Arriving in New Delhi, India

As I flew in from Beijing the inflight tv screen showed that Agra was only about fifteen minutes flight away and so I thought that my trip to India, even though it is barely more than 24 hours, would still be very possible to visit the Taj Mahal and have a nice time.

My hopes began to sink as the plane landed and despite being the capital and the busies airport I have ever seen at gone 2am in the morning, it also seemed the most backward in terms of technology and clenliness. Having completed the immigration form on the flight along with everyone else, I queued up to pass through the human beaurocracy that was all that stood between me and my luggage and sleep.

I didnt mind that my teller was an archetypal dour faced Indian lady with little chatter and a face that would curdle milk and as she processed me she only once glanced up to see that I was not hiding under a false nose and glasses before tapping a few keys and then stamping in.

All around me the airport was still alive, from the mosquitos and bugs crawling on the floor, the traders calling out todays super deals and the locals lining up the all along the entrances waiting for friends and loved ones, not to mention the other passengers all doing the same as I was.

I still had some Vietnamese and Cambodian money left to change and so along with the Chinese Yuan that was left over from Beijing I headed on over to the International currency exchange clerk, a weasley guy who upon hearing my request didn't even bother to uncross his arms as he simple shook his head twice and then went back to ignoring me along with everyone else.

Glancing around I could not see any ATM's here, so I had little choice but to filter out and hope that in the main arrivals hall there would be some, but before I could look for it I spotted the hostel representative who had my name and flight number written out in large letters on a piece of paper, being the second or maybe even third time now that I have been met thus.

He wasn't much of a talker, or perhaps it was just the ungodly hour, but he did manage to give me directions to the ATM machine where it grudgingly gave me 5000 Indian Rupees, around £70, which I figured would be just enough for my hotel including pickup, a small snack and a visit to the Agra where I could see the Taj Mahal.

The pickup ride was extremely bumpy, made moreson by the unbelievable inclusion of speed bumps, totally unneccesary as anything traveling fast over the road surface as it was would be risking life and limb!

The airport was around thirty minutes ride away and although I could not see much fine detail in the darkness and gloom it took little effort to imagine the dirty and squallor that the locals were living in by the state of the roads and streets viewed under the light of hotel neon signs, packed in tight like so many sardines in a tin.

The driver said that I would be woken at 7am for the visit to Agra and when I asked about a train ride the gave the usual garbage answer that he would give to any tourists that all the buses and trains would be full and booked weeks in advance, so I would have to use their private car at a price he wouldnt disclose.

When we finally reached the hostel, after passing numerous wild dogs and driving down ever increasinly small and dingy side and back streets that I would never be brave enough to walk alone at night, I was greeted by a locked door that required plenty of knocks before the inhabitants within roused themselves and let me in.

I was tired, jarred and grumpy but still had enough wits left to ask how much the one day tour would be, to which he told me that it would be over 4250 rupees which I just didn't have and so after a bit of failed negociations on my part I just told him to forget it and staggered on up the stairs hoping that someone would follow soon and show me to my dorm room.

They did and they didn't, in that someone did finally follow me but they showed me to a private room, took my passport for safe keeping ( or so that I couldnt go elsewhere in the morning ) and then left me to my own devices. The room has aircon, a grubby bathroom and a tv that had about 40 local statoins but with so many other buildings in close proximity the chances of getting a good signal on any of them was pure fantasy.

I half chances getting out my laptop to see if any of the other hotels around had a wifi signal without success and so I just threw myself down on the bed and fell asleep to the sounds of the air conditioning.

Around five hours later I was awoke by a combination of cocks crowing, locals yelling and pigeons roosting just outside my rear view window, and once awake I decided that without ear plugs or a pellit gun, the chances of getting back to sleep were slim so despite being still a bit dog tired I got up and started making plans for the day.