Delhli Election skam, Gupta Road and the 'ladies' of Old Delhi Railway Station

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Its what I expected....plus 1000%!!(MISSING) It all began with Air Asia's brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner gliding into Delhi Int'l carrying a 'happy bean'. Great food, unlimited (alcoholic) drinks, Hollywood and X Box's best, and personal service airliners offered 40 years ago. Then...you land!

Airport...? Easy! No queueing for tourists, just the odd security question "Who is your Prime Minister by the way?". Then you are out. The ATM flatly refused me, but after automated texts from the bank I am holding 1,000's of rupees worth very little. Despite Colin's clear instructions not to surrender to the porters I gave in after a 40 yard 'simul-dash' with them and my luggage trolley. When I embarrisingly explain I have NO small change, he tells me sterling is fine and I say goodbye to Gbp1.

The safest form of transport from the airport, bearing in mind scams aboud, are the Police controlled taxis, which we used, and trusted (I even trusted the porter!). But no one could allow for the DELHI LEGISLATVE ASSEMBLY ELECTION. Everything's closed for days, so they say. First our taxi driver didn't know where the hotel was, so after swinging by a Tourism Office it all becomes clear. The blocks around our hotel are closed " for the election" so they've upgraded us for free, to another hotel! Check-in fine, room comfy, area questionable. We walked, took great photographs and got stared at...a lot!

Next day we go back to the helpful tourist office to book a train to the Himalayas. After trying to sell us non existent tourist passes and quoting more than The Train line's price for Lands End to John O'Groats, we left...quickly. Our getaway driver turned out to be an honest tuk tuk driver who explained they weren't to be trusted and took us straight to the Official Tourist Office.

There we discovered our original hotel was open, but the scammers move you to another hotel, at their expense, hoping you will come back for more. And of course we did, but escaped. But they paid for our upgrade, nice one!

Now we have an amazing four week itinerary, at rock bottom price, from the Tourist board. And that's how I came to be in a hotel on the side of the Himalayas, surrounded by pine trees, snow (really) and monkeys.

The route here included two days sightseeing in Delhi, five hours in Old Delhi Train Station, overnight sleeper and toy train (you'll know why when you see it) to Shimla.

I could tell you about the sights and smells of Delhi, but its the families living on the pavement that will stay with me. Tarpaulins tied on railings and pulled across the paving with washing scattered chaotically over the roof. Or the eight year old girl and her 10/11 year old brother doing cartwheels and handstands in the middle of five lanes of traffic for money.

Then the 'ladies' of Old Delhi Train Station. You see a lot during five hours of delays, not least the older ladies who don't appear to have a seat. They crouch, almost kneeling, for hours, and then they make their move. Half hopping, half sliding, one by one they make their way to the edge of the platform. Captured, I watched keenly expecting a reverent act of worship or something similar. Then a trail of liquid seemed to appear and run toward the platform and onto the rails. Yes...this is happening!

The stations rats and cockroaches all showed themselves as the evening went by. The sleeper train was just as you see on TV, and the toy train crawled round mountain passes at 35 mph for nearly six hours after that. Destination Shimla is so worth it all, a world away from the chaos of Delhi.

And the food...I'm in heaven ?

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