First taste of India - Dehli

Stu - 21.00 Delhi time - We arrived in Dehli at 5.15am after a good but mostly sleepless overnight flight from Istanbul. So glad we paid to get picked up from the airport as we were in no fit state to be negotiating public transport at that time.

Even at 6.00am Indian roads lived up to their reputation. Lane discipline seems mostly optional as does indicating and stopping at red lights. Use of the horn seems to be mandatory though.

We got to the hotel at about 6.30am and check in wasn't supposed to be until 12.00 but the staff were kind enough to show us to a lobby with a couple of sofas and give us blankets so we could have a lie down whilst they sorted our room. They even gave us free masala tea which was lovely.

Our room was ready at about 8.00 so after checking in we had a few hours sleep. Once showered and refreshed we took a walk out into the sights, sounds and smells of Delhi. As overwhelming as it was at first we soon became used to it and at no point did it feel unsafe.

After a bite to eat (paneer makhani, roti, naan and lassi) at the hotel's roof terrace we went back to the room to chill for a couple of hours before meeting the rest of our tour group at 18.00. An interesting mix. Three Aussies, two Americans, two Russians, an older South Aftican brother and sister, us two Brits and an Irishman. Sounds like the start to a joke.

After our guide had given us our tour introduction we all went out for a meal. After deliberating long and hard we settled on Indian food.

Early start tomorrow as we set off for Jaipur at 8am.