A ramble round Old Delhi

After a hellish journey of which one of the most hellish aspects was trying to watch Madagascar 3 with headphones that were too big (Klennex and stuffed animals were not sustainable solutions) the Rabes arrived in India at noon on Wednesday.  Beautiful late autumn weather welcomed us after we had extricated ourselves out from the swanky new airport into the normally chaotic world of transport and taxis.  45 minutes and $7 later we were dropped at Lutyens Bungalow B&B in shady New Delhi.  Not much else happened except dinner at Khan Market and an early night to bed for all concerned.

We woke to discover that Kevin and Jennifer Cato had just arrived, the former with a new beard and the latter with a newer cold. A bit grumpy and dark around the gills but as you can see willing and eager to try to put a chipper perspective on the day ahead.  Alas, their room would not be ready for another 2 hours!

Around 1130 all six of us (yep, all half a dozen) squeezed into a yellow and green tuk tuk and headed off to the old city of Delhi.  Mose on Kevin's lap and Jen still looking like she was going to make it or die trying.

We had a bit of a wander through the narrow, dirty streets around Ja'ma Masjid before entering it ourselves.  Yvonne and Jen were prepared with head scarves but Kevin was forced to don a lungi and cover his infidel flesh before setting foot in this India's largest and most iconic mosque. (Built around 1630 BCE). We wanted to scale one of the minarets but the ticket booth was temporarily abandoned and so was that plan. We posed for a shot in front of the massive onion domes of the mosque before being told it was time for prayers and all non-Muslims should bugger off.

So we did.

Heeding an increasingly ravenous Mose's entreaties we crossed a busy traffic clogged street to a small tandoori shop where we relished fresh tandoori chicken, dal and fresh thin chappatis.  Rice pudding was for dessert, which Mose and Esther, after an initial flutter of excitement firmly refused to taste.  Here Kevin shows his appreciation of the grub.

The afternoon was spent wandering around the streets and gasping for breath. The Catos were brave but fading with each step. Mose too, held his own and finally released his bladder on top of a huge rubbish bin just outside the Red Fort.  The Fort was grand but slightly run down. Everyone was too tired to enjoy it and far beyond caring to keep up appearances. We got two tuk tuks back to the hotel and had a F1 race through the streets of Delhi, which, incidentally was one by two Catos and one adult Rabe!

Dinner at Khan Market, saw the kids fall asleep. We rushed home, had a shower and went to bed. Tired and happy that day one was over.