ITS FUN TO STAY AT THE...

So here I am, finally, in Delhi.

I was sorry to leave Agra, though leave it I had to. Even at 7am in the morning with my gaze firmly set on Delhi I had to run the gauntlet of determined touts and rickshaw wallahs having a go. I ended up being the focus of an argument between two such guys, ending up going with the most honest one. Ah well.

Agra station was still honking and this time heaving with people. As soon as I got there a gent appeared who told me my train was delayed by one hour and was going from Platform 5 and while I was waiting, would I like my shoes shined? Since I was wearing trainers, I wasn't sure how one could shine them. 'Brushed,' he said quickly, giving me a plaintive look, 'I am very poor.' Doubtless he was, but I was getting increasingly peed off with being seen as a cash cow for everyone so moved on.

I sat on Platform 2 (where the train was ACTUALLY going from) in the morning heat while hordes of flies buzzed around after a fulfilling night gorging on poo, if the smell was anything to go by. The train was late, but not by an hour, and I got on. It was an uneventful ride. I read my Gandhi book and wondered what Delhi would be like. I remembered a really nice American woman I had met in Cochin who had spoken about it and wondered if what she had said was right. As the train pulled in, I drew a deep breath and got off, expecting an assault from touts as described in graphic details in all the Guides. Sure enough, a number of guys emerged from the crowd asking if I needed a taxi. I kept head down towards the Prepaid Taxi Booth and ended up with a Sikh guy who quoted me a good price. I was much relieved. I have always like Sikhs with their strong code of honour. It was a good way of beginning Delhi and I will use him again...

To my delight, Delhi is nothing like Mumbai. Its much more spacious, far less crowded and much more civilised. Where I am staying is very open and leafy. Its... wait for it... the YMCA! And its fun to stay at... In fact it is good to stay at. One of my contacts in Delhi, a friend of a friend called Sayoni, had recommended I stay there and she was right. Its safe, clean, perhaps a little expensive by Indian standards, and one feels comfortable. Its not full of gay men as the myths have it, in fact it has women as well as men in it. Its fine.

A quick walk into Connaught Place to topup my phone was pleasant and had me encounter the best Spurious Sales Pitch in India so far, even better than the Mysore Valentine's Day Scam attempt. This one had a young man trying to convince me that this was the celebration of the birthday of the great Dr Ambedkhar, champion of the Untouchables (this bit was true) and that in India it was good luck to buy something on this day (what do you think about this?). By lucky hap, his shop was nearby and if I went in, I might be able to win myself good luck for the rest of my life. I told him I might come back tomorrow.

Other than that, Delhi has been nice, if a little erratic. I love the vibe here, the atmosphere is great, but its up and down. I met up with Sayoni and her husband Paul for dinner in their lovely home which was terrific, but the taxi driver got lost getting there and fell asleep at the appointed time to meet, so I had to get another cab home (I roasted the booking firm at the YMCA the next day). In terms of sights, its also been erratic too. After Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort was a huge let down which was a shame and the Jain Temple over the road was closed (boo). On the plus side, the nearby Sikh Gurudwara which my cousin Eleanor had recommended I visit was open, so I went to that. Shaking off a rickshaw driver who appointed himself a guide I went over and entered.

I loved it. Having explored the Hindu and Muslim houses of worship here it was great to visit a Sikh one, the first I had ever visited. Inside it is a cross between a Mosque and a Hindu Temple, the worship area being a big open space like a Mosque, but colourful and draped with garlands of flowers, throws and carpets like a Hindu temple. Men and women mix together and food is handed out for free to everyone. At each entrance a Sikh guard stands with a spear (Sikhism has a keen holy warrior ethic, although only in a defensive sense). Everyone was very welcoming and there was a strong sense of both warmth and nobility to the people within. I sat on the rugs and listened to the singing and, as with everywhere else, just drank in the atmosphere.

Going back to my driver, who rescued me again from the unwanted attentions of more competing rickshaw wallahs, I was driven to the Bila/Lakshmi Temple which is breathtaking. Its a huge complex of shrines and buildings with fascinating texts from the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bagavad Gita everywhere on the walls. Again, I loved it...

But I think the enormity of Delhi makes focussing on what is in it quite hard, especially from the spiritual perspective as it simply isn't the centre of thecity's life as it is elsewhere. I feel a little at sea here, not unpleasantly so, just as one does when one is alone in a capital city. I am sure if I worked here I would get to know it better, but once again, its very different from anywhere else in India. It is much nicer than Mumbai but not as techno and modern as Bangalore. It feels like an Imperial City and, funnily enough, has an air of Britishness to it (not surprisingly given its location as the centre of so much British rule). Once again, India throws up a new set of experiences and impressions...

And now, forgive me as I depart. I feel a craving for a beer and maybe (heinous to say it!) a pizza! I will brave Connaught Place and find one!

Til soon!