As I woke up Plan A for Friday had been cancelled via email claiming that the guide had fallen ill. I had booked a mid-day walking and eating tour through Old Delhi and the Spice Market for my first steps though the city. Read into this what you will but upon arrival the night before I had an email from the tour operator asking if I would mind changing my booking from Friday to Saturday. He promised more food sampling opportunities as there were more people booked on the Saturday tour- implying that I was the only one booked for Friday. With another commitment already for the Saturday I deferred asking to keep the original booking. Which left me Friday morning with Plan B. Actually there was no Plan B, just Google maps and a general need to go out and experience the city.
Given the opportunity I do like arriving a few days early to get acclimated. Usually its just a need to reset my internal clock and get a sense of the place, but sometimes the weather needs adjusting to too such as here in New Delhi. The Red Fort area seemed a likely contender so after securing a pocketful of Rupees (1 USD = 68.4561 INR) I chanced a ride on the local subway.
Travelling the 3 stops (20 INR) on the clean modern marvel that is the New Delhi underground I entered the streets adjacent to Old Delhi neighborhood. The acclimatizing commenced immediately through the sites and sounds but mostly the smell of the streets.
Navigating my way through the masses I found my into the fort. Bit of a dissapointment as it was mostly roped off and inaccessible for what was claimed to be reconstruction but all I saw was a whole load of neglect and disrepair. Regardless the park like setting was nice and the various palaces and other edifices were impressive enough.
Walking back in the general direction of the hotel I soon realized that as the whitest guy on the streets of New Delhi I must have appeared to be in in need of some extraordinary assistance. While the population of the city as a whole were most friendly a particular cohort was also proving to be persistently helpful. Constant ascertasions that I would be much better being delivered to my destination wherever it may be in the comfort of whatever mechanical or human powered contraption was being offered. And that besides my ulitmate destination there were so many other places to go, especially shopping places. And neither sidewalks nor opposite flowing traffic was an impediment to these offers of help that I so desperately needed according to the oh so helpful.
Amazingly I made it safely back to the hotel unaided where what was supposed to be a quick refreshing rest turned into a deep extended nap. Needless to say, the time zone acclimatizing would not be dealt with today, or is that yesterday... maybe it's tomorrow already.
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