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Tea Index: 55 Rupees (about 63p)
Days away from UK: 60
Days with rain: 1
Weather: 20 C cloudy
Number of passport checks required before reaching departures: 6
Hotel owners solution to the problems in Kashmir: ‘Only one can survive, us or them’
There were many omens to tell us that we were leaving India at the right time. Firstly, Joe’s visa was incorrectly processed so had to leave a week earlier than expected. Secondly, the eagle eyed will notice that the days without rain has gone. On the day we were leaving the heavens opened and the gloating was over. Thirdly, I had been knocked down with another case of the dreaded Delhi belly.
However, the train ride from Ajmer to Delhi was memorable. Not for the constant meals we were given (about 1 every 2 hours), or for the effect these meals had on my stomach the next day, but for the unusual company we were surrounded by. As we took our seats, a middle aged African African American man with white beard and thick Virginian accent (think Reginald D Hunter for those in the know) was about to sit across the aisle from us when an Indian man asked to swap seats. The indian man was placed next to Joe & the African American was sitting next to the Indian man’s son. Initially the African American refused and made a great fuss about the prospect of sitting next to us. It seemed odd at first why he was refusing (and we soon found out), but he eventually relented.
What followed was a 2 hour, very loud discussion about how awful the British were and how they had “taken everything and given nothing back” to the World. We now realised why he wasn’t too keen to sit next to us. My favourite part was when he claimed that the British had banned procreation in all colonies and killed those who did. Again we found out his exaggeration may have stemmed from his own – pretty cringeworthy – love of the opposite sex. Oddly, he decided to get over his disgust of the Brits (despite dropping another line about Lucknow and Amritsar massacres) and told us about his previous Thai wife and now 26 year old Indian widow he was trying to take back to the States much to the upset of her family. This wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t over 60 years old. Still, the last 2 and a half hours of the journey passed a little quicker and a big part of the joy of travel is the characters you meet along the way.
On arriving at Delhi International airport we were more than a little surprised at how calm it all seemed, none of the queuing to even enter the building we had encountered in Mumbai.
However looks can be deceiving, this is India after all and it was never going to be that straight forward. After showing our passports and electronic confirmation of our flights at the entrance to the terminal we were denied entry on account of not having our tickets in paper format. Saving the trees is clearly yet to catch on in India. 30 harassed minutes later, paper in hand and we’re in.
My next stop was a much needed trip to the bathroom, I have to confess it is the first time anyone has actually begun cleaning the toilet whilst I am still on it… India’s last surprise was to come on the plane itself. After being promised two seats together with one being a window seat we discovered that we were sitting separately and both on the aisle. Still for all its quirks, I know we will be back, but for now it’s time to look forward to Thailand.
Next stop, Bangkok!
Cat
One Way Ticket 
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