Lutyens = my new hero. In your face, Napoleon.

Day 1, Monday 20/10/08, Abu Dhabi - Delhi

Arrived into Abu Dhabi about 4am, after what felt like a surprisingly short flight. Quite a nice flight too actually; snuggled up under my blanket and watching Monsters Inc (no James Bond, sadly), although I think the guy next to me thought I was a complete spaz, given that it took me approx. 25 mins to work out how to use the damn entertainment system. Sigh. Abu Dhabi airport is FIT, its like a weird Eden-project style dome with the gates all running like spokes out of it. There's a very mini piano bar(!) and a prayer room, which I really wanted to see inside, but figured was probably not the best idea, what with being an infidel, blasphemer AND a woman all at the same time... In fact, I was feeling pretty good about Abu Dhabi until I went to use the facilities and was greeted by an indescribable smell and a squat toilet. Nice.

Got into Delhi at c. 3.30pm local time, and was picked up by a hotel transport. Possibly the best car journey I've ever had in my entire life ever. I cannot describe the roads here to you. There are like at least 5 lanes for each side of traffic, but no-one uses them, and the roads are shared by hand-pulled carts, cyclists, cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, cars, lorries, and of course cows. All of them (with the exception of the cows) beeping madly. They don't beep in anger or to say hi to friends or whatever, its "hey, i'm driving less than a foot from your back bumper and I think I can go faster than you so move over now otherwise I'll force you off the road" beeping. On top of all this some drivers just drive down the roads the wrong way for kicks. Insanity. Utter insanity. And SO much fun, especially when your in a rusty little van with no seatbelts and you've just arrived in India for the first time.

Got dropped off at the hotel, which is in Parhagani, the travellers budget enclave of Delhi. Pretty budget, the rooms are 10x10 cells with no windows, but they do have a private toilet, efficient ceiling fan and (cold) faucet which acts like a shower, which is better than many budget hotels. The first room I was in was on the ground floor and backed onto the street, which was somewhat unfortunate given that the alley my hotel is in seems to attract the kind of people that like to start up the chokiest, most decrepid motorbikes in existance at 4am and then rev them constantly at a standstill. Asked to change rooms the following morning and am now on the first floor in a room that is slightly more airless, but at the back of the building. Unfortunately the ceiling fan prides itself on clicking every time it rotates, which is a little trying on the nerves, but my earplugs are becoming my new best friends.

Anyways, after dropping off my stuff I decided to venture out into Parhagani for a little look-see. Parhagani is exactly how I imagined it - packed, deafeningly noisy, stinking of urine, and full of tumbledown buildings and narrow alleys. Its perfect. The only thing that ruins it are the endless bloody touts. They ask you where you're from and get into conversation with you, then they try and sell you something, or try and get you to go into a certain hotel or cafe, or even just try to charge you money for acting as your guide. Obviously I haven't fallen for any of it or given anyone any money (I dilgently read my lonely planet beforehand like a good girl) but all the same its incredibly tiring and not much fun having to fend people off all the time. You end up walking through Parhagani at considerable speed, eyes fixed straight ahead, and not really getting a chance to stop and look at things. I have learnt some tricks of the trade since, but I digress from day 1...

After wandering for an hour or so and soaking up the atmosphere, I headed to Sam's Cafe. [Interjection from 'real time' here - as I was typing that I just accidentally swallowed a mozzie. Bugger.] Sam's Cafe is a rooftop haven of a place that serves pasta, english breakfast and chinese dishes as well as some tasty Indian fare. Not the genuine article for an Indian restaurant of course, but a wonderful place to escape to. I spent the evening chilling out in their rooftop garden, reading and enjoying my first banana pancake, which is most definitely a rite of passage for any traveller; then headed to bed fairly earlyish to try and catch up on some sleep from the overnight flight.

Day 2, Tuesday 21/10/08, Delhi

Woke up to a horrendous racket this morning and presumed I'd slept in. It was actually 7.15. Nice. Got up, enjoyed my cold shower, and immeadiately switched rooms. Then, slightly groggy from my 3 hours of interrupted sleep (see motorcycles, above) I had set off to see Old Delhi by 8.30am. Old Delhi is the congested and chaotic old city that was here before the Brits came along, and which has outlasted them as the social heart of the city. Think the old quarter of Barcelona, but infinitely more crowded, dirty and smelling. I set off to walk there but sadly none of the roads are signposted and this part of the city aint the easiest to navigate, so I employed the services of a cycle-rickshawist who pedelled me to the main bazaar, Chandi Chowk, for 20 rupees. Thats about 22p. Natch. Surprisingly for one of India's main tourist gateways, there were basically no white faces aside from my own, and barely any women. Lots of staring ensued.

I wondered around the spice market and a 17th century mosque and then set off down Chandi Chowk. Its as chaotic as Parhagani, but far less hasslely, and with proper pavements, which reduced the chances of me losing my life somewhat. The same half-constructed, falling-down buildings as in Parhagani were interspersed with glorious raj era architecturelike the State Bank of India, which was involved in the mutiny. Paid my respects both at a Shiva temple and the huge, 16th century Jain temple on the way down Chandi Chowk. The Jain temple was beautiful and had a bird hospital run entirely on donations fom visiters, encompassed in the Jain beliefs about the sancity of all life. I can't really say the Shiva temple was my sort of thing - incredibly gaudy - but a revelation all the same.

Then I headed south to Jama Massjid, one of the biggest mosques in India, and built in the 16th century by the greatest of the Muhal Emperors. Pretty impressive, and holds something like 25,000 people. although I'm glad I wasn't there on one of those days. Then walked south again to Raj Ghat, where Ghandi was cremated. Slightly harrowing journey, as the roads have no pedestrian crossings or often even any traffic lights, and are 5-8 lanes wide. You know in films set in New York or LA where someone tries to jaywalk across the street and almost gets run over by each successive lane of traffic? Yeah, its pretty much like that. I don't know if its a good thing that I'm getting more used to it by now or not....

Raj Ghat, was, well, a platform of black marble in a park, which was all very nice, but it was now 2pm and pretty damn hot, and I was dying of thirst (have discovered that there is no greater delight, no taste more exquisite, than a cold bottle of coke. Water, sadly, just doesn't do it for me). It was then that I discovered my fatal error. I had used up all my change and was stuck with a 1000 rupee note. This is the equivilent to about 12 quid in India and no one had change. Weeping quietly to myself, I started the looong walk back home, passing stall after stall of venders selling beautiful delicious coke and being passing by tens upon tens of auto-rickshaws who would be happy to take me back for a paltry 50p. Finally some angel of a stall holder managed to find me some change and I made all haste back to the hotel to crash out under my wonderful ceiling fan for an hour. Always get change from your hotel receptionist in the morning.

After a couple of hours chilling out at Sam's Cafe I felt revived, and headed off south to a kind of theatre hall to watch a display of traditional dances from around India. Bloody impressive, some of them. Gymastics and martial arts whilst keeping this weird diablo thing in the air with only one short stick, banging drums in crazy fast beat whilst upside down midst way through a kartwheel.... strange stuff. Had a comical/horrifying 30 mins where I was the only person in the audiotorium, which I have since discovered (and when I say since I mean like about 45 mins ago) is due to the fact that my watch reads half an hour faster than everyone else's in Delhi. Bloody airline and its 'estimation' of local time.

When I got back around 8.45, I decided to bite the bullet and head to the nearest bar in the hope of tapping into this so-called traveller's grapevine. In the process I learnt three things. One, they always seat the white people together, which eases the process. Two, when you've eaten barely anything (its too bloody hot in India to eat) two Kingfisher's (the local lager, retailing about 90p each), will get you satisfyingly drunk. Three, no matter what you say, how you act, whatever, it doesn't matter, because you will most likely never see your new friends them again! This doesn't mean that I was a total flid, obvs (the fellow table mates were very nice and cool to talk to, even though one of them was a filthy filthy Cambridge alumni), but it does tend to dissipate the next morning paranoia somewhat... needless to say, fun was had.

Day 3, Wednesday 22/10/08, Delhi

Woke up late today and decided to walk to 'New' Delhi, or 'Lutyens' Delhi, namely the sector built during the fading years of the British Raj, and largely the work of architect Edwin Lutyens. Stunning, absolutely stunning. Walked down to the old Viceroy's Palace, which is flanked by two huge Secretariat buildings and faces a long grass and tree lined boulevard (the Raj Path) that leads off to the India Gate, the WW1 memorial arch, several kilometres in the distance. The Indian Champs Elyees, I guess, but far, far more beautiful. Lutyens was a genius - I wish I could describe the epic proportions and grace in the style that the whole visage presented, the computer I'm working from doesn't have a USB port so I can't even upload the photos. Still, the sense of serenity and calm the wide streets and the big buildings inspire after the sights and smells of Old Delhi yesterday was a revelation. Definitely my favourite place I've seen so far.

After strolling down the Raj Path I visted the National Museum. Interesting stuff, particularly the gallaries on the Happaran civilisation, which was contemporaneous with the Egyptian and Mesopotaian eras, and from which most of India's legal system, belief structures and caste society descend, but which no-one in Eurpoe seems to have barely have heard of. The experience was made somewhay hilarious by the addition of about 200 schoolboys, who found me utterly facinating and who skirted me in groups, giggling, before one would work up the courage to say hello and kiss my hand. Maybe I should start wearing looser tops?

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Part of trip: Backpacking around India and Nepal

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