Bag Lady
Trip Start
Nov 01, 2006
1
6
179
Trip End
Oct 31, 2007
New Delhi, India
Sunday, November 5, 2006
The purchase of the tickets was surprisingly easy - only about 20 minutes - so that left the rest of the day for some sight-seeing. So we went to Old Delhi in a cycle-rickshaw passing through some very busy and poor areas which were fascinating, yet unnerving, and visited the Jamma Masjid (which means Friday Mosque) and the Red Fort. We found both interesting but not amazing, and probably one of the best bits, for me at least, was getting chatting to a Western couple (from Australia and New Zealand), our first real contact with people from 'our world' which I found comforting. Now we're just taking it easy before heading to the station later this evening for the sleeper train. (R)
Just a couple of snippets from me then as you've already heard the highlights. Every so often while we've been here we keep having to return to our room to make water. That probably sounds like something you don't think you need to know about. It's ok, i'm not talking about number 1's. We wanted to try to avoid leaving a trail of plastic water bottles round the world in our wake so dutifully brought with us some chlorine tablets to make tap water safe for drinking. It tastes like swimming pool water, of course, but at least we're feeling noble...
Another thing we've noticed is how every tout we have any kind of contact with seems to remember each and every word we've uttered. Last night, walking back from Malhotra's on Main Bazaar (where we'd enjoyed our best meal so far - stuffed potatoes, aubergine masala, cumin rice and garlic naan - but were otherwise still feeling pretty miserable), we heard someone call out from the darkness: "Hey, British Airways, did you get your bags yet?". It was someone who'd been trying to speak to us in a coffee shop the day before and to whom we'd mentioned our predicament. We were both taken aback and it made us really paranoid, like in those American cop shows where the suspect is told that anything he says may be "taken down and used in evidence" against him. The same thing had already happened with a rickshaw driver who we used once and then appeared to be stalking us in the hope of winning repeat business. We've both resolved to clam up from now on and keep shtum about who we are and where we're staying. Pity for you it doesn't extend to the internet - my silence cannot be bought!
(T)
