Delhi (Sun 8th - Wed 11th March)

Arrived in Delhi after a 6 hour flight from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. Time in India is 2.5 hours behind HK and we are now only 5.5 hours ahead of UK time.We were picked up at IRI (Indira Ghandi International) airport by our hotel taxi.

Early impressions of India were not promising. The airport itself is a bit shabby but it is not until you get outside the terminal that you realise what a dump the place is. Although you read about it and are expecting it, it still comes as a culture shock when you see the poverty for the first time. The roads are dirty, dusty and dangerous and chaos reigns as the thousands of rickshaws, mopeds, taxis, lorries, cars and the odd cow wend and weave their way through the streets. Use of the horn is compulsory if you want to avoid hitting someone. It's not uncommon to see traffic on the wrong side of the road. I don't understand how there are not more accidents. I wouldn't survive 5 minutes on these roads.There is often no pavements to speak of and if they do exist they are used for anything but walking. The shops and offices all seem shabby and disgusting. I have heard a lot about India being one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an increasing middle class but to me it still seems an incredibly poor country and has a long long way to go. If this is what the capital city looks like then what is happening in the rest of the country of over one billion people.

Our hotel The Godwin Grand in the Ram Nagar district of New Delhi was fine with a pleasant roof-top restaurant serving excellent Indian food. However the district like most of Delhi is pretty horrible.I did not feel threatened or think it was dangerous but we ate in the restaurant every night because we did not feel like walking the streets or have any confidence that we would find a decent restaurant anywhere near the hotel.

The only way to see the city is really by private car which is very easy to arrange and fairly cheap. Our driver, Puran, was excellent and we had full confidence that he would negotiate the roads without accident. Over 2 days he took us to the usual tourist sights such as the:-

·Lakshmi Narayan Mandir (Hindu Temple) - see photos

·Jama Masjid -the biggest Mosque in India which can accommodate 25,000 worshippers

·The Red Fort -used as barracks by the British Army during the Raj

·Humayan Mausoleum - constructed to house the remains of a Mughal Emperor

·The Parliament buildings, India Gate, Ghandi's statue etc

He dropped us off both days at Costa Coffee (one of the few places we trusted) in Connaught Place (built by the British) which is meant to be the heart of New Delhi. However here you are pestered by hawkers and beggars and people trying to direct you to some "tourist shop" and warning you not to go to the next area -so we didn't really like that place either so it was good to get back to the peace and tranquillity of the hotel.Only fun was getting a lift back on the auto rickshaws which have taken over the streets.

We happened to be in Delhi at the same time as one of north India's most popular festivals called Holi which celebrates the beginning of spring. Most of the city shut down as people play Holi by throwing coloured powders and water at each other. Everyone is a target whether you want to be or not. Sometimes it gets a bit rowdy especially after a few drinks.On the Wednesday we were strongly advised by our hotel not to go out on the streets until the evening so we were effectively incarcerated in the hotel and spent the time reading, internet, updating this blog and being entertained by the multi-coloured locals going by.