New Delhi

Day 2 went much better than day 1. It was only a travel day to get back to where I should have been yesterday, but I did arrive in Delhi on schedule. When the plane touched ground in New Delhi, a number of people clapped, and I’m sure a lot of other people were relieved. Flights to New Delhi were still being rescheduled due to fog, but it was not as dense. I also dumped Go Air, and went with Jet Air which is the No. 1 airline in India. Jet Air also had to reschedule other flights, but my flight left on time, and we flew in circles for about 15 minutes before landing. Other Jet Air flights also ended up making their destinations. Go Air and other airlines were still having problems getting planes through.

When I arrived at baggage claim, Lal found me and gave me a hug. Lal is part of the tour agency that setup my trip around North India (Sohan Lal Bajaj of Welcome Travels – www.welcometravels.com for study, cultural and adventure tours). He couldn’t track me down because of the previous days canceled flights, and when he saw me he said, “Thank God you are here.” I guess that is enough sentiment to be worth a hug.

I saw some yelling and “palm hammering” (hitting your palm hard on a surface) around the Spice Airlines booth. A number of folks apparently lost their luggage. I heard one person in the growing crowd yell, “we will beat you up.”, and the Spice Airline manager in the middle of the crowd had a very scared look on his face with his eyes very wide open as if someone might attack. The security forces all took glances that direction occasionally along with their blankness expressions. Lal told me that was going on all night yesterday at all of the booths because a huge number of flights were canceled. Once again, I have a lot of sympathy for airline crews, but there is no question Jet Air was more organized and passenger satisfaction was much higher. So if you are coming to India, go with Jet Airlines…especially if you are coming to New Delhi after 4:00pm in the winter when the fog rolls in. Jet Air also serves the best meals, with candies and mango ice cream. The negative is that Jet Air is a little more expensive, but you get what you pay for. For me, peace of mind is priceless.

Lal took me to the vehicle I would be driving in for the next 16 days, and he then introduced me to Anil who would be my driver for the next 16 days. I think it will be a good idea for all of us to enjoy our company in the days that are to pass – a good driver can’t go anywhere without a dependable vehicle.

When we drove to the hotel, I noticed one thing instantly….the roads are really nice. We were on a 6 lane highway and people were keeping their lanes. When I asked Lal about the “rule sensitive” driving, he said they patrol these areas, and people have to obey the rules – most of the time. Lal said even the trucks are not allowed on the road during rush hour traffic morning and night. The word “civilized” came to mind. There is still a flavor of India driving, but it is much more subdued. The driving in Mubai was still the same craziness as in Kochi. It makes me wonder if New Delhi is ahead of the other cities in India. Lal mentioned to me that Delhi is the gateway to India. So, it’s not surprising more “civilized” driving would come to Delhi first.

As we headed toward my hotel, Lal pointed out that President Bush stayed at a hotel only half a kilometer away. So, we were in the center of Delhi which is mostly Hindu. We passed a temple where there were lots of people praying to a monkey god this month, and sweet treats were all around. I think I may be inclined to pray to a monkey god too if it meant I could get free sweet treats with every prayer. Having multiple gods has an advantage, you can choose the flavor of the month to what appeals to you – this seems modernly convenient.

The hotel was called “The Connaught”, and it was very nice. It even had a bathtub with a stopper in it – very high class. There is a soccer stadium next to the hotel which is unusual – here are some pics.

The menu prices are a lot more – this is an indication of type of hotel you are staying at. If it’s a 2\3 star hotel, you will pay a little over 20Rs (50 cents) for a bottle of mineral water. Connaught hotel is charging 85Rs which is almost 2 dollars, or 4 times as much for the same bottle of water. Therefore, Connaught is a 4\5 star hotel. So, if you want to know how nice a hotel is in India, all you need to know is how much the mineral water cost – travel tip one. I can get the same bottle of water for 20Rs in a Mithra grocery store. So, if you go to a hotel, and a bottled mineral water is less than 20Rs, you should not drink the water or stay in the hotel – travel tip two. If you are with a native, he can get the bottle of water for 15Rs which means foreigners should never buy anything if they want to get the most for their money – travel tip three.

At this point, I’m back on schedule. So, tomorrow I’m headed for Manadawa. New Delhi sightseeing has been moved to the end of the trip “due to Delhi fog” as the airline folks say.