3/1/10 Phuket to Delhi (Singapore, Hong Kong)

We were collected from the hotel at 6am after we woke at 5am to pack and get ready to go. We had packed and weighed our bags which were about half a kilo over weight so we thought we'd get away with it. The ride to the airport was smooth as there was hardly any traffic about and we arrived with plenty of time to spare. When we pulled up we saw there was a big queue just to get into the terminal building so we joined the end of it. The bags are all scanned before you go into the terminal so that was the reason for the queue. We got through that quite quickly then went to see if our flight had a desk asigned. There was one so we went to join the queue. The flight number listed above the desk was for another flight but we waited in the queue anyway as that was where the sign said to wait. The queue was moving really slowly and it took ages for us to reach the front of the queue. When we said we were booking for the Singapore flight we were asked to wait a few minutes and then the desk would be opened. Then the two desks next to ours opened for the singapore flight and all the people behind us whizzed over and started to get booked onto the flight before us...don't you just hate that !!! Anyway eventually we were called forward and we put our bags on the scales.....they weighed in 5kg over our allowance !!!! We both thought they must be wrong and a scam was in place but what can you do, we had to pay an excess baggage fee. We got our passes and went through passport control to wait for our plane to board. We had to fly to Singapore to get back to our original flight plan then on to Hong Kong. We would fly back across SE Asia en route to Delhi...rediculous but just the way our flights worked out. We boarded the no frills airplane and flew the one and a half hours to SIngapore. When we came into land you could see how clean and immaculate Singapore was below us. When we got into the airport it was spotless as well. We went through passport control and out through customs but were directed through the red channel to get our bags scanned. The customs official asked Phil if he'd bought any bullet cases on our trip !!??? We had no idea what he was talking about but they just rescanned his bag then let us through...weird !! We checked in at the desk and funnily enough our bags weighed just over the allowance as we thought and no fee to pay !!! In Singapore we spent three hours waiting and used the free internet there and looked round its few shops while listening to the piped XMas music playing round the airport. We ate some Subway (best of a bad choice of food) then boarded the next flight through to Hong Kong. The flight to Hong Kong was about three and a half hours and so we settled to watch movies and listen to the Xmas album playing on the stereo. Once at Hong Kong our bags were transferred for us so we just had to wait in the transit area for the flight on to Delhi. The flight was five hours into Delhi and apart from Phil having no food as the only choice was fish curry the flight was great. We filled the time watching the movies and listening to music. When we landed in Delhi it was thick with fog and really cold, we had been lucky to land at all as many flights had been cancelled. It was a real shock to our systems having spent the last five months in the sun and heat. We joined a huge queue for immigration but went through without any problems and were met by Rajiv, the rep from Oddysey tours who we'd booked our North India tour with. Phil needed the loo so went outside the airport doors to use the facilities but had to beg security to let him back in as he hadn't got a ticket...crazy !!They even insisted on seeing his visa...how did they think he got into the country in the first place. We had decided to treat ourselves at the beginning of India as everyone whos been there says how stressful and difficult India is to travel round. Rajiv took us to a car and we were driven through Delhi to our hotel. On the way to the hotel we looked out of the windows at our first glimpse of India and saw loads and loads of rubbish lying everywhere in huge piles. There were dogs and cows feeding on the piles of rotting rubbish !! As we drove along the highway was really busy considering it was about 4am, Rajiv said that lorries were only allowed to drive at night to relieve conjestion !! There were people sleeping rough and the traffic was crazy with cars, bikes and tuk tuks winding across lanes. To pass the trucks drivers just toot their horns and pass hoping the truck will hear them !!! We made it safely to the hotel just stopping to let Phil get some money from a really slow ATM. The Florence Inn is a nice neat hotel with lovely staff and we had a nice room there with loads of space. Rajiv gave us an itinerary and some tickets for trains then left us to get some much needed sleep.

4/1/10 Delhi

We woke up at about 10 after some much needed sleep. We got showered and dressed to explore Delhi. It was pretty cold and very foggy still. As soon as we stepped foot out of the hotel door we were approached by a charming man who steered us into his tour shop, the first of many pushy sales patters we were to encounter. He was all smiles and charm, offering all sorts of services but it was all a bit of a bombardment so we said we would think about it and call in later. He wasn't too happy with that but we gave him no other option. We left the shop and headed towards the metro station to catch a train into the centre of Delhi. We were staying in an area called Karol Bagh which is a middle class area of the city but we walked along the main street and were thrown into a sensual overload of smells, sounds and sights. There were market stalls, people selling foods and teas, animals freely roaming around and smells of sewage. It was pretty clean there though with not too much litter around but the buildings all looked quite neglected and in poor states. We made our way to the metro which was all straight forward with a token system to get through the barriers. Here we were met with Indias obsession with airport style security metal detectors which are everywhere, shops, restaurants and all public buildings (slight problem explaining Lizzies pacemaker). We boarded the rammed train and after only three stops got off at New Delhis main station in Connaught Place. We emerged from the underground station into a huge central area of Delhi designed to immitate the Royal Crescent in Bath but as a complete circle. In its day it would have been fabulous to see but unfortunately the whole area is a teeming mass of noise, dirt and hassle as you walk around trying not to be duped by the touts offering help to find all sorts of tourist services. Delhi is hosting the commonwealth games late in the year so there is work going on to clean things up but there is so much to do we doubt it will be ready. One guy claimed he was working in the car park we were near and offerd to show us a tour shop of the "official" tourist board. Once we arrived at the shop tucked behind a tailors shop we realised we'd been duped but just made a quick exit. We needed to change some money so went to the nearest bank, but they didn't change travelllers cheques and directed us to the money exchange part of the bank a few streets away. We called into Thomas Cook office but there rates weren't too good so we went to find the oher bank office. We found the building but it was surrounded by huge fences and it took a while for us to get in. When we finally made it into the bank we were directed out and up to the top floor of the next building...this was one example of Indias complicated systems for everything. After another security check we went up in the lift to the 13th floor to be told "we don't change travellers cheques" and directed to somewhere else. We did have a good view from up there though so that was a bonus. We left that bank with an address for a money exchange accross Connaught Place where we set off walking towards. We were asked by numerous taxis, tuk tuk and men where we were going and they could take us to somewhere. We made it to where we needed to be then a man started talking to us asking wht we were looking for. He told us there were no money exchanges twhere we were but he knew of one he could take us to !! Thankfully we ignored his advice and saw many money exchanges near where we were. We went into a ban which offered exchange and sat to join a queue. Two girls in front of us were exchanging Euros in cash for Rupees and it had taken 45 minutes to do with copies of passports and visas and several forms to fill in !! Liz changed her money but it took ages so by the time it was Phils turn they said it was too late and they were closed !!! What a frustrating country!!! We wet into another bank which was open but the security guard took us down the street into a small shop to get the money changed. The old couple doing the exchange were lovely and it took about 5 minutes with no forms of hassle. While we were in there we chatted to an English couple who'd been to India numerous times who advised us to go to Wengers bakery next door. We went into the bakery which was packed with customers and joined the bizarre ordering system. You had to make your order at one desk, pay at another and collect your order at a third !!! If you wanted sweet and savoury you had to do the orders seperately!!! It was very weird but seemed to work and the food was great. We then went to a cafe next door for a much needed hot drink and some peace from the constant noise of traffic and horns outside and bumped into the couple again. We joined Jake and Kay for a coffee and a chat and then went for food with them. Kay had remembered a cafe from ten years ago and took us there. It was a vegetarian place and we had Massalla Dosa which was a curried potato stuffed pancake with four sauces for dipping. The food is supposed to be eaten using the right hand only (left for bottoms) but Liz is left handed and it was really difficult. It was lovely food and it was really cheap too. We went back to the hotel after a long, cold day but we'd really enjoyed our evening. When we got back to th hoel the receptionist said there was a problem with our room and we both thought we'd been robbed but it turned out that there was no hot water and we were moving rooms. Phew!!! We moved our bags and went to bed.

5/1/10 Lizzies Birthday

We woke up at 8am with a phone call saying our driver was there to pick us up. We weren't due to leave until 6th so Phil went to see what was going on. It turned out there were two Elizabeths in the hotel and they had woken the wrong one, the receptionist didn't apologise though !!! We went down for breakfast then went back to the room for showers but there was no hot water in our new room either !!! The staff soon came and sorted the hot water so we had showers and went out after sorting some paperwork and some much needed repairs to clothes. Liz picked up lots of email messages for her birthday at the hotel first .We caught the tube to Chadni Chowk which is in the middle of Old Delhi. When we got off the train we were in a small lane through to the main street. It was filthy with rubbish and rotting food stuff. Old Delhi has more character than New Delhi and is a series of bizarres which are smaller streets and lanes lined with shops. It is bustling with life there and is full of noise and things going on everywhere.We passed a security guard with a gorgeous old car and stopped to chat and take photos..amazingly he didn't try to sell us anything. The stalls sold everything from foods to pashminas to electrical goods. Walking around was like being transpoted back to medieval times. It was fascinating walking around looking at everything and we were as much of a tourist attraction to the locals as they were to us. We could see the Red Fort from the main street and were heading to see it but kept getting asked to go in everyones tuk tuks even though it was about a five minute walk. We made it to near the fort then went walking through a Tibetan Refugee market area which was selling mostly warm clothes and blankets. Wandering round we had seen lots of men peeing against anything upright, openly using the city streets as a toilet and then on the way to the fort we passed a place in the middle of the dual carriageway which was obviously used for number twos....nice!!! There were definate pockets of stinks all around Delhi but it seems its normal practice to do it. We made it to the Red Fort through a gauntlet of cow poo, streams of wee, mud, rubbish and general mayhem and got tickets to visit inside. We ran another gauntlet on the way in through loads of children trying to sell postcards and other tourist rubbish. The fort was packed with locals and other tourists but we made our way inside through the obligatory security sceens. The fort is a Mughal fort built by Shah Jahan in 1638 from sandstone hence its red colour. The same maharaja built the Taj Mahal but was imprisoned by his son in Agra fort before the Taj was completed. It covers a vast area and we spent a long time mooching about through the areas open to the public. There was a display of paintings of Indians who are called martyrs as they died for their country during British occupation. There were grassy areas inside and many buildings with columns and highly decorated panels. We had some tea in the restaurant then went back outside to find somewhere to get food in the Chadni Chowk streets. We decided to return to the fort to see the Sound and Light show that is on everynight and charts the history of the fort from Mughal times through British occupation until the present day. Phil was frozen as we hadn't got too many warm clothes left after sending them back to UK from Australia. We walked through the markets to try and find a cheap fleece. All the traders seemed to be wearing fleeces but nowhere sold them. One chap said he would go and get Phil a jacket the same as his. He disappeared then another man came back with the mans jacket still warm in his hands...hilarious!!! Needless to say Phil declined!! We found another one in a pile of coats on the floor but realised they were all second hand so we decided to just be cold !! We walked around trying to find somewhere to eat but the only place we found was McDonalds where you couldn't buy a burger because its a Hindu country and they don't serve beef!!! Phil knows how to treat a girl on her Birthday !!! We went to watch the show but it was an openair one sitting in the foggy air wa freezing nd the show wasn't too good. It dragged on a bit but we stuck with it to the end unlike a large group of tourists who left half way through. It was a history on the loud speakers with lights shining on a few of the forts buildings as relevant information was spoken. It was quite good infomation but it did go on a bit. We were quite cold and so headed back to the train station. We stopped for about half an hour in the middle of the main street next to a hindu shrine just taking all the madness in then left to go to the station. We got back to Karol Bagh and decided to look around there a bit as we'd only ventured as far as the station before. We called into a Nepalese retaurant and chatted to the lovely waiters there over a good curry. It ended off Lizzies Birthday perfectly. What more could a girl want , dinner and a show!!!