What happened that morning was like something out of the movies. Our driver drove with maniacal speed around auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, buses, bicycles, school kids, beggars, piles of rubble, cars, trucks, and - now that we were in India - cows. The streets were filled with debris and teeming with humanity; exactly how we'd pictured Delhi would be. The sun was blood red through the smog, and the city smelled of exhaust and many other odours that we didn't even want to try to identify. Eventually, we got to the Smyle Inn without a scratch, but with some definite concerns about the locale.

We didn't know what we were in for as we walked down a deep, narrow alleyway, carefully sidestepping the puddles that might have originated from the busy, open urinals at the entrance to the alley (Tessa more so because had her flip flops on). However, the hotel was clean and nice, and the service excellent. There was laundry service, internet, and a travel desk. They allowed us to use a room to sleep in until 11:00 a.m., when we got moved to our new rooms. In the early afternoon, Barry researched what we needed to do for our Chinese visas while the rest of us slept some more. When he came back to check on us, our doorknob had broken and we were locked in our room! However, the bellhop-handyman-laundry guy saved us by prying the door open.

After that, Barry and Connor went on a quest to find a bank and get a money order for our Chinese visas.

After several hours of lazing around, we were ready for supper so we got some advice from some fellow Smyle Inn visitors and headed for a restaurant that they recommended. They, in turn, probably got the recommendation from the Lonely Planet guide, which gives the Malhotra restaurant kudos for its hearty Indian food.

The streets were wild - no sidewalks, cows and dogs everywhere, auto and bicycle rickshaws, motorcycles honking non-stop, not to mention the occasional beggar and vendor who called out to us. We turned right and went down the street. Night had fallen and when we took our next right, we were in the dark until we reached a left and the restaurant. It had fantastic Indian food, but the clientele ironically enough, was all white, including many individuals who exuded hippie style clothing and attitude.

After supper, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed. The variety of noises was a little daunting for Tessa so she opted for a night with Mom, while Dad slept with Connor (we had two rooms, which had been very much the norm through Egypt and Kenya as well).