24 April 2008

I think last night had to be the best night’s sleep I have had in the whole time I have been in India. The bed was really comfortable and it was really quiet.
I had the whole day to do something so I spent the morning beside the pool and relaxed in front of a book. (Not sure that I could call it a good book). Around 2pm I hired a car and driver to show me some of the sites in Delhi. There is an amazing difference between Ludhiana and Delhi. Delhi is cleaner, and the traffic seems a bit more disciplined. My driver, for example, didn’t toot his horn once. I found out why later in the trip. He told me that some 16 years earlier he had driven an American couple to somewhere (Can’t remember where). And they told him that he was not to use his horn at all on the trip. To make sure he didn’t, he disconnected the electricity from the horn. The American couple were so impressed that they gave him a $50 tip. He told me that he has never used the horn since.
We drove past all the big embassies and he pointed them out to me. Interesting to note that the Chinese embassy still had a heavy police and army presence. Next was the Parliament buildings. Wow. The British knew how to build monumental buildings. Its an amazing structure. In the same area is the Presidential palace. That was really beautiful. Just of in the distance is the India Arch. We got fairly close to that. Close enough to take a photo.
I was keen to visit a mall. I expressed my intention to the driver. I’m not sure what he thought I meant by a mall. The first place he took me to was a rather flashy shop that sold carpets and jewellery. It was the kind of shop that you have to pay to step over the threshold. I was met at the door by a gentleman who wanted to tell me all about the Kashmir carpets. What an amazing story. According to him, the Kashmir carpets are made by families. They can take up to three years to hand stitch one carpet. They can be made from wool or silk. He and his assistant rolled out all sorts of carpets for me to look at. They were all so beautiful. Each carpet had a story to tell. He showed me how they stitched the carpets and the tools they used. They only use three tools. One is a especially shaped knife that is blunt on one side and sharp on the other. This is used to help tie the knots and trim the excess. The next is something that looks like a metal comb. This is used to pat down the knots onto the base of the previous row. The last is a pair of scissors that is used to trim all the knots to the same length. He told me that this part can only be done by the elders of the family s it can ruin the carpet if not done by the experienced. His was all very wonderful but I wasn’t in the market for a carpet. (Unless of course it could get me home quicker than Singapore Airlines). One thing he said that was interesting. The Indian government will pay for the carpet to be shipped to your home anywhere in the world. I guess that could be possible. He said that they want the Kashmir carpet making industry to survive. That’s why they are sponsoring it. (Sounded good). On the grounds that I didn’t have a clue as to whether he was ‘pulling my chain’, plus I had no desire to own a carpet, I tried as gracefully as I could to extract my self from his shop.
Next we headed to the Red Fort. This is a huge fort that was built over 600 years ago. The driver suggested that I climb out to take some photos and he would drive up the street so he could turn around. This was OK, sort of. As soon as I stepped out of the car I was confronted by a chap who drove a three wheeled taxi. He told me that the driver had told him that he was to take me in his taxi to some temple of other and that he would be at least half an hour. (You gotta love these guys). I crossed the road to get closer to the Fort. Once across I was besieged by all sorts of sales people hoping I might buy something of them. There were hats, postcards, more postcards, hats, postcards, books, postcards, hats, oh, and did I mention postcards. Then there were the beggars. I had finished my photo taking and was waiting for the driver. The beggars and salesmen were like flies. I couldn’t brush them off. Thank goodness he arrived in a short while.
We tried to talk through the idea of going to a mall. We got a bit closer to what I wanted the second time. This time at least the place was called a mall. It still sold carpets, fancy jewellery and other very expensive bits and pieces. If you were in the market for some really fancy things to take home, there was the place. But, no, all I wanted was a t-shirt with something funny on it.
We tried again. This time it was a sure bet. The place sold clothes, he said. Well, no, not really. I stepped into the store and, … You guessed it. Carpets and expensive things. (I wonder if he had some business deal going with the owners of these stores). The gentleman at the door told me that I was looking for a different store and that he would tell the driver where to go. By this stage we had run out of time and needed to get back to the hotel. It was interesting to have a look around. (Didn’t buy the t-shirt).
I got a taxi to the airport. (They are quite distinctive. Black with a yellow roof. They look like Morris Minors and most of them seem like they come from the same generation). The international airport is in absolute chaos at the moment. They are preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. There’s all sorts of hoops you have to go through to get into the terminal and then some more when you are in. I didn’t have a clue where I was going. I had to ask a couple of people where to go. A lady in uniform came up to me and asked if I was looking for Singapore Airlines. Then she directed me back to a luggage scanner. Once I had sorted that out I found the check in counter for Singapore airlines and checked in. Next I had to ask where I was supposed to go next. “Around the corner’ the lady at the desk said. Hmmmmm. Righto then. So off I go around the corner. Ah. I must be on the right path. More hoops. Having got past immigration etc. I was now in the lounge.
I was hoping to change all my Indian money for Singapore currency. I looked around to see if there was any kind of money changer. Couldn’t find anything. I asked a few shop keepers. One guy was keen to change the money for me but he looked really dodgey and unofficial so declined his offer. I asked at the help desk. The lady there informed me that I would have to change my money on the other side of security. Only problem was, security was one way traffic. She did assure me that the money could be changed in Singapore. We will see.