Day 1
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Day 1: Friday 29th November

Arrive Delhi & meet Clare; briefing; New Delhi.

In the process of getting out of Delhi airport we gradually meet more and more Explore baggage tags... Graham and Lynn, Caro,...

Lines of people file past the officials stamping passports - there's no particular sense of urgency... everyone gets through no problem.

Got out of immigration and into a large baggage collection hall. The slow turning of the conveyor gradually delivers all the luggage... except mine... until Sally (I think it was) eventually spots it hiding amongst close impersonations... I was worried...!

Outside the baggage collection area is a massive hall, with seats, and a crouched figure (Gill?) in the corner, desperately having a fag (or perhaps sleeping?). We're met by Clare - no 'i', as it turns out - and she counts us up, trying to negotiate the numbers taking into account all the people joining from all over the world.

All present (probably...) so we all traipse off to a waiting coach. Brief intro on the bus - Clare'll ask for breakfast to be kept open 'til 10:30 (it's normally 10, and it's now about 09:15), and then we're to meet up in the Latino Bar on the ground floor for a 'proper' briefing - and, of course, to meet **all** the members of the troupe - some are arriving separately. And so we receive the first set of handouts [Delhi Briefing p1, Delhi Gen Info p1, Delhi Gen Info p2, Delhi p1, Delhi p2] - a custom to be repeated many times...

And so for our introduction to Indian hotels. It was a slickly executed process (not) - as we were yet to learn, this is actually how it normally works (or doesn't, as is the norm). As I recall, the hotel had single-handedly managed to shuffle people around in readiness for Clare's group such that there weren't enough twin rooms... only doubles. Clare made her objection plain, and garroted the Manager. It worked. We all shuffled off to our rooms, with instructions to get breakfasted and be sitting attentively in the Latino Bar by 11:30. There's an odd number of single men (there's one 'hitched'), so I got my own room for this hotel. En route up to the room, I accompany Kirby, whose case assaults the smoking pedestal outside the lift.

Breakfast was quiet - I waited around for some of the group to appear, then joined them, finishing by just about 10:00 - the breakfast, believe me, was pretty much expired by then (no plates, bowls, cutlery...), so it was an awkward breakfast for those who tried the 10-10:30 slot. For the briefing you need a pen, paper, a filled in 'details' form (their record of passport numbers, insurance etc.), and evidence of insurance... so that took me about three trips back to my room...

The briefing introduced us all to each other. Let me list them with minimum embroidery on the notes from the meeting:

I sat next to Frances (Canadian, Vancouver, drug rep.).

Fran (mid-big-travel, done some of this trip before. At breakfast, not feeling 100% following extended period in strange climes).

Lynn and Graham ("The Couple"... yes, the only one).

Andrew (Australian, from Adelaide - straightforward Aussie!).

Kirby (ex-teacher and a quintessential Gent).

Alison (well, where do I start?).

Carolyn (Nelson, Nottingham, "pharmacist", so works with cows and tractors, in Boots, with white coat).

Jo (Calcutta girl on Mum's side, teach/Health & Safety for Railtrack, going on to Calcutta probably after this).

Sally (progressively curlier - as a result of freshening up after the flight, so it says here - compliance officer in a bank, Brighton-based).

Alex (baby of the group, solicitor).

Me, Jason. Make your own initial reaction up - I can't.

Gill (our blonde live-wire; Social Services/Adoption and Fostering).

Chris (our dark-haired live-wire; cox for the Australian coxed 4s for 2 years; bruised eye - that's later).

Susan (a Kiwi, medical secretary, living in Saudi at the mo').

Caro (met on the plane - a complimentary consultant, so we weren't too far off with the guesstimate of a doctor or vet...!!!).

Oh - and Clare (leader, 9st 6lbs, 60kg, 37). [I think this may be a later addition - obviously, I dared not surmise an initial impression].

There were a few handouts, too [Gen Info p1, Gen Info p2, Hindu Deities p1, Hindu Deities p2]. As instructed, and like a good student, I took notes [Delhi Briefing p2]. McDonalds and the Emporium - please note - are in the wrong place - sincere apologies...

After the briefing, some of us took the opportunity to get money (Indian rupees) from the money exchange beside reception (and outside the Latino Bar).

Lunch... um... can't remember.

According to the itinerary we left 13:30 for a tour (by coach) of New Delhi - the imposing imperialistic side of Delhi constructed by the Brits - Parliament then India Gate (initially). At India Gate, we were allowed to roam freely among the hawkers of the locality - a new experience for us, soon to transform from a novelty to a hardship. There was a snake charmer, too, photographed liberally by some tourist who was then stung with a fee for the privilege. The terrible twins - Carolyn and Alison - impressed on me how essential it was for me to get a pink fluffy purse - complete with eyes that moved - to add to my cross-dressing wardrobe. I resisted the temptation.

Rajpath, Humayun's Tomb, and Qutb Minar (the huge minaret, with the Indian guide). There was a coach park near the minaret base awash with hawkers - a far more impressive onslaught than at India Gate.

Dinner was a walk from The Park Hotel to Connaught Place, to the United Coffee House. Exiting from the Park Hotel a local rickshaw driver tried to ply Clare with a '5 Rupees to the Emporium' promise, to which she pressed home to him that that deal was not to the genuine (state-run) emporium which was in the opposite direction to that which he indicated.

We strode along sufficiently fast to lose all beggars and hawkers, and got a table for 17, arranged right down the middle of the restaurant. We all chose (for the main) our first genuine Indian curry dish - with beer - then legged it 'home' very late at night, when there were very few beggars and hawkers still awake. In fact, it was nigh on deserted - a dimly-lit, calmer Delhi.

The hotel had a group of Russian flamenco (was it?) dancers - Clare (and some of the others) had seen them limbering up on the second floor - so some of us met up back at the Latino Bar after getting back to the hotel - we got about one drink in before it started... and ended... it was over so quickly Kirby missed it completely nipping up to his room!