After throwing out all our belonging, leaving our flat, quitting our jobs, a long plane ride and a visa queue in the airport that we seemed to live in for about a month, we're here!
Arriving in Delhi in the wee hours, we met our hostel given driver who (i think) honestly believed he would be getting plus points for driving like a lunatic, going through every red light and almost crashing every time we encountered another car, got us to the hostel safely.
The Hostel is okay, couldn't turn off the air-con so woke up as an icicle the first morning, but at least we wasn't sweaty. Toilet paper was provided (oh-la-la) and we have our own bathroom so can't complain too much, oh apart from the breakfast - that was just bad.
We've done a bit of exploring over the last two days; accidentally getting lost in the Chowdary Chowk electronics bazaar on the way to the spice market, then getting lost in the cloth market, never actually finding the spice market. We have since learned not to trust Bens' sense of direction as he seems drawn to small alleys that inevitably lead in the wrong way.
We also have encountered our first scam artist, a lovely charming tuk-tuk driver who apparently was taking us to a cloth market (but actually took us to a cloth factory where most of the lights didn't work and i felt so awkward i brought a pair of harem pants that don't fit me, and a shawl that is quite nice but happens to be 50X more expensive than it should be.) before driving us in a random direction and telling us to get out as his family want him home... as i said, Charming.
After a very fun two hour wait today ( who doesn't love queuing) we made it into the Red Fort, it was a welcome break from the noise, busyness and frankly overwhelming assault on the sense that is Delhi. It was amazing, there a small market as you walk in, where you strangely don't get shouted at by every vendor. There's large green spaces in-between all the beautiful historic buildings and monuments, a perfect place for a bit of peace and quiet and to occasionally be convinced to be in random peoples seflies.
Honestly, Delhi isn't the place for me (or Ben), I'm glad we came but it was slightly too over-whelming. So on that note, we're off to our next place in the morning. Hopping on a flight to Srinagar (if there's really a flight) staying in a lovely home-stay in the Himalayas (if there's really a home-stay). To enjoy a bit of relaxation in the North for a week.
More on that next time!
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