Delhi in a Day, well two

---

---

Arrived in the capital after a 4 hour flight from Cochin, including a stop over in Hyderabad. Everyone I had talked to about Delhi over the last month had said it was mental place traffic and pollution was the worst in India, people are hassling you all the time etc, so was expecting the worst and kinda looking forward to it, but got off the plane into a taxi and into a hotel with no problem I was really disappointed, wandered around the markets till late and again no problems, people asking to come into their shops but wasn’t in a bad way like some places. Even the traffic disappointed me, it was heavy but no manic, and I was staying in the worst area according to the lonely planet.

The next morning I set off to find trouble, a few of the touts were a bit pushy, but eventually left me alone. I walked up the Red Fort, dating back to 1648, on the way I stopped off at Jana Nasjid the largest mosque in India, it can hold 25000 worshipers, reached the red fort, starving, went in hoping there would be a restaurant inside but there wasn’t, so I was in a pisser of a mood leaving. Got over that when I found a restaurant and had a nose around the bazaars, at this stage I had seen the Delhi I was told about and I really liked it, apart from the various smells. Got a cycle-rickshaw back to the hotel, which I felt really bad about once I got on, but got to see a lot more of the city, I think I saw everything on the roads except a elephant which I was a bit disappointed about. And areas that sell everything, each trade or product is in one area, with hundreds of little shops on the one street doing the same thing. That night I headed to Connaught Place a restaurant area, the change was incredibly, walking down a street with whole families sleeping out to a shopping area that would put Grafton Street to shame, in literally about 30 seconds, it was incredible.

The next day I did all my xmas shopping for the family, earliest ever, and sent it off which took all day.

had planed to go from Delhi to Agra for the taj mahal and then on through a few cites over to rajistan. but after i was so unimpressed by the red fort, my fault not its it was a amazing building, i decided to get back out into the great outdoors, consulted the lonely planet and 16 hours north of Delhi is Manali, a base for treking, mountain biking, rock climbing, rafting, and a few others including skiing but was prob going to be too early for that, so hoped on the bus the following evening and arrived the next afternoon in manali, the place was amazing situated in a valley at a altitude of 2000 feet right in the foot , with snow capped mountains surrounding. i was delighted. started to call into adventure agencies to try and organize treks or anything, and found that the season was over, by about a month, nothing was happening, very grumpy and tired went back to the lonely planet and found another place that was similar to manali called Rishikesh but it was another 18 hours away but a bus left at 6 pm from Manail, had a look at a few websites and found a company was organizing a trek for the 30th, rang the up and made sure it was happening, hoped on a bus, and arrived in rishikesh this afternoon. in the last 40 hours i'v spent 34 hours on a bus am absolutely shattered. (at one of the stops this morning 6 army guys got on all carrying machine guns didn't no weather to be delighted of terrified) and only 6 hours from Delhi where i am, but i made it. Rishkesh is really really nice, situated on the ganges and just in the foothills of the himalayas, and its busy. its the place the Beatles came to when they came to india and is full of pilgrims starting the trek at 8 am tomorrow morning, plan on spending a few days here.

the last tree photos arn't mine, didn't take many potos in delhi, and dont have myc camera to upload manali fotos, so just swiped these off the internet

---