Delhi downpour

I was up early to start my return home. First off, a 7.30am flight from Goa to Delhi via Mumbai. It felt a little strange travelling on my own after having had lots of people around me for the past few weeks. The flights were uneventful and I arrived in Delhi around midday. As there were a few places I hadn't managed to see whilst I was here a couple of weeks ago I'd already decided that today would be a day of Humayan's Tomb, possibly the Red Fort and a little shopping. What I hadn't factored in was having my credit card eaten by a machine last light in Goa making getting cash out an interesting challenge. Neither had I factored in that today was Sunday and also the last day of a 9-day festival that has been going on during this trip, both of which meant that things in Delhi were unbelievably quiet! So little traffic, so few (relatively!) people, so much space on the roads. A real contrast to the Delhi of 2 weeks ago.

After a little shopping I flagged down a tuk-tuk and headed over to Humayun's Tomb ("150 rupees - thankyou"). It was a little busier here but the grand-ness and ancient beauty of the place was still in abundance despite the volume of people. Humayun's Tomb was an amazing place - large, spacious, neat, ordered, calm . . . . . such a surprise to find at the heart of one of the world's most populous cities. Unfortunately, after about an hour, the grey clouds that had been gathering overhead decided they could carry no more and started depositing significant amounts of rain on our heads. Lovely and cooling but not so comfortable once the moisture began to soak through the clothes. People moved to wherever they could find something overhead and sheltered themselves from the downpour. After about 15 minutes I emerged from the archway I'd shared with tourists and local families alike and decided, like this family, to make a break for it. It felt like the right time to say goodbye to Delhi and head back to the airport.

Airports are airports - or so I thought. Delhi appeared to me, however, to be a cut above the rest. It's clean, new, well-organised, spacious, efficient and a very pleasant place to spend a few hours before flying out.

India has been pretty much what I expected but with a heap of very pleasant and unexpected surprises too. Will I return? I hope so. The wildlife has become fascinating to me and, I'm told, the far north of India (in the mountains) and the far south (tea-growing region) are well worth visiting and quite different to what I've seen on this trip. It's a big country with a big history and a big heart - as well as some big problems - how could 2 weeks ever be enough?!?