Arrival in Delhi

My first travelogue entry, describing my arrival in Delhi at the start of my trip. It was my first time in India and I was quite nervous as it was also my first long trip. I wondered what I had let myself in for.

Written: Jun 17, 2002
Location: Delhi, India

I arrived in Delhi at 12:30 this morning. Everything went smoothly until the taxi to meet me at the airport did not arrive. Taxi touts were buzzing around me like flies on honey. Luckily an Indian man named Vibu that I had met on the plane suggested I get a pre-paid taxi. I rang the hotel I had booked and they had a room if I could get there under my own steam. The taxi tout was still following me, "200 Rupees I will take you", but I did not like the look of him.

I escaped into a taxi. The driver had little English and an aggressive tone about him. The traffic was jammed in places even at 2am, mainly heavy lorries constantly honking their horns. The driver made a couple of attempts to take me to one of his hotels but I insisted on the Hotel Namaskar that I had booked. In the end he dropped me in Main Bazaar as he didn't even know where my hotel was. Probably not too surprising as there are dozens of them crammed in to all the alleys of the main road. The driver made a feeble request for a tip; I gave him an earful and walked off.

Not wanting to walk around at 2am with a rucksack looking for my hotel I dived into the first place I saw. The room was ok, very warm and I had a few hours sleep.

I take an overnight bus to Dharamsala today and will post again from the cool of the Himalaya.