AARRGH!!!

It has been difficult to access this blog in India's capital city, for reasons I will explain, and I now find myself so brimming with such a tantalising array of tales to tell I hardly know where to start! There's the bombs of course, the mouse in my room that had me standing shrieking on the bed cartoon-style, visiting the Red Fort, temples, meeting my contacts here, massively misreading cultural nuances, trying street food (and not getting ill)...so much. But perhaps I'll start by teling you about Delhi.

Delhi is a tough cookie; inscrutable, confounding, brutal on the senses; to be honest pretty hard to like. I have thrown at it all my best resources; common sense, determination, making local contacts, getting out there and just walking the city. Tactics that when previously applied have always yielded results, a place has eventually surrendered some of its secrets, its modus operandi to me. Delhi will not be so easily swayed. After a day and a half of essentially being babysat by my contacts here, I set out by myself determined to get some chores done (internet, bank, chemist etc). I return two hours later; drenched in sweat, my feet sore and coated in the customary layer of grime; none of my tasks completed. The chemist was closed, my bank card wouldn't work and a power cut called a halt to my internet use. And I am totally drained from dodging the taxis, rickshaws, cows, and goats that clog the road, and from fending off the deluge of offers lobbed my way. I just want to get a T-Shirt printed saying; "NO I DO NOT WANT A TAXI/RICKSHAW GOOD PRICE/ TASTY JUICE/JEWELLRY CHEAP AND NICE/ HAIRCUT FOR M'AM/BARGAIN HOTEL. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" But someone would only probably offer to wash and press it for me, or sell me another one in a different colour.

Forget therapy for helping you access any suppressed aggression - just spend a couple of days in Delhi's Parhaganj. Believe me, after the internet has died on you a gazillion times, the same vendor is haranguing you to buy the same pair of sunglasses for three days, after a three-hour quest to work out the mobile phone system here you are none the wiser, the dirt and heat has penetrated your every pore and you have been ripped off agan and again....yep, all that anger and rage just comes flooding out! I believe I have turned into a total B****!

So I do my thing; take a deep breath of (heavily polluted) air and turn on rational voice. Count my blessings (again): I am not ill, I wasn't affected by the bombs, I have a nice place to stay, this is how it is here, this is all part of the adventure. After a few minutes some sanity is restored. I feel bad about painting a negative pictire of this place; I know it can be captivating, wonderful. I have seen only a tiny snapshot and even amongst that have had some great experiences (see the next entry). I was presumptuous; I came here somewhat unprepared, without the right kit so to speak and just expected results. I am looking forward to a return here (planned for the end of October), when I hope that with time and patience and some new tactics, Delhi will show me something else of itself.