Arrival

So after a few last manic days we eventually got here.

The flight from London to Delhi was really easy. A fairly empty flight, extra legroom and three double vodkas, a sleeper as a chaser and 8 hours later we were here.

As everyone had warned me, Delhi was a shock. You cannot prepare yourself for it. It is hard to believe that India is on its way to becoming an economic superpower. We had never planned to stay here, just to get into town, find the station and get a train straight out.

The whole place is delapidated. You wonder if while you were on the plane here a really quick WWIII took place.

As India's economy has leaped forward most of its people have been left behind, living in desperate poverty, mostly just surviving and not particularly well. Across the city poverty strikes you as the main feature of peoples lives. For all the country's power in terms of IT the people in the capital seem to live in really poor conditions.

Delhi also suffers of another common disease of poorer countries - touts. The train station was infested with them. They really know how to prey on peoples insecurities and fears, especially in a country that is so different to what people are used to.

So we got on a train and left Delhi as fast as we could.

Personally I think trains are the way to see a country and its people, or the way they can see you, or even their animals can see you. The cow below wanted my curry (or was it my beer?) but I was not having any of it, lol...

Our first destination will be Agra, another tourist destination, but the home of the Taj Mahal, the incredible Agra Fort. We will have to put up with the touts, the constant 'sell, sell, sell'.

Will let you know how it goes.