Back to square one

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Though there are fast trains between Agra and Delhi, none of them run in the morning so I was forced to take a slower train early on in order to get to Delhi by midday. Unfortunately it was already running an hour late when I arrived at the station, and had managed to add another hour on top of that before arriving at Agra. It then incurred a further hour of delay on the way to Delhi. One of the fellow passengers in my cabin, who had the good fortune to work in the cement industry, asked me why on earth I had taken this train, as apparently it's notorious for being slow at the best of times as well as prone to delays (his excuse was that it was the only train going to Delhi from the city where he had just completed a business trip). I didn't have an answer to that - unfortunately the Indian Railways website gives times and availability but not reputation.

I had decided to spend my remaining days in India in a luxury hotel, just to see what the level of service and comfort was like. There are 2 main Indian luxury chains - the Taj group and the Oberoi group - and I chose the Taj Mahal hotel, owned by the former. It's in South Delhi, hence away from the main bustle of Paharganj and Connaught Place, and is sufficiently plush that it probably doesn't see too many backpackers. Given the cost of local services and the Western price for the room, I was rather disappointed that it seemed to be like any of the other hotels I've stayed in around the world on business - just with a bigger profit margin, I guess. Even so, it beats staying in a fleapit, even though the 3 nights I'll spend here will probably constitute nearly 50% of my accommodation costs for the last 4 months.

Tomorrow and Thursday had been dedicated to doing my shopping for the entire trip - though this would work out more expensive than if I'd been buying things along the way, it was preferable to lugging gifts around India with me. Unfortunately I'd not done my homework on this, and the auto driver who took me to Connaught Place revealed that tomorrow was Holi, a public holiday including a great deal of throwing around of coloured powder, during which all shops and markets would be closed. He added that there was a good chance many places would be closed on Thursday too. This meant that today would require a bit more shopping effort than I'd really wanted.

Though Delhi is only 240km northwest of Agra, it was cool by comparison and even started raining. I found a few likely gifts in and around Connaught Place, then picked up a few more from a convenient 5-floor emporium with items from all over India.

Back at the hotel, I discovered that a pair of slippers had been carefully positioned next to my bed, and a small card bearing an aphorism from the Dalai Lama laid on my pillow, presumably to allow me to sleep easier. I decided to try the "international" restaurant Machan for dinner, and was pleased to find I wasn't the only diner wearing a T-shirt. The theme of the dining room is a little strange as it resembles a game reserve, with the waiters in safari suits and enormous murals of tigers prowling through a leafy jungle. A keyboard player was warbling reedily over some '80s backing tracks, Madonna and Gloria Estefan being two favourites of hers, but with little feedback from the munchers.

So good food, good music, and a surprisingly unpainful final bill on my third last night in India.

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