We caught a night train from Jaisalmer to Delhi. The 3AC class has become our preferred price/comfort point - the carriage is air-conditioned (AC) with 3 bunks to a stack (the bottom seat then 2 fold-out bunks above). Sheets, pillow and blanket are provided. The cost was about Rs600 = $A18 each, for which you get a night's sleep in air-conditioning as well as about 800km of transport. This one had the AC turned way down, so we had to use the blankets (along with lots of Indians). Quite a lot of people were going outside the AC every now and then to warm up. All very strange with 40C days!
We played "Oh Heck" (a card game - some call it "Heavens Above") with an Indian couple in the same cabin section as us. They were into cards, so we had no trouble explaining the rules.
As we approached Delhi travelling on another night train we saw many slums running along the railway line, living amongst much rubbish and make shift 'boxes' for shelter. Old Delhi station is pretty crazy and we were accosted by porters (offering to carry our gear for 100 rs when signs on the station say porters are 15rs), taxi drivers, rickshaw drivers - in our faces coming from everywhere! Phil lost his cool (I just kept saying "No no no, go away"), but finally organised a taxi to our best accomodation so far, the Gerharts at the American Embassy. Real air-con and access to a swimming pool!
New Delhi is such a contrast to the parts of India we've seen so far - wide, planned streets, huge European buildings with parklands, still many vehicles, pedal rickshaws (even some hand pulled carts). Of course this as the embassy area, so there were no slum sections. We visited Lodi Park on Saturday (nice to sit under a treee on green grass) and went to Bible Bhavan on Sunday, a local church associated with Delhi Bible Institute.
