Arrival and the Ambassador

To arrive in Delhi from Heathrow we took the scenic route, via the zero degree temperatures of Moscow. The transfer always looked a bit tight but then with a late arrival and no available gate we started to get a little concerned. Half an hour after arriving a bus pulled up to take us from the tarmac to the terminal and the speed we got from there onto the next flight must have set records, shouting "Delhi" to anyone in authority and we were whisked straight through.


At the baggage area in Delhi earlier fears proved founded when most of the passengers had already left and we were surrounded only by those who had been with us since London. Our rucksacks had taken things leisurely back at Moscow and wouldn't be joining us for the beginning of the trip. This gave us an early experience of Indian bureaucracy which though time consuming wasn't too painful, just one extra queue to join, to get an official stamp on a form from a chap who only appeared to have anything to do when that one particular form needed stamping.


Then out into the early morning Delhi haze. Tiredness made the crazy taxi journey surreal rather than scary as it should have been. I mostly sat there gazing round and grinning at the whole new world I'd just entered.


Following a mid-morning power nap the first day was spent avoiding being taken to any of the tourist offices the many people encouraged us to go to and choosing a few of our own. As there are currently four of us traveling together, it was decided that to hire a car and driver could be a good way to see a lot of Rajasthan in a short time. I'm not convinced we got a great deal, but we certainly could have done a lot worse, and we signed up to nine days and five cities which will culminate in Agra where a train to Varanasi will follow.


With a few sights to see in Delhi and a need to pick up our tardy bags we passed the second day with a trip to the Jama Masjid and Red Fort. I can confirm that the fake tour guide scam mentioned in the Lonely Planet for the Jama Masjid is alive and well, though the hassle of it can be avoided by using either of the side entrances. The day ended with an expensive session of drinking and eating, with friends from home Kate and Will, out on shorter holidays and with budgets to match.


Then the road trip began, with a marathon eleven hour drive to Bikaner, out in the desert, a place I'd never heard of but took a shine to. Happily the hangover receded by mid afternoon, less happily it was helped on by the first McDonalds I've eaten for over five years. Which brings things to today, a visit to the impressive Junagarh Fort, the bizarre rat temple at Karni Mata, monkey attacks at Mandore gardens and arrival in the narrow old city streets of Jodhpur. It's been a strange day I guess, but it's amazing how quickly things seem ok. I'd always thought that driving on the wrong side of the road around blind bends was a bad thing now it doesn't even register. The whole of India seems like madness, so a temple worshipping rats fits right in.


Word is that the view of the Mehrangarh fort from the hotel roof restaurant here at Yogi's restaurant is one of the best in town. If I wake up in time I'll attempt to do it justice for the next post.

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