Shahjanabad - ancient Delhi and its most historical Mosque - the Jamii Masjid

The Jamii Masjid
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It hit 44 degrees celcius in the shade today.

It was so hot you could only go out for a little while until the suns rays forced you back inside. Even the gusts of wind are warm and seem to move the dust from one street to another. The word is that the Rajasthani desert is hitting 50 degrees. Any traveller who can is heading for the Himalaya and the hill stations of Manali or Dhamarasala.

The great courtyard was colossal - it was about the size of a cricket pitch. The sun was so hot it was covered in cloth so the faithful wouldnt burn their feet on the hot marble.

The Imperial Delhi of the British
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But my jetlag has relaxed and I get a free tour of Delhi from Highland travels. So I headed to Radial Road 6 and was immediately spotted by a tout who tried to get me into his carpet shop. I shrugged him off but my parting shot was

"If you didnt hassle people maybe they would visit your shop"

Without hesitation he replied

"If I dont cry out for business...I dont get any..."

India Gate. Watch out for small children bearing cobras..
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That seems to be the ethos of Delhi - those who shout loudest get all the attention. Then in Highland travels I sat down with Nazir to work out my itinery - first week Rajasthan, then second week up into the Himalayan foothills. The monsoon isnt meant to break for another three weeks and by that time I'll be fed up with the heat of the plains. My driver is to be Sursh Kumar - a slip meticulous young man with a moustache and prediliction for khaki shirts. He was to be a little gem in the next few weeks. In fact Highland travels treated me as one of the family and yesterday I enjoyed a sharp tandoor chicken with Nazir and brother Abdullah.

Then it was off in the mini-van up to historic busy frenetic Shahjahanabad. The chaos of Indian life is intoxicating - crumbling buildings, teaming bazaars, skinny cows, bunches of men, magazines sold on pavements trodden on by cows and goats, women laying out vegetables and young boys trying to grow moustaches. It is intimidating and intoxicating at the same time.

First stop was the famous 'Red Fort' (see review) and once I had braved the human/camel maelstrom outside Suresh drove me to the Jamii Masjid - the 500 year old mosque. To get there I had to brave the tourist frenzy of the Lahore bazaar with its locksmiths, drinksellars and strange looking goats. I was happy to appear invisible and reached the mosque stone steps unmolested with the red and white dome of the mosque looming above me.. At the entrance I had to take off my boots and pay a storage fee. As the Red Fort was pretty indecipherable without a guide I took one up on his offer of 100 rupees.My bare legs were covered in a lunghi - I certainly looked the part.

The great courtyard was colossal -  it was about the size of a cricket pitch. The sun was so hot it was covered in cloth so the faithful wouldnt burn their feet on the hot marble. Theres room for 6000 worshippers in this courtyard and each faces the bulbous dome of the mosque. I spent about an hour being shown around and lapping up the atmosphere. Muslims were lazing around in its shadows enjoying the coolness of the marble compared with the heat outside.

Then back through the Meena Bazaar to where Suresh was waiting and he drove to South Delhi. The British built this part and it is full of gardens, roundabouts,bungalows and lawnmowers drawn by bullock and where Janpath hits Rajpath Delhi becomes truly monumental with grand boulevards and fountains. In the middle of this are the old buildings of the British Raj governed with its fin-de-circle grandiose buildings. One more stop at India Gate where a child tried to shove a cobra up my nose.

Then it was back to hotel Palace Heights and relax with my clunky airconditioning machine. This evening as I descended the stairwell there were huge monkeys blocking it allowing no one to pass.

Coward that I am I went and got my hotel conceirge and he shooed them away with a noise and a flurry of waving arms.