Old Delhi, New Delhi and Agra

Our journey to Delhi gave Mark and Suzie the chance to get a taste of an Indian train journey. We had booked a carriage in 1st class but ended up in 2nd - although couldn't tell the differece! As the train was quite quiet we had it all to ourselves so settled in. Thirty minutes into the journey we stopped for an hour to let an Indian army trains pass. It was the day after the Sri Lankan cricket team shooting in Lahore and troops were clearly making their way to the Pakistan border. The rest of trip passed without event - if you don't include the super hot train food that we ate!

At New Delhi station we had arranged for a driver to meet us - who would then become our driver for the rest of our stay in India. He was called Ravi and was from Dharamsala - home of the Dali Lama. He had lived and worked in Delhi for 20 years so knew the roads and routes well! Dropping Mark and Suzie off at their B and B, we then headed over to Jo's gorgeous new flat in Vasant Vahir. It was undoubtedly the nicest place we've stayed so far, maybe except our suite at The Contiental at Christmas! And of course it was lovely to see more friendly faces from home! That evening, we picked up Mark and Suzie and headed into CP to try and find a tailor who could whip up some authentic Indian shirts in 2 days! We were in luck and found an excellent shop who kitted out the family Pattison for a reasonable - and well haggled! - price!

The next day we had planned to 'do' Old Delhi including the Red Fort, Jama Masjid and the Mughal Gardens. It was a joy negotiating Old Delhi with Ravi as our driver, rather than the hardcore touts we had expereinced nearly 2 months before. He dropped us a short walk from the Fort and as we walked in, we had the place nearly to ourselves. After a stop for the world's hottest and milkiest cup of coffee, we meandered around the buildings, snapping photos and spotting hawks. Mark even managed to persuade a guard to let him behind the ropes to get some 'out of bounds' pictures! We then walked over to Jama Masjid, the country's largets mosque. Unfortunately, we arrived just as prayer time started so didn't get to look inside. But we did get to experience a throng of self flagulators in the street outside and had to fight our way through men pounding their chests to try and find Karim's restaurant nearby! We nearly lost Suzie in the crowd!

After a peaceful lunch away from the crowd, we drove over to the Mughal Gardens next to the president's palace, which are only open for 4 weeks a year, and met up with Jo who was keen to have a look at them too. After walking through the understandably tight security, it was then like stepping into an English country garden with neatly manicured lawns, straight flower beds and swarthes of flowers. Hundreds of locals from Delhi had come out to enjoy the gardens too which gave it a real feeling of a family day out! What better way to end the day than with an icecream. We spent the evening with Jo and Rob and a tasty takeaway, while Mark and Suzie explored GK1, the area they were staying.

As a contrast to Old Delhi, we spent the next day in the south of the city visiting Humayun's Tomb, the Lotus temple and Hauz Khas. The tomb was so quiet and the weather warm and sunny, so we spent a peaceful couple of hours walking around the buildings and taking photos. It stills remains our favourite sight in all the city. We then headed over to Hauz Khas for lunch - a tip off from Jo who had talked about it's lovely winding lanes and great craft shops. We found a superb restaurant tucked out of the way up some stairs, where Mark and Suzie treated us to an authentic...European lunch! I happily devoured a bowl of pasta and Guy had a lamb burger. As much as we have been loving our curry, it was great to have a taste of home! We then spent a happy hour or so looking round the lanes, where Guy and I bought some old Bollywood film posters and souvenirs for home. While Mark and Suzie packed, we nipped into CP to pick up the newly tailored shirts, before dining on a nice 'n spicy curry round in GK1, before heading off to bed ready for our trip to The Mighty Taj!

The next morning, we all braced ourselves for the long trip to Agra as Ravi bravely fought his way through Greater Delhi traffic. The jams seemed interminable and it took us over 7 hours to make it to our hotel. We all stretched and yawned our way out of the car and checked into the Taj Plaza near the East Gate. I had asked for a room with a view and, boy, did we get one! It may have been 5 stories up with no lift, but when we got up there it was worth the climb. We were in a shared suite with wall to wall windows looking out on the Taj - which had a dusky glow in the afternoon sun and haze. It was incredible! We were all famished so wolfed down a curry before walking off to the East Gate to look around. The touts were out in force but after 2 months we were now well versed in dodging them! Despite seeing countless pictures of the Taj before, and even amongst the crowds of visitors, that first view is something quite awesome. The entrance way gives you sneaky glimpses as you approach but then you walk through an arch and it reveals itself in all its majesty. Of course, after the first breaktaking moments, everyone then clamours to get the 'classic' poses i.e. Lady Di on a bench, reflections in the pond and of course the one where it looks like you're picking it up by the spire! Check out our attempts at the gallery!

http://gallery.mac.com/guypattison

It is a really incredible building and in my eyes didn't disappoint. Unfortunately poor Guy was suffering with food poisoning so was a little distracted. Mark in the meantime had snuck off with a 'photo guide' and managed to get the best pictures of the trip! We spent a photo-tastic couple of hours catching the Taj in different lights as the sun set, as well as being asked to pose in several photos for Indian tourists, before heading back to have dinner with a view at our hotel's roof top restaurant!

The next day, Guy and I were heading back to Delhi to catch our flight out of India - and Asia. We said our goodbyes and left Mark and Suzie as they headed on to Jaipur. We set off early to beat the traffic and spent the afternoon with Jo and Rob, using and absuing their hospitality and internet connection! With a home-cooked spicy prawn curry in our bellies, we headed to the airport to start 30 hours of travel that would take us on the next leg of our journey - to The Americas! First stop Panama...