We arrived in Delhi early Saturday morning, which was a huge relief since BA almost didn't let us fly - they had overbooked and didn't have seats for us. Luckily though we were there 3-4 hours early and they were able to get us seats, and we were even able to sit together. Pheeof!
The first thing we noticed from the plane was the thick cloud of dirt, kind of like a permanent fog. After stepping off the plane, the first thing I noticed was the strong smell. Clean Australian air is going to be so great!!
Leaving the airport was a bit of a fiasco. First of all, I haven't done too much "roughing it" camping - I'm used to having some sort of toilet bowl rather than squatting on the ground. So, my first cultural shock was when I tried to use the washroom before leaving the airport. The washroom itself was very lovely - nice wooden doors, incense burning inside, a bathroom attendant who was keeping everything clean. However when I walked into a stall I found a hole in the ground with a shower head and a small bucket. This was all a bit overwhelming, and I was a bit freaked out about peeing all over my jeans, and after making a weak attempt I decided peeing was overrated and bailed. I then snuck into the "handicapped" washroom which was not at all handicapped accessible (the seat was high and there wasn't a handrail or anything...and it was a washroom / janitor's closet). Much better! Note to self - need to learn to pee into holes in the floor.
Once we got our luggage, we got a prepaid taxi to our hotel, where we were to meet our GAP tour group. There was a bit of an altercation when we got into a cab because a local tried to help us with our bags and we assumed he worked for the cab company, assigning travelers their taxis (they have these people in NYC). He was insisting we pay him and all we had was large bills so we were refusing. Finally our driver was able to get us away. Note to self - don't let anyone touch your bags.
The cab ride was extremely affordable at 250 rupees (less than 7 quid - we got a 63 exchange rate which was absolute crap given the proper rate is 75). The driving is crazy - the technique is to drive wherever you want (lanes are wherever you make them) and keep your hand on the horn. My mother would hate it here.
Once we got checked in to the hotel, we had a nap before meeting the group at 5pm. The group is great - there are 14 of us plus a "tour leader". The others are from Canada, UK, US, Australia and Denmark. They are all similar ages to us and everyone is really easygoing, fantastic! Our tour leader, Bish, took us for an "easy" dinner (Chinese) and then left us on the street corner outside the restaurant. "You all know how to get back right? I have to go pick up my laundry." We got a bit lost on the way back to the hotel, but finally made it. Some of the others got really lost and weren't back for a couple of hours - oops! On the way home, there was some sort of carnival / parade going on in the streets. There were floats with people aboard handing out food and playing loud music, with a lot of paintings of what looked like an Indian Jesus. Not sure what that was all about but someone thought it might be related to the anniversary of Gandhi's death. Our tour leader was MIA though so we weren't able to get any details from him.
Anyway, a good first day in India, and off to bed early since we have to leave at 5am for the train station!
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