Today was the first proper day of the tour and we headed out early in to the craziness of Delhi. It was approximately 8am when we headed out and walked through the Side streets towards the metro. At this time of day the streets are relatively quiet and clean as they are swept by local people and they seem to take great pride in the area surrounding their shops and homes. On our way from the hotel to the metro we had a little companion in the form of a stray dog, he followed us all the way ...across busy roads and down many side streets never leaving the group and happily wagging his tail. He was such a cutie pie...I wanted nothing more than to tickle behind his ears, but you can never be sure if they will snap or have fleas etc.

On arrival at the metro we were met by security scanners like those seen at the airport and were scanned and our bags checked. The metro was something we were all apprehensive about as it's so busy and easy to get separated but in reality it's very nice, it's like a tube system in any big city.... Crowded and warm but also clean and easy to navigate. There are plenty of coffee shops and no spitting allowed which is always nice to see. The journey was to take us to Jama masjid which is Delhi's largest mosque holding a staggering twenty five thousand people. The journey cost fifteen rupees and entry is two hundred. The exchange rate being approximately one pound to one hundred and fourteen rupees. It was an extra three hundred rupees to take a camera and since Angie was a photographer she said she would take hers and email pics to everyone.

The mosque towers over old Delhi and it's known as the Friday mosque. It sits on top of a vast set of steps and was designed by the architect Shah Jahan who designed the Taj Mahal and was in fact his last piece of work. The mosque is a large square and has four separate entrances that lead to a large courtyard facing a pray area with a minerat on both sides which you can climb up (although ladies have to have a guy with them). This offers spectacular views of the city. Prior to entering you must remove your shoes and ladies have to cover their arms so we were given a bright overcoat to wear which was quite warm. We were quite surprised as had all dressed modestly. I was wearing a floor length white maxi skirt and had a loose linen tee shirt and a scarf but that wasn't adequate. However I'm sure it was more to do with tipping as they guys were very demanding on exiting that you tip them... And got quite aggressive! For that reason I refused to tip them. I refuse to encourage such behaviour and told them so. The mosque is quite beautiful inside with intricate painting work and chandeliers within the pray area. It's also a very calming place and it was nice to experience it. On exiting the mosque we retrieved our shoes and heading through old Delhi towards a Sikh temple.

The Sikh temple was very interesting and we were welcomed by a gentleman who wanted to tell us more about Sikhism. He gave us a brief over view then informed us we would have to remove both shoes and socks and cover our heads... Both male and female. My scarf was okay here and more than adequate. We were told we could take photos but none that were posed within the temple and to please avoid the flash, but to be honest I found the whole thing a bit uncomfortable. I enjoyed being in the temple and learning bout Sikhism and witnessing their prayer ceremony but I felt a bit awkward with the whole photo taking thing. I felt we were invading someone's place of worship and making in to a tourist attraction... For this reason I avoided photography. The temple was stunning though and the people friendly. They had such a peaceful and generous outlook on life here on earth and it was nice to witness and be a part of it.

After this we had a free afternoon and went sari shopping... Angie had heard of a large retail chain known as 'FabIndia' and we hoped to find it and get an idea of prices and styles before going to the local market. It's a chain were prices are fixed and seems most like shops back home.... However it's not easy to find, especially when locals want you to buy their purchases. We decided lunch was needed first to harbour some energy then we would tackle the shops.

We went to a chain restaurant and ordered an aloo dozai which is a large rice pancake that is made by making the rice into a paste and spreading it out like a pancake. It is then filled with spiced potato (aloo). You then tear pieces off and dip not the various raita and sauces. It was scrumptious, very light but also very satisfying. It is a South Indian dish that I hope we will be seeing a lot more of.

We then looked round the shops but struggled to locate 'FabIndia' and no one had heard of it so we went to a local shop and tried on various Indian clothing. We wanted to wait till we got to Varanasi to buy our saris as they are famous for their silk, but in the meantime wanted something relatively cheap to wear to the Taj Mahal. We wanted to get Punjabi suits (a tunic, loose trouser and scarf combo), and wanted bright colours. The guy instead got out loads of paisley print and although comfy wasn't really what we wanted... Was fun though trying on the various outfits. The saris are stunning, they are long pieces of fabric ...approximately seven meters and are wrapped around an underskirt. They are lovely.... Anyway we decided to look elsewhere and left. Jem (from London) is Asian and bought a beautiful sari, so did Vanessa and Darcy bought a pashmina.

Later we headed out for a group dinner at the sister restaurant of Shudh where we had eaten on our second night and it was a thali restaurant.... This is when you get numerous small dishes and pick at them... Like tapas. It was tasty and our little dog friend from the morning again walked with us the whole way again ...so cute! We headed home late and crawled into bed... Early Start tomorrow.