Dehli
Arrived in Dehli a few days before my brother and mother were due from the UK and as in true Nagra style my brother managed to give me the wrong date of his arrival so i had some time to kill in Dehli (having been there a few times before)
Managed to get a local bus to Parliament House (which i was very pleased about) which is a wonderful circular building surrounded of course by loads of (not so friendly) guards (one literally telling me to buzz off as i was admiring the various buzzards and kites flying about so low outside!!). A half an hour or so walk later i arrived at India Gate erected in memory of India soldiers lost in war. Its a great place to people watch. Walked along to the Presidential Palace which unfortunately was closed because of a public holiday. Dehli was hot but not as humid and hot as in Bangkok thankfully.
The tuc tuc drivers were a pest but good fun. Most could tell I was from abroad from the clothes i was wearing (thai fisherman pants and a t-shirt) if not from my spoken Punjabi (not being able to speak Hindi) and most tried convincing me to go to an emorium or two but by now i guess i have become more hardened to such scams (most tuc tuc drivers are on commission from the shop owners) and so managed to avoid such shops which are all over priced.
An indian lady i met at my hostel told me not to miss a Sikh temple called Bungla Sahib (oh how mama ji would be proud) which was quite stunning. A little like the golden temple, it has wonderful golden domes above and a water pond in front. I was hoping to get some (free) "lungar" (blessed food) but sadly i got my timings wrong and was too late!
The Red fort was closed during my visit. I went back to Dehli a second time with my nephew who was flying back to the UK after a 10 day visit, and sadly it was closed again due to a VIP visit. So instead we went to a Hindhu temple and mosque recommended by our guide book. Going to the latter was a little strange for us both for reasons most Indians will know but the views of Dehli from the minaret was quiet awesome.
Having spent my first few nights in Dehli in a 4 pound a night hostel my second trip with my nephew was quite a contrast as he booked us into the 5 star Hyatt Regency Hotel. Sadly he was ill the friday and the saturday and so i kept myself busy going to the sauna, steam room, pool and jaquzi (sp). Its a hard life this travelling.
