Auto's and a German Christmas market

Our first few days have been amazing in Delhi, on our first day we walked to the lotus temple which is about half a hour away from where Gila lives. Our walk was very interesting we noticed how everyone seemed to walk on the road and not on the pavements we soon learnt that this was because you have a maze of obstacles to avoid whilst walking on a pavement such as street food stalls, people fixing autorickshaws, random abandon cars, occasionally some sewage but very rarely. But the biggest thing to watch out for is the massive holes on the pavements which seemed crazy to us. The lotus temple was great and free to go and have a look around. We had to hand our shoes in for a token before entering the temple, we were only allowed inside for a little bit because this place was so busy. It was very tranquil inside and cool. that evening Gila took us to a small mosque where there was going to be some singing. To get there went on a autorickshaw, which I have mentioned before, they are a 3 wheeled large moped with a cab on the back for passengers to sit on, they are brilliant and a great way to get around Delhi. The music was taking place in another suburb of Delhi called Nizmuddin. As we were walking to the mosque which was in a little square and was small in itself, we went through lots of small streets crammed with stall of clothing and roses to take into the mosque the smell was amazing, so intense. We got to this stall that took our shoes and gave Dave a hat to wear on his hat, I wore I scarf to cover my head. We didn;t have a token or a piece of paper to say whose shoes were who, so anyone could have taken them, Dave found this very unnerving. When we eventually got to the mosque after walking through the lit up streets we found out that women could not enter the mosque and so we had to sit outside and Dave went inside, but the music was being played outside, which was magical and as we sat on rugs enjoying the music people came round and gave us free food to enjoy. After we took the autorickshaw (YAY) to a south indian restaurant called Navydams which was great, south Indian food is fab.

The next Day Dave and I took the plunge to travel into a really touristy area of Delhi, Connaught place. We took the Metro which was so cool and just the underground, but different from London. We are used to queing and letting people go in front, in India if you dont push you don't get served or don't get onto the metro. When we got to connaught place we were met by lots of helpful and friendly Indian men telling they were studying english but they were really touks, touks are people who are on commision , they lead you to a toursit booker, to book tours, and they get commision, luckily we escape them and have a look around a park right in the centre.

In the evening Gila took us to a leaving party for her friend and it was on a rooftop, how cool!!! |It was great to meet some new people and find out more about India, the best thing was meeting people from all over the world who have been all around the world. We met Germans, French, American and Australians. So amazing, it was so good we were up until 4 am! On the way home we heard all this banging, like gunshot and I think that Dave and I were hoping it was only fireworks, it was in fact fire crackers, apparently people from India are fasinated by them.

In the morning we went to a massive market in Saronjini, which was brilliant, there was stalls and stalls of everything you can think of! Lots of people trying to sell us sunglasses and belts in the streets. We also had some more street food which was a cooke sweet potatoe coved in some spice and squeezed lime, tasted great! Throughout the market there were so many people just moving as one great mass. I managed to buy myself a new bag and some shoes for Rs350 thats only £3.95.

Today we went to a German market near the german embassy. Very very strange to be eating sausages, drinking mulled wine and hearing christmas songs in the middle of Delhi! It was great though to have a look round all the stalls and not being pushed so much!

So far our time in Delhi has been fantastic, we are leaving Delhi on Wednesday for Agra then to Varinassi on Friday!

Dave and Emma