Delhi-tful. Not.

We arrived in Delhi after Varanasi, but it was closed. It was Independence Day, which meant that, instead of the carnival atmosphere I was expecting, the city shut down for the day. So what did we do, having spent the last twelve hours or so travelling? That's right, we travelled some more.

We decided to splash out on a three day trip that included some fancy hotels and our own driver. First we drove to Agra, where we decided it was too late go and see the Taj Mahal, and it was raining, so we got up early the next morning to see it. Our driver arranged the tour-guide for us, which meant we got the most out of it. Pictures can be seen at http://TobysTaj.blogspot.com/. Needless to say, it's a fantastic sight, and I promise to write a piece on our time there when I get the chance.

After there we went to Jaipur (http://TobysJaipurGallery.blogspot.com). It is an interesting, affluent place and we had a very entertaining tour guide for our day there. The previous evening, 'we' had gone shopping, and Becky had dashed any delusions I had about my own haggling skills. The girl's a bitch. She had grown men in floods of tears , begging for those last few rupees. Got a good price though.

After seeing Jaipur's sights, we headed back to Delhi and went out for a nice meal and a few drinks for Becky's last night in India. She flew home the following day, leaving me to fend for myself. I found a fairly pleasant hotel for a good price, but was feeling lousy with a cold, so stayed in my room for most of the rest of the day, and then went to find somewhere to eat. Alone. Sniff.

The next day I went serious sightseeing in Old Delhi (http://TobysDelhiGallery.blogspot.com/) which was busy but very impressive. Yesterday, I went sightseeing in New Delhi, which, apart from a few old tombs of Mughal Emperors, was nothing like anything I have seen in India. It is very spaced out, green, with big new monuments, and it didn't appeal to me. What's more, I had, as my rickshaw driver for the day, a young guy who didn't have a clue where I wanted to go, even after I showed him on a map and showed him a picture of the tomb I wanted to visit. It was a little frustrating.

But not nearly as frustrating as the rest of the day.

Before I headed out to see the new city, I had gone to the New Delhi train station to buy my ticket out of there. I had planned to go to Udaipur, and had filled in my form saying so and was waiting in the queue to buy my ticket, when I opened my Lonely Planet on a stunningly beautiful picture of the city of Jodhpur. So I changed the proposed detination on the form.

After I had trawled around the leafy expanses of New Delhi for the day, I collected my luggage from my hotel and went for a few drinks with another traveller I had met that day in the station, who was getting a train to Jaipur that was leaving at about the same time as mine. After an hour or so, we left for the station, and I enquired at the information window from which platform my train left. It turns out it would have been more appropriate to ask from which station.

My ticket said the train was departing from "Delhi", which apparently means "Old Delhi". I was annoyed. I jumped into a rickshaw and paid him double to get him to race to an internet cafe so I could chat to my girlfriend online, when it turns out it was closed early. I was increasingly annoyed. I then went back to the bar I had left twenty minutes earlier and bought another pitcher of beer and proceeded to share it with an Austrian bloke who had just arrived in Delhi. I bought a big fat cigar, lit it, picked up my luggage and started the ten minute walk back to the hotel where I had been staying.

On the way, I met a Russian guy called Andre, who was a bit strange, but we sat down in the middle of the pavement and started playing guitar and singing. At this point in the evening it started to rain. Hard. My cigar went out. I was soaked through.

I walked to the station, where I tried to get a refund on my ticket, but the man said that window was closed until four in the morning. I tried to ascertain when the next train out of Delhi was. He said the 5.15 to Mumbai. I asked where I could get a ticket. He said it was full. I asked when the following train was. He said the 7.30 to Mumbai. I asked if I could have a ticket for that. He said it was full. I wondered why he was being so unhelpful. He pointed me towards the information window in the next hall. I went there. He asked me where I wanted to go. I said anywhere. He said I should go to the booking office in the next hall. I realised that was from where I had just come. He shrugged. I went back to the first desk and asked the man if I could book a ticket. He said to go to the tourist information office. I asked if it was still open. He said it opens at eight o'clock. I died a little inside.

I decided to go and find an hotel, which meant braving the elements once more. They had almost all shut up shop for the night, so I had to go to a tout, because, although one pays a little extra to cover their commission, they know where is open and has rooms. I ended up in an awful place and collapsed in a drunken, tired, cold-ridden, wet heap on the bed, where I awoke, some hours later, in the same position (though you should replace 'drunken' with 'hungover'). I got stung for some made up government charge as I was checking out and three seperate people tried to tell me that the Tourist Office in the station was closed because it was Sunday, presumably to steer me to their own travel shops. When I finally got to the tourist office, I found my friend from the previous day sitting there. Apparently she too went to the wrong station. That made me feel a little better.

So, I have decided to forget Rajasthan and am going to splash out on a flight from here to Goa, since I managed to find a good deal. Otherwise it's a two day train ride and I don't really want to have to brave Mumbai on this trip. I think I will now spend a little more time than intended in the South, where the weather is meant to be a little more bearable, and maybe stray from the tourist trail I have been following for the last two weeks. Can't wait.

Toby.