In Delhi

This article was written 16 years ago in 2007 when I was 22, so I ask you not to judge the writing too harshly! The text is as it was originally published.

So the last time I tried to write something was at about 1am last night. I got to the end of the first sentence and ‘pop’ – no more lights. It wasn’t entirely a surprise – Delhi appears to have been wired following a map made by a spider with inky feet.

The flights were fine, in fact good. Despite a rush at Heathrow due to the airline employees not turning up at work early enough, we managed to make our plane and got going with only a minor delay.

Big thanks must be sent to John who managed to co-ordinate my whole evening before I left and also has lent me his Peter Cook book for the duration.

Once in Delhi we took a ride in the back of a taxi to the hotel. I met a guy called Rich who is planning on spending 6 months out here and as he already had accommodation and I was planning on kipping in the airport but he allowed me to get in on his pre-booked hotel.

The room is very clean and after leaving the air con on, quite cool. That is, cool compared to the 32 celcius outside at 11pm last night.

Driving here is another ‘knowledge’ system. Everyone has the knowledge that you can drive on any part of the road, or anywhere around the road. Signalling is is for wusses and the horn is the best method to let you know no one is going quick enough. Expect overtaking on both sides, and make sure all passengers are out of the car before attempting to refuel. I am still not sure which side of the road the Indians drive on. Thrilling to say the least.

The hotel have booked me a cab back to the airport in half an hour and then I fly to meet Sammi in Kathmandu (Nepal). It’s going well if not particularly predictable so far…

This post was first published on Fri Apr 13 2007 originally on justbeyondthebridge.co.uk, my former personal blog

The author

My name is Andy Higgs and I am a founder, designer, occassional surfer and travel enthusiast based in the UK.

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