Dinner with the Kashmiri brothers - a day of relaxation in Delhi

Extra India photos - Agra Fort gardens
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One of things about keeping a diary is you have nothing to do with it when you do nothing all day..

Today has been about relaxation. Suresh is preparing the van for mountain driving which I am rather nervous about considering his lowland driving. Everything is getting ready for "India part 2 - adventure in the Himalayas" and all have to do today is sit around in my lovely hotel and do nothing.

But this is the way to do Delhi. Sitting in a sweaty hotel room being hassled by touts every day is the hard way of doing it. But you are constantly learning with India. You may be OK slumming it in other countries but India its nice to have abti of cosseting to soothe those frayed nerves.

Extra India photos - up to Shila Mata temple
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I have not gone back to Hotel Palace Heights which I am sure would be fine as the temperature has dropped but am now staying at the four-star Kailash in the posh suburb of Sundar Nagar. Its in a very leafy cul-de-sac not far from India Gate and contains a set of good rooms (although rain came in from outside with the monsoon last night) and good old room service. Its that garden that I spent today in. Theres a nice set of rattan furniture and with a good book in one hand and a cold drink in the other while a uniformed waiter brings me my mutton biryani. The only irritation today were a pair of noisy mynah birds hopping around.

Extra India photo - Fatehpur Sikri courtyard
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But this is the way to do Delhi. Sitting in a sweaty hotel room being hassled by touts every day is the hard way of doing it. But you are constantly learning with India. You may be OK slumming it in other countries but India its nice to have abti of cosseting to soothe those frayed nerves. So it was a day with a very accessible read of the history of the Nehru dynasty - a dynasty that effects the country even now. I never knew India nearly went to war with China in 1962. The Chinese actually rolled in from Tibet, showed the Indians how easy it was to invade then pulled back, leaving India shocked at such an invasion.

Later I got ready to be collected to have dinner at Nazirs and Abdullahs tonight. they live in Nizamuddin in South Delhi where they share a spartan flat..Abdullah has a wife in Srinigar while Nazir with those big doe eyes is the rather sensitive one and at 28 is still unmarried which in the muslim world is still unusual.

Upon crossing the threshold I removed my shoes and the floor was covered in mats.On TV was India versus Sri Lanka in cricket and they provided bowls of sticky rice , sheekh kebab, bhajis and and onions. As I am British they gave me a knife and fork.

It was a lovely evening stretching out and relaxing with Nazir and Abdullah.Perhaps Delhi isnt so bad after all?