Wow!!Well it's been a really busy and exciting couple of days and although thanks to our first well equipped hotel (Incredible Homestay in Karol Bagh- nice and clean but not in the most interesting area of the city) I've had mobile internet via wifi I've only just got to a computer now so here goes, this is my first blog entry (oooooh!!)...

Delhi, what can I say?arriving at the airport at 3am, and getting to our hotel around 5 as our driver couldn't find the place we were staying, it was all a bit overwhelming... straight to bed then we ventured out on Tuesday morning to get our bearings, and while we ended up being taken to a tour operator (all we wanted from our reception was a map!) who was very helpful and basically sorted out a route for us to get to Mumbai but tried to make us buy train tickets from him (with apparently 5% commission but who knows?!) it was a fun morning and we had our first taste of proper indian food (veg jalfrezi and naan, very good) too.

Although we managed to fob the travel guy off about the train tickets we did end up booking a taxi tour of Delhi for Wednesday. It was actually a great way to see the city and at about 6 quid each, hard to complain (especially since we kept the poor driver busy from 10am til about 7pm as we spent from 5-7pm in the foreigner's travel office of Delhi station sorting out all our train tickets for the new few weeks).

Among other things we saw sights such as Humayan's Tomb (he was a Moghul ruler whose wife apparently built the massive tomb and attaching gardens when he died after falling down the stairs of his library, random or what?!), the India gate (think Delhi's answer to the arc de tromphe), the qu'utar minab (think Delhi's answer to the leaning tower of Pisa, and the same place also had the ruins of the first ever mosque as well as this metal post thing built some time way back when which has miraculously not rusted over centuries due to some rare mineral found it it, odd but interesting) and we went to a government craft emporium where Jade got a beautiful blue silk scard and I got a cosy purple and yellow Kashmir shawl-y thing. a bit pricey but very good quality and I'm sure I'll end up using mine as a pillow during are imminent multiple train journeys!!

Today was a busy day including moving hotels (Ajay's in Paharganji, pretty much just as good as the last one with Winnie the Pooh tiles on the bathroom for some inexplicable reason?!?!), our first autorickshaw rides (scary but a great way to get around and a lot cheaper than the rip off taxis can be) a trip to the National Museum (good according to our guidebooks, boring and expensive according to us) and a visit to Gandhi Smiriti, the place where Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 that is now a really fascinating museum with stone footsetps tracing his last steps before he was assassinated and a very peaceful garden.

This is turning into quite the post but before I finish here are my top three things about being in Delhi/India:

1. Everyone finds Jade fascinating, and when we were at the Gandhi museum about five indian ladies actually shyly shook her hand before walking off looking really excited. It tickles me no end!!

2.The hustle and bustle of people and brightly coloured things literally EVERYWHERE is so dramatically different to home.

3.The food- and the fact that neither of us have got the dreaded Delhi belly from any of it yet!watch this space...

Anway, should really go now. Off to Agra tomorrow, arriving at 2.30 and staying for two days so we'll be seeing that big white building in the picture there I think (not sure what it is though, anyone know?!?!). I know it's a bit cheesy and touristy but I'm SO excited!Also, no photos up yet as my camera is upstairs and I'm too lazy to do anything about it but next entry I'll definitely put some up!

lots of love from Delhi xxxxxxxxxxx