportunity in Jaipur! One of our number made a purchase, a metre of elastic to make a repair, 3 rupees. Off then to the Hari Krishna temple, all marble incense and Hindu deities.
Back at the hotel the day was rounded off with a buffet supper and a couple of Kingfishers - spot on!

Friday - Reinforcements arrive

Today we had a very lazy morning, having a lie in and then stooging around the hotel getting sorted out for our move on to Bengal. The tour group arrive at lunch time, looking pretty tired after their overnight flight from Heathrow. We make the mistake of having lunch in the hotel - easily the most expensive food we have had anywhere in india and the beer came in the smallest bottles we have seen. If travelling to Delhi avoid the Ramada Plaza which looks like this.

After lunch we take a coach trip of a few miles to the Indian National Railway Museum. there are some interesting exhibits including the only surviving steam monorail in the world. Unfortunately it was not in steam for our visit but still fascinating to see. R voted the loos here the most disgusting that she has seen in India which is quite an achievement.
There is nothing organised for dinner so we take a tuk-tuk back to the Chor Bizarre, R having decided that it wasn't them who caused her Delhi belly. The food was an interesting array of vegetable and cheese kebabs with lentil and spinach patties. As our tuk-tuk delivers us back to our hotel there is a wedding procession arriving for the celebrations - all great fun.

Thursday 24th - Agra, The Longest Day

We manage to get up, get dressed and find a tuk-tuk by 5.30 a.m. and arrive at New Delhi Railway station in good time for our train. For once Indian Railways are off the mark and our train is half an hour late but once we get going it was fine. The 70's airline food theme continues as we are served "Morning Tea" with 2 caramel toffees and then breakfast. The food containers are labelled "Meals on Wheels". At Agra we are met by a tour manager from Delhi Magic with driver and a big Toyota 4x4. We are whisked off to a hotel for a comfort break and introduced to Akshay, our guide for the day. First stop is the Taj Mahal. The approaches and the gatehouse are impressive enough in their own right, and the monument itself is absolutely stunning. Our guide explained the history of how it came to be built and was a mine of information about the actual construction. By the time we came to enter the mausoleum the crowds were beginning to build up and it was a real scrum getting in and out.
Time to move on to the Red Fort, on and off over the years the seat of power of the Mughal emperors. It is a huge sandstone and marble construction looking out over the the River Yamuna towards the Taj. Once again the crowds started to build as we followed our guide around the Fort. It was starting to get hot and we were quite glad to be told that lunch was the next stop. We were driven to a small darbah where we had a beer and a simple lunch of dahl and roti.
The next leg of the tour involved a drive of about an hour out to Fatehpur Sikri, a 16th century city. This drive was our first expeience of the roads outside cities in India and was hair-raising to say the least. Not only are signals optional but so is keeping left on dual carriageways. When we got to FS it proved to be worth the trip with a well preserved set of palaces sitting on a hill. At its height the walled city was 4km in diameter and had a population of 750,000. In 1585, fourteen years after being completed, it was abandoned.
The drive back, as the sun was starting to set was even more entertaining. We passed numerous wedding parties and followed overloaded vehicles carrying bands, sound systems, lighting rigs and just dozens of people, all heading towards wedding celebrations. At one stage we had to stop the car as it was engulfed in a wedding procession.
Back in Afgra we parted with our guide but kept the car as we had time to kill. An hour catching up in an internet cafe was followed by a quick beer. Our driver was most concerned that we did not vanish and followed us everywhere. Presumably he did not get paid until we were on the train.
Back at the station the notices said that once again our train was 30 minutes late. By the time it arrived it was 80 minutes behind. We found our seats and dinner was served at the gallop - the usual rice, dahl, chapati and cheese curry (yuk!). We arrived at NDLS at midnight and took the first taxi hustler who spoke English and claimed to know where our hotel actually is. We had a very good ride home in a School mini-bus. India - the true home of free enterprise.

Wednesday 23rd - A Lazy day in Delhi

After two late nights we have a lie in and amble down to breakfast at 8.30. D has to take a tuk-tuk to collect the suitcase from left luggage at Nizamuddin station. On the way back the driver cuts up a two star staff car with flag flying - most satisfying. After sorting out our packing and unpacking we decide to head into the city centre but on leaving the hotel we are faced with hundreds of police and soldiers. There is some kind of major Trades Union Rally going on and the authorities are taking all precautions. Whilst waiting for a train in the metro D takes a photo and is promptly whistled at by a security guard. Because of the delays we skip the shopping and head to New Delhi railway station where the Great Circular Indian Railway Challenge team (see link) are due to board a train to the far north east - a mere 37 hour journey. They duly arrive and turn out to be very nice people. Hopefully we will meet them for a drink on Saturday before they head up to Darjeeling. We leave them to settle in and head for the spice market. For once we fail to find a tuk-tuk and finish up walking the length of what we later discover is the most notorious street in Delhi but apart from having to dodge traffic and it being very hot we had no problems.
The spice market was incredibly busy and colourful. R found an emporium that suited her and bought green cardamon pods from a man who wanted to talk about kilts and bagpipes. We idled away the afternoon in various bars and bookshops before trying a recommended restaurant for our supper. The food was South Indian, quite different and very tasty, but the book failed to mention that you couldn't get a beer so black mark to Rough Guides.
Tomorrow is our day trip to Agra which means a 5 a.m. start so definite early night tonight.

Tuesday 22nd - Jaipur Day 2

Once again the restaurant staff provided our early morning call and we were first into breakfast. After packing our bags we hopped an Indian Helicopter into the city centre, getting dropped at the Hawa Mahal, a quite amazing structure that allowed the ladies of the court to observe city life without being seen. The top floor provided superb views across the city and up to Nahargarh Fort, where we dined last night. We followed this up with avisit to the Jantar Mantar observatory built around 1730 and used for astronomical measurement and prediction.
For the hat trick we visited the City palace complex, still occupied in part by the Maharajah and Maharanee of Jaipur. There were some quite interesting exhibits including a previous Maharajah's billiards suit. Best of all there was a shady cafe where we availed ourselves of a light lunch. We are beginning to think that toast is a Hindi word as it is on every menu for every meal.

Time to go shopping as a mains adaptor is needed to replace one left behind by accident. We find one without too much bother in one of the arcade shops. It costs 20 rupees - less than 30p but seems to be well made. The ones we took from home cost over £5 each. R wants to look at bangles so head down Bangle Alley where she can browse and dodge speeding mopeds at the same time. As we stroll the narrow streets we are hailed by a man on a motorscooter, who turns out to be the hat repairer. We tell him that his e-mail bounced back the photo he asked us to send so he promptly produced a different card with a different company name and e-mail.
The time for leaving Jaipur was drawing nigh but we couldn't miss the chance to have a beer on the 9th floor of the Om Tower, much the highest building in the city. We were tugged by a cycle-rickshaw wallah who had seen us first so he only had himself to blame. We did give him a very generous tip. los Amigos bar was decked out in Wild West kitsch and was devoid of customers. For the first time since arriving in India we were served Tuborg rather than Kingfisher.
After picking up the luggage we took a cab to the station where there was an hour to kill. D explored the station and found one of the few remaining metre gauge lines. The day was made perfect when the driver let him climb up on the engine to take photos. Our Shatabdi express was on time if a little ramshackle. The meal was a strange cross between street food and 70's airline fodder but we survived and the train pulled into New Delhi bang on time. the taxi rank was a real scrum but we toughed it out and got to our hotel.

Monday 21st - Amber Fort + Jaipur by Night

The Hotel Umaid Bhawan is very agreeable in most respects, but is built with marble floors which amplify every sound. As our room is on the same floor as the rooftop restaurant we are awoken at 6.30 a.m. by the kitchen team who are apparently very happy in their work. Time to get up and get on! Outside there is fog - the locals still consider this to be winter. Our car is booked for a trip up the hill to the Amber Fort - hopefully the mist will lift before we get there. We ask the driver to stop where we can by batteries so he pulls up in front of a hole in the wall, from which a man emerges. When asked he immediately produces batteries for about a third of the price in the UK and hands them through the car window.
As the car climbs towards the Fort the fog starts to lift and we see what all the fuss is about. The driver stops for a photo op and immediately two guys with a baby elephant appear offering to take our pictures for a vast fee. While we talk our way out of that a snake charmer sets out his stall(?) on the pavement behind us. [Note for Ann McIvor - there are no snake pics in this blog] We drive on to the car park where the steps up to the Fort begin. This crosses the road up which dozens of elephants trudge carrying idle tourists. Two days ago two Korean tourists were trampled when two elephants started to fight. The local paper has pictures of them in hospital beds on the front page!
We are probably lucky thet the low cloud is keeping the temperature down as there is quite a lot of walking and climbing to do as we explore. As the morning passes the place fills up with people and some of the passageways get quite claustrophobic. Towards lunchtime culture fatige sets in and we head back to the car. We have to wait several minutes for a gap in the traffic at the elephant crossing. We drove back through the city of Jaipur, the maddest traffic that we have seen yet - the traffic includes horse drawn carts, elephants, camels, donkeys and pigs. It was now quite hot so we opted for lunch in a shady corner of the hotel's own roof-top restaurant followed by a siesta.
In the evening we had booked a "Pink City by Night Tour2 - run by the state tourist authority and starting at a hotel about half a mile away. After a short wait a ramshackle coach appeared and we were invited on board. Eventually a Spanish girl boarded too and the coach set off with no explanation. We went to the railway station, the bus station and the main tourist office collecting a few people at each. Eventually a guide climbed on board but he must have been the quietest man in India - from two rows back on the bus he was utterly inaudible. Every 5 minutes or so we were ushered off the bus to admire some statue or building and finally we were taken several miles up a rutted and potholed cart track to a fort overlooking the city where a buffet suppr was laid on and the bar sold beers. The meal was quite good and the place seemed clean enough. By the time we had returned down the cart track and through the city it was almost midnight - well past our bedtime.

Sunday 20th - Jaipur, The Pink City

.Not the greatest night's sleep for fear of not being awake for the Jaipur stop at 6 a.m. As we pulled into the station we gave friendly knock on the door of the French teachers who were still in bed. Merde! Our cabin companion failed to wake up for our departure. Outside the station it was pitch black but we found our lift and arrived at the hotel far too early for anything to be sorted. Eventually we were invited to have brekker - an interesting smorgasbord of potatoes, tomatos and rice. At least there was toast and tea. The hotel actually looks quite attractive and we get our room at 8.30 am. so have chance for a catch up snooze.
This afternoon we went for a walk in the neighbourhood, a concept alien to the myriad tuk-tuk drivers and cycle rickshaw wallahs. One was so amazed that he cycled alongside chatting for at least quarter of an hour before he realised we were serious. We sussed out a venue for supper and an evening tour of the city for tomorrow, before jumping on a tuk-tuk into the Pink City. As it is Sunday some shops and stalls are closed but there were still plenty of optimists who thought that we might wish to part with money. What we really needed was a hat band repairer and some batteries. Eventually we found ourselves invited into a gallery by a man who promised to mend D's hatband. It's amazing how they do it - we did buy a couple of small things BUT they did fix the hatband. Everybody happy. Sated with the hedonistic thrill of shopping we hopped a tuk-tuk back to the hotel. It became obvious that he hadn't a clue where to go and eventually we were passed over to another tuk-tuk who relieved our original driver of a portion of his fare but did get us back to the hotel.
For our evening meal (in fact our only meal beside breakfast)we headed for the Peacock restaurant at the Pearl Palace Hotel. This gets consistently excellent ratings for both food and accommodation, but was fully booked when we applied in November. The rooftop restaurant was busy and we had to share a table with a French Canadian couple who were old India hands. We also saw the French teachers who thanked us for waking them up this morning. The food took a fair while to arrive but when it did it was very good, as was the Kingfisher. Towards the end of our meal there was a spectacular thunderstorm which forced everybody off the open air section of the roof into the covered where we were sitting. As we left the restaurant there was a tuk-tuk waiting outside. The driver knew exactly where we were going and how much we had paid on the way to the restaurant. We must be tipping too well.

Saturday 19th - Monsoon Palace and Lake Pichola

Another glorious sunny morning here in Rajasthan. We descend 3 flights of marble stairs then ascend 4 flights to the rooftop restaurant where we opt to breakfast alfresco. R disgraced the Scottish nation by putting honey on her porridge - then discovered it was already sweetened.
We decided to visit the Monsoon Palace, perched on the mountain top overlooking the city. The hotel organised a car and driver, a cheerful chap who take the traffic in his stride and told us he was happy when we were happy! The last couple miles of the drive was up a single track road with hairpin bends but fortunately no one was coming the other way. When we got to the palace we were approached by the inevitible smiling young man with whom we negotiated a guided tour. He was very informative and made the most of the palaces limited attractions. It turned out that he was the driver's brother.

We asked our driver to drop us at the Lake Gate of the City Palace to take a boat trip, only to be told 'no boats today because of the big wedding'! As it was getting hot we retired to the rather nice cafe in the courtyard of the Palace which was very busy and we had to share a table. The two Canadian men were good company as we lingered over a Kingfisher and we swapped travel horror stories.
We had been told that there was an alternative boat trip available so we went to enquire and managed to book seats on their Sunset Tour. We killed time by watching cricket on TV, along with everyone else in India and then took our seats on the boat as part of a United Nations line up of characters. Anybody who has seen the film Octopussy can skip the next bit. We hadn't and were well impressed with the fabulous views of the various palaces as the boat chugged around the lake.
When we disembarked it was just time to return to the hotel's rooftop restaurant for great food and free fireworks. Later downstairs in the lobby we discovered that half of the hotel's guest list was booked on the same train as us and D had great fun explaining to four French teachers how the Indian Railway works. When the train pulled into the platform there was the usual rugby scrum but we found our compartment, a four-berth this time, the French teachers were next door, and we were joined by a French lady travelling solo with the biggest piece of luggage you have ever seen. She was dismayed to hear we were getting off at 6.00 a.m.

Friday 18th - Udaipur

All in all not too bad a night on the train (says Dave). R's Delhi B has not proved fatal and she feels strong enough to risk a cup of chai from one of the endless stream of vendors who patrol the corridor. Now we know why you never see Carnation milk at home these days - it's all in India for the chai. It gets light as we hit the outskirts of Udaipur and the train arrives a mere 10 minutes late. As promised there is a car from the hotel to meet us and we are whisked away through a totally new set of traffic hazards including herds of cows. The Jaiwani Haveli seems to be a nice sort of place and we are made to feel very welcome. Our room will be ready at noon but we are given the use of clean washroom and the internet as we have a leisurely breakfast in the rooftop restaurant overlooking Lake Pichola with its fabulous Lake Palace hotel. At least I think it's fabulous - the prices certainly were. One night would have cost more than our return flights.

Our host recommends some sightseeing and we set off to the Jagdish Hindu temple. A young man appoints himself as our guide without being asked but his English is good and his commentary plausible. He shows us around the temple, explains what is going on and keeps the other hustlers at bay so is probably worth the 100 rupees. He then claims to be a coin collector and asks if we have any British coins. R produces a 50p and he looks a bit disappointed. As we walk away from the temple a man tries to sell me an Australian dollar coin. Is this a coincidence?

Our next stop is the City Palace complex, the vast home of the traditional rulers of Mewar, the area around Udaipur. This dominates the city and stays just on the classy side of ostentatious. There are plenty of tourists about - mainly French and Germans - but the site is pretty well tout free. There are official guides but if you say "No thanks" they leave you alone. The site is a monument to the glory of the rulers of Mewar who did not compromise with anybody - Mughals, Brits or other Hindus. They all had splendid mustaches (except some of the women). After a couple of hours culture fatigue set in and we felt compelled to go for refreshment. Then it was time to check in to our room which turned out to be on the top floor of an annexe, but with its own roof terrace and a view of the lake.

As it was getting quite hot we opted for a siesta and shower before setting out for a wander around the town. In no time at all we were hopelessly lost and had been adopted by a stray dog. This mutt attracted dozens of other strays until we had the chance to jump in a tuk tuk and escape. We hoped to go on a lake cruise but it had all been booked for a wedding party so D had a shoe shine instead. We then went home, did some bird watching and drank beer on the roof terrace.

For supper we opted for a lakeside restaurant called the Ambrai which had great views of the City and Lake Palaces as the sun set and a full moon rose over the city. The food was pretty good too and the evening was rounded off by the scariest tuk-tuk ride so far. Much better value than either the dodgems or the waltzers.

Thursday 17th - Flying Solo

A bit misty this morning but the sun soon broke through. Another eclectic breakfast including grilled fish with lemon and caper sauce but we drew the line at mixed carrot and beetroot juice. At checkout there is a minor issue with the bill as we had been told that we were getting comlimentary wifi. This was solved by leaving the wifi on the bill and reducing the room rate. Duh! The staff at the Intercontinentl were without exception excellent and as a parting gift we were offered a complimentary car transfer to the station for our train this evening. We checked our luggage with the concierge and set off for the Red Fort in Old Delhi. Readers may be surprised to learn that this is not a curry house but an actual ancient monument, built by the Mughals (not the ones from Harry Potter).

The metro was much busier today - yesterday was apparently some sort of holiday- but fairly good natured and polite. As we walked up to the entrance four young boys asked to have their picture taken so they could see themselves on the camera screen. They seemed thrilled. There were enormous school crocodiles waiting to enter the Fort but we just managed to slip in ahead of them.

Only some of the buildings of the fort have survived but there is some wonderful detail on those that are still standing. Apparently the beastly British did the damage in 1857 whilst brutally supressing the First Indian Struggle for Independence. A lot of walking worked up a thirst and an appetite so we consulted the book for a lunch spot and opted for Chor Bizarre - a pun on Thieves Market. A 70 pence tuk-tuk ride later we were there.

They squeezed us into a table at the back but we didn't mind as they had cold Kingfishers for us. The food was excellent, especially the Naan bread - so much lighter than the ones we get at home. The best thing of all was that he background music system played a song called Mere Sapnon Ki Rani which features the Darjeeling Railway. Look it up on YouTube - it's brilliant.
Soon it was time to go to collect our luggage and head for the station.

We arrived much too early, got ripped off by a porter (but only for a couple of quid) and R got struck with Delhi belly. Fortunately we found a seat and the bung up pills and spent a couple of hours watching life go by. When the train arrived there was absolute pandemonium. It seemed like everybody had chosen a spot on the platform as far away from their allocated seat as possible. Our coach was in the middle of the train and we took up residence in our cosy two berth coupe. As it was dark there was not much to see out of the window so we went to bed.

Wednesday 16th - Delhi Old and New

Early start today. It is still raining, not as heavily as last night, but with thunder and lightning. Who said that we wouldn't need brollies. R expects to die shortly as she forgot the warnings and used tap water to clean her teeth. The buffet breakfast has everything that one could desire for breakfast plus a few things that one probably wouldn't. D experiments with some kind of lentil dumpling that would have made a good door stop. By the time we have finished breakfast it has stopped raining.

The metro seems reasonably efficient and excellent value for money. Our 30 minute ride into the city centre costs just over 20p. We arrive at Rajiv Chowk - better known to all and sundry as CP (Connaught Place)and by a sheer fluke find the right exit for the rendezvous with our guide.
Ashem is a final year IT student who hopes to go to the US to train. His first job is to negotiate an autorickshaw to take us round the Lutyens area of New Delhi. First picture shows him striking a deal with the third driver that he tries. The three of us squeeze in and off we go into the traffic. We must be getting numb - it is not as scary as yesterday. In fact its quite a good way to get around if you ignore the blaring horns. Not the greatest mode of transport for sight seeing so you aren't getting a classic view of Lutyens here.
The guide's job is very skilled. When he judges that we cannot take any more vehicular excitement we are whisked by metro to Old Delhi, about 2 miles and 12 centuries away. The buldings are falling down, the roads are full of potholes, there is rubbish everywhere - a lot like Shettleston. We then took a cycle rickshaw ride at which point my camera batteries failed so you do not get to see the next winner of the Tour de France. I hope that he got paid well over the going rate for hauling our blubber laden carcasses around the mean streets.
Our tour promised insights into Indian culture and we certainly got that. Most people spend a lot of time taking off and putting on their shoes and socks. We were no exception as in rapid succession we visited a Jain temple, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva the Destroyer and a Sikh Gurdwara. At each we had to remove shoes and socks and make a token gesture of splashing water on our feet. The Jains have naked men wandering about and lots of rice, the Hindus have incense and throw water about while the Sikhs have an (old) boy band and give away free lunches. They all had amazingly decorated temples but did not allow photography.

We moved on from the temples into the old market. The streets were barely eight feet wide and there was a constant traffic of scooters, cycle rickshaws, porters, and idle pedestrians like us. R was highly impressed by the haberdashery shops which took her back to her salad days in Binns on Princes Street, when Edinburgh still had trams. Our tour finished with lunch in a sort of sub-McDonalds curry house where the food was absolutely fine but everything came in plastic trays. We talked to Ashem about food both in India and in the UK. His family eat meat once a week. He was really keen on burgers but R gave him the sort of lecture that she used to give our girls when they were about 9. Somehow I don't think that she has wrecked his American dream.

We parted company with Ashem and were on our own. A quick recce of the main railway station was followed by a stroll through Paharganj, the legendary hippy hideout. We met our first street cow as well as our first serious hustler, a rather well fed and dressed lady with a clipboard who followed us about 500 yards begging for cash then cursing in fluent English. We escaped by autorickshaw and beat a retreat to the hotel where we had tea in the garden on the 12th floor roof and watched the squirrels.
Two days into our hols and it is already time for a major shakeout of the luggage so that we can leave some in Delhi while we visit Rajasthan. By the time this is achieved it is the cocktail hour. More excellent nibbly things with cold Kingfishers. One could get used to this.