23 April 2008

I’m on the train heading for Delhi. Khilandeep arrived to pick me up and take me to the station at around 6.30am. He was a little late but it didn’t matter. The train was also a little late. I’m in a rather nice carriage that is air conditioned, roomy and quite. There is ambient music playing. We’ve got the sunscreen down at the moment so I can’t see much of the landscape. What I can see is that it must be wheat harvesting time. There’s bundles of wheat everywhere. So I guessing that the rice growing season will stat soon. Just in time for the monsoons.
I arrived at Delhi pretty much on time. Getting off the train was interesting. Imagine the Wellington Central train station at rush hour. Now multiply that by 10, add in a boiling frenzy of hopeful porters, successful porters and the odd person pretending to be a porter. Now imagine the exit has been narrowed to a gap slightly wider than an airport passenger scanning archway. (Actually that’s what it was except people had found ways around it in order to get out into the city). There was a bit of pushing but on the whole it was more like an unstoppable mass.
This fella called out to me and asked if I wanted a pre-pay taxi. That’s where you pay first then head away. Well that’s about what I wanted. (Keep it simple). So I followed him to the taxi stand. It was all a rouse. We weren’t going to the pre-pay counter at all. About now I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole experience. I asked the fella how much to the hotel. He said IR600. Fortunately I had already been informed that anything more than IR250 was excessive. Here’s where the fun started. ‘No. Too much’ says I. I started walking over to the pre-pay counter. That changed his mind. ‘400’ Says he. I carry on walking. ‘How much you pay’ I stop and say ‘200’. He throws his hands up and looks at me like I’m ridiculous. So I carry on walking. He stops me again ands says ‘300. It’s a good price.’ We haggled a bit but in the end I wasn’t wanting to stay in the maddening crowd to much longer so I agreed to 300. As it happens, he wasn’t even the driver of the taxi. He was finding people for the taxis. The taxi driver was a young lad who was standing close to the taxis.
So, of we went, as fast as the traffic would allow. He wanted to play me his favourite Panjab music. Well that was fine. Their music does have some pretty exciting beats to it. By time we got to the hotel my insides had jellified and turned to much, the sound was so loud.
I thought I might have the window down on the car as it was really hot. Bad move. I got half way to the hotel and had to wind it back up. The wind coming in was so hot, I felt like I was turning into a lobster in a boiling pot of water.
This hotel is amazing. The Hyatt Regency is a stunning piece of architecture. Fairly classical in its lines but has some lovely water features in the foyer and down into the pool area. The bed is so big, I could sleep comfortably side ways. I have so many pillows on the bed, there’s no room left for me.