Acclimatisation

I've decided there's only so much time I can spend relaxing... Even on holiday!  So after trying to catch up on sleep, I decided that I should have a late lunch and ventured down to the hotel reception and was pointed me in the direction of the restaurant in the basement.  

I was the only person there and the room was a bit dark and dingy with a hugely loud fan, but I had a lovely meal of mixed vegetables, dhal makhani and vegetable pilau rice - under recommendations from my friend Jenny I'm trying to limit my intake of "saucy curry" but the dhal was quite saucy!  I loved the flavours of coriander and cumin seeds in the rice - apparently it was a "little bit spicy" for me - it wasn't!

I had a much needed coffee and a salty lassi to finish and then went back to my room for a nap!

The orientation meeting was long!  I got to meet some of my fellow great companions a good mix of people mostly from the UK but with some from Australia, Germany, Ireland and Italy.  We learned a bit more about what we will be doing in the days ahead and all agreed to go out for a meal together for our first evening.  Our Guide Gauraj seems passionate and organised - so we should have fun on our trip.

This was my first venture out walking along the streets of Delhi and actually it wasn't too dissimilar to what I expected from visiting Nepal.  You have to walk with confidence and purpose and assume that you get driven round by the constantly beeping from tuktuks, rickshaws and cars!  Lying in bed with the beeping horns outside my window I could almost imagine if it wasn't the sort that I was in New York.  People use their horns here correctly - to make other road users aware of their presence rather than an aggressive act of annoyance!  There is noise strange smells food and bright colours everywhere you go it's fantastic!  There were men stringing marigolds together into garlands, fruit and veg stalls with unusual looking fruit and rats running through litter into the drains - a colourful mix of sights.  

At the restaurant I had a mixed set of vegetable starters and vegetable Biriani for my meal coupled with the Kingfisher ultra beer and it was delicious.  

The restaurant had an unusual Indian TV program playing in the background with lots of (I assume) celebrities gyrating in some sort of dance off as well as cherubs painted all over the ceiling it was an interesting place!  It was nice to get to know some more of my trip companions over dinner and I look forward to our first proper sightseeing at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.