Goodness me! After 2 days of compelete nervousness and a brain like a Gorgonzola cheese, I finally got to Heathrow (thanks Jacks!). Chaos sort of started at Delhi Airport, where I realise I'd forgotten the name of the hotel in Old Delhi (Hotel Arina), not far from Delhi Gate, couldn't get access to wifi and the select button on the phone not working at the moment, which also means I can't access the remaing texts and missed calls (thanks whoever you are), so I had a moment of enlightenment, which is do what people used to do before technology and ask! Well, I had a rough idea where it was on the map! Young guy at one of the hotel booking kiosks patiently went through all the hotels on Google until we found something that sounded about right. Also, cash points are very playful, so took about 11 attempts using 3 different cards at each, but finally got some money, so I'm bloody well sorted!
The metro trip to New Dehi Central Station was smooth and quick. OMG! What a noise hits you when you get out of the cool and cavernous marble station into the heat and bustle of the city! Completely bonkers! :-) Mad, furious, loud, roads full, horns blaring, people randomly walking out in front of vehicles, smelly, smoggy, polluted, just everything at once!
It's a sensory overload! Got one of the what seem like thousands of tut tuts, gave the driver the address and off we went! Not sure how many minutes later, maybe 45) and several stops to ask directions which resulted in a number of group discussions with passers by, made it to the hotel!Then ensued a conversation with the driver about the additional time and cost, over and above the orignally agreed 200 ruppees (which I think was probably too high anyway?), but hey ho, despite me giving him all the information he needed (he should know the address, not my fault he didn't know it?) agreed on 220. Good natured negotiation and plenty of smiles and exaggeration, in a language I completely don't understand!
Explored a bit late afternoon, early evening, area around Chandni Chowk and ate in a great place called Karim's, which is like a canteen in a factory, with just shared bare plastic tables and chairs and great food - two plain naans and amazing aloo something with green chillies, peppercorns and potato. No alcohol anywhere, not even allowed in the hotel! It will do me good!
Video of Old Delhi. Not published a video before, so I hope you can see it!
The metro trip to New Dehi Central Station was smooth and quick. OMG! What a noise hits you when you get out of the cool and cavernous marble station into the heat and bustle of the city! Completely bonkers! :-) Mad, furious, loud, roads full, horns blaring, people randomly walking out in front of vehicles, smelly, smoggy, polluted, just everything at once!
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| Tut Tut ride - doesn't do justice to the chaos |
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| Street Life |
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| Colourful People |
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| View from the steps of Jamal Masijd - largest Mosque in India, accommodating 25,000 people |
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| Glimpse of the Mosque from the bustle below |
Fantastic, I couldn't of helped with the hotel,although I did steer you to the right airline :) did you find the Liverpool match? xx
ReplyDeleteHIya, yes, always good to get the right airline! ;-) Nah, by the time I'd sorted myself out it was 4.30pm here, but the people in the hotel reckoned that bars shut at around 6pm here on a Sunday and it would have means a trip across town, so I just did some wandering instead! Maybe I can catch highlights tomorrow, although LIverpool lost :-(
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