India is definitely very different to any country we have been before. The sheer number of people everywhere is astonishing and overwhelming. It has definitely taklen a bit of getting used to. Arriving in the airport at Delhi, the first thing you notice is the smog and brown tinge of the sky. The sun is just an orange blob, barely distinguishable from the brown haze around it. Tne acrid smell of smoke fills your lungs and stings your eyes as you exit the terminal building. We hopped in our transfer car and were darting through the traffic at lightning speed, auto-rickshaws, pedestrians, trucks, cars, cows, trailers, camels all fighting for their shareo f the road. We arrived at our hotel in New Delhi and decide to go for a walk. A small crowd of locals gather around us asking "where you from?", "where are you going?", "do you like india?", "How long have you been here?". They tell Dean he looks like a movie star and proceed to follow us along the street, all the while firing questions at us and insisting that we should come and visit their shop. We seek refuge in the only place we know they wont follow... "KFC", as there is a security guard at the door!

We did manage to get a little bit of sightseeing done, visiting the Gandhi memorial, and museum, as well as a few of the other major sights in Delhi, the most interesting part was just watching the people and the traffic! Our driver then took us to Agra, to get there we had to drive through rural areas, where there were still hundreds of people everywhere. In these areas, the people are very traditional, over 99% of marriages are arranged, and they still follow the caste system. The conditions that people are living in is quite shocking to our 'western' ideas of 'necessities' and 'comfort'. The saddest this is to see a 5 year old kid, clutching an infant, dressed in rags banging on the window of the car begging for food or money. It breaks your heart, but the driver says not to give anything as if they see you give something to one, you will soon be mobbed, so we must just look straight ahead and pretend like we don't see.

As I said, it has taken a bit of getting used to. There are no 'malls' or nice parks or even nice streets to stroll along, the poverty is everywhere and it's quite confronting. you sometimes feel trapped in your hotel to take refuge from it all. In the last few days though, I am starting to see the interesting side of india, the cuture and the people, the history and the geography. It is a very diverse and religious country and the rituals and traditions are quite amazing. I think I'm even beginning to like it here.

Tomorrow we head to Pushkar for the Pushkar Camel Fair - one of the largest fairs of its kind in india, where pilgrims and tourists descend on a little town in the desert yo plunge intoa lake and be purged of their sins! I don't know if we will be jumping in... definitely won't put our heads under!!