After 2 months in Africa it's time to move onto Asia and specifically India - I am at last joined by Gemma who missed out on Africa but is now here for the duration.

The flight into Delhi arrived at crazy o'clock in the morning yet the airport was still packed with people. A hazy smog has penetrated the terminal building and we're wondering what awaits us after passport control. Fortunately Gemma arranged for someone from the hostel to pick us up and he takes us through the dark deserted Delhi streets then leads us of foot down and even darker and more deserted alley to our hostel - which is pretty grim but we're too exhausted to either notice or care.

We planned an early rise the next morning as time in Delhi is tight but the combination of tiredness and jetlag get the better of us. First stop is the train station where we had our first encounter (of many) with the touts of Delhi who's tricks include demanding to see your tickets and misdirecting you to the incorrect ticket counters. Naffed off by their antics we head to Old Delhi station where we get more of the same treatment.

We decided we had to get more out of this trip than visiting Delhi's train stations so we make a beeline for the Red Fort, which houses the independence museum and hosts a slightly dated (circa 70s) light show. The fort itself is pretty impressive.

Delhi is a fairly spread out city and one of the easiest ways to get around is by auto rickshaw - effectively a scooter with a cab attached. This is one of the most hair-raising methods of transport weaving in-between anything in the way (cars, bikes, people, cows!) and narrowly missing them all within a matter of millimetres. They also provide a constant source of amusement with their opening offers for even the simplest journey.

Next day all the museums are closed - its Monday. So we check out Connaught Place (like a western shopping plaza with even more pushy touts), India Gate (where Gemma is hounded by school boys eager to have their picture taken with her) and Purana Qila (a majestic fortress). We take a walk down Rajpath to marvel at the wonderful Secretariat buildings and Rashtrapati Bhavan (the official residence of the president of India). Finally we visit our first Sikh temple of Bangla Sahib Gurudwara - Delhi's largest Sikh temple.

Our time in Delhi was desperately short and we didn't get to see half the things we had hoped to. Excitingly all the places we plan to visit in this culturally rich country promise more to see than we could possibly have time for.