Upon arriving at Madrid airport we got quiet a shock. There were queues upon queues of people lining up at the help desk for Turkish airlines, which is whom we were flying with. The worst thoughts possible went through my mind, like the company had gone bust, but fortunately for us, the previous night there had been many thunderstorms in Istanbul so the hoards of people were waiting from the previous night, whilst we had no problems what so ever and were able to check-in as soon as we arrived.

With a slight delay of 55 mins, it meant when we arrived in Turkey we needed to run for the next plane. Why is it when you are in a hurry everyone takes so much longer? Going through the scanners took forever and I felt for sure we were going to miss the second flight to New Delhi. Not sure what I had been worried about though, as once again a 55 minute delay on our next flight out, which turned into an hour and 55 min plus some.

We arranged a "free" pick up service with our hotel, which was the City Star Hotel, next to the New Delhi train station. It was kind of free, we had to pay for the parking charges and a tip to the driver, but still cheaper than paying for a taxi and much less hassle than trying to figure out the metro system at 7 o'clock in the morning after only a few hours sleep on the flight.

With little or no sleep we decided to hit Old Delhi head on, pretty much as soon as we had been fed and watered. We hired a car (and driver) for 800 rupees for half a day and from the comfort of the air conditioned vehicle we enjoyed what it had to offer. First stop was the "India Gate" which was built in rememberance of those who lost their lives in the first world war. Then straight to the heart of the old city.

Something that I had been looking forward to seeing in Delhi was the Red Fort, however, unfortunately due to the celebration of India's independence day on the 15th of August, the fort was temporarily closed during our stay so only a view from the outside was had. Nevermind, everyone says that Agra Fort is better, so looking forward to that instead.

Next door to the fort in the biggest mosque in India, Jama Majid, which we chose to enter is free, execpt there is a charge of 300 if you wish to take photos. A trip up the tower is worth the 100 rupees for great views of the city, but try your best to shake the "guide" as they ask for a lot of money and tell you nothing understandable about neither the mosque nor the surrounding areas.

The small side streets and pathways around the fort and mosque are home to the local markets where you can find pretty much anything you desire. We didn't stop to get out the car here, but fought our way through with the use of the horn to warn anybody who got in our way. First day in India, and first car accident. Another car was a bit too eager to get passed and hit the back side of the car. No damage was done to the car we were in, although the bumper on the other car looked a bit worse for wear. Our driver drove on, as if nothing had happened.

A break from the hustle and bustle of the city can be found nearby at Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. The surrounding parks also looked peaceful and pleasant, however we decided to jump back in the car and try fit in as much as possible before we flaked.

One more stop on the way before heading back to the hotel was at the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, an impressive building but we only appreciated it from the outside. By now, lack of sleep was quickly catching up with us and the driver dropped us back of at the hotel.

Our hotel is lovely, with a great roof top terrace, and lovely spacious clean rooms. You go outside, and you get the complete opposite. Litter on the side of the roads, the smell of urine hits you as you walk round every corner, and the poor sleeping in every other doorway. Welcome to India.

After lunch in a nearby restaurant, and siesta, we hit the streets once more on our advertures in Delhi. This time, opting for the more local mode of transport, although still upper class, we took the metro to Connaught Place, which was only one stop away. The women only entrances, and ticket booths worked in my favour, but then I still needed to wait for Javi to get in before we could go anywhere.

We had gone to Connaught Place as we were told there were lots of shops and stalls where we could buy cheap things, but this didn't turn out to be entirely accurate. It wasn't until we took a wrong turn when we had returned to the area of our hotel, did we find what we had been looking for. Streets and streets of clothes and food and a typical bazaar atmosphere.

Day two

With Old Delhi done and dusted we took the metro (experts now) to Qutb Minar Complex which is in greater delhi. The problem with travelling in August is the heat, it is incredibly hot and sticky, but you cope and you struggle on. To add to this, there are also bouts of rain. This occured as soon as we got out of the underground to visit the Qutb Minar. Assuming that it would eventually pass, we waited almost an hour under the safety of the station. As my mum used to tell me "it's just a passing shower" and it did pass and we felt confident that we would still get to see tomb and mausoleum, until we reached the fast flowing river where a road had once been. At this point we turned around got back on the train to do what many people do on rainy days, visit the national museum.

With the entrance into the museum you receive a free audio guide, which is a wordy commentary about the best 50 odd articles there. Some are more interesting than others and it was a good way to pass the day until it dried up slightly.

A tuk-tuk to Humayun's Tomb was next, and a must in my opinion. They best thing we saw in Delhi, by far (although we didn't get to see two of the big things) it has strong influences from the Taj Mahal and very pretty. The 250 rupees isn't steep either if you ask me.

Gandhi Smriti was another stop on our two day packed tour of Delhi, and Javi's favourite place. A look into Gandhi's life, and more importantly into his final days is to be seen here. A somber place with an erected memorial on the site of his death is a retreat from the fast pace of the other places one might visit in Delhi.

The last stop in Delhi was at Loti Gardens, where as you walk through the lovely gardens, you stubble across crumbling tombs and mosques as you come to clearings in the trees.

Night train to Varanasi, which leaves at 20.40 and arrives at 8.35 the following day. I'll update you from there