We were going to find out whether Delhi deserves to be called the capital of India. It's the 'new' capital of India, Kolkata used to be the capital but when India declared their independence from the Brits they shifted their capital.

Our coach journey from Agra should have only taken 4 hours but it took 6 hours leaving us both frustrated when we arrived at a bus station outside of the city leaving us dealing with eager tuk tuk drivers which we could have done without.

Our initial thoughts of Delhi were 'oh, it's not as bad as we thought it would be' when driving through we saw loads of shops, a commercialised roundabout, and a variation of poverty and wealth. Delhi apparently went under a major makeover ready for the 2010 Commonwealth Games which probably worked in our favour.

We had booked ourselves into a hotel, granted it was only a 3 star but gave us some respite from the chaos outside. On arrival at our hotel we were pleasantly surprised, as we only paid £20 a night which is over our budget but for our safety and happiness there is no price. We had two double beds, a flat screen tv and a hot shower. The small things you take for granted!

On our first night we bumped into a group of about 10 deaf people and we instantly got chatting, they even took us on a local tour showing us the local deaf club and giving us tips and advice. Contact details were exchanged in the hope that we can meet up when we return.

The two days we had in Delhi were spent shopping saving the sightseeing for when we return back after Nepal as we wanted to complete our Christmas shopping. Most of our time was spent at the Main Bazaar which was in the locality of our hotel. The bazaar was full of anything a traveller wishes to buy, we also visited Chandni Chowk which Nick particularly hated. Chandni Chowk is apparently Delhis 'backbone' crowded, jam packed with stalls and shops. An aromatic muddle of flowers, urine, incense, chais, body odour, fumes and street food. Nick got very frustrated and we had to leave!

A list of the things we hate about Delhi;

1) men using the streets as urinals and nobody batting a eyelid

2) the traffic, chaotic but we have learnt to cross the road the 'Indian way'

3) its crowded, everyone fights for the same empty corner you may find

4) spitting, everyone, and we mean everyone spits in the street. Delhi would be so rich if they fined everyone who spat

5) chatty young men trying to be our friend, either trying to get us to go on a tour or go to his friends shop.

6) stray dogs, as some of them are very cute and Helen wants to take them home. They even bark at Helen....

There are SOME positives about Delhi though;

1) the bazaars, which are colourful and they have everything you wish for

2) the metro, super modern and super clean but avoid in rush hour where it's like a tin of sardines.

3) they don't stare as much here, probably because they're more used to Westerners however, we did get our photo taken randomly occasionally.

Our last morning was spent going to the Airport, which was very impressive. It's super modern, minimalist and even has a WHSmiths which meant Helen could buy her copy of Closer! We caught our flight to our next destination, Kathmandu in Nepal with Indigo and again we were surprised to find ourselves on a brand new plane that left on time. Delhi did find some time to throw in some last minute surprises.

We plan to return back to Delhi after Nepal to take in the sights of Delhi (sightseeing), a national park (tbc), Varanasi and our final destination in India, Kolkata before flying to Thailand.

The last 6 weeks has been a roller coaster of emotions in particular for Helen who got homesick at times, being on the road for more than 4600 kilometres, (4594km give or take), having the most enjoyable experiences of our lives to staying in some grubby-ish places. India goes within and beyond your imagination, it's definitely a country that is worth exploring and appreciating!