Delhi

Jaipur had a little gem up its sleeve for us. On a hideously hot afternoon we decided to escape the heat in the luxury of air conditioning at the cinemas. Little did we know that our lives would be changed forever... We entered the complex through a set of unassuming doors unaware of the surprise that lay before us. It was a Bollywood Bonanza! We're still not sure what was more impressive - the cinema complex or the movie.
The cinema was bizarre. We felt like Hansel and Gretel at the sight of the gingerbread house. Inside, the cinema looked like a fusion of fairy floss, meringue cake and candy cane extravagance. Lurid purple, green and pink neon lighting brought this art-deco nightmare to life. It was a compelling insult to the senses to say the least. Then came the THREE hour extravanganza that is the experience of a Bollywood film: part movie, part videoclip - all at ultra pace. Audience participation was mandatory. The crowd laughed, cried, sang, danced and even booed at the baddies. It was a highly entertaining and uplifting experience even though the storyline had more holes in it than a block of swiss cheese! We were rejuvenated and giggled all the way home like the pair of teenagers we're not.

We left the heat of Jaipur to escape to the sauna of Delhi! Apart from the heat, though, Delhi is a pretty cool city. We got a good vibe from it straight away as we cruised in on our bus.


We've been experiencing one of the hottest Mays in the last couple of years. It's hitting 45 every day. Combine that with the pollution that's pouring out of the exhausts of the rickshaws, the factories, the generators that power the shops during the continual blackouts and the dust storms that blow in every couple of days, and you have a stifling Delhi in a nutshell. It can get hard to breathe at times. But, on the plus side, our pores are clean due to the constant stream of sweat pouring from our bodies. The water sellers are making a mint off us. The highliight yesterday was the earthquake that gently rocked our table during dinner as we sat on the rooftop of a 5 story building. SCARY.


Delhi has been all about, and only about the shopping. The sight seeing has taken a back seat while we have been busy indulging and emptying our wallets before we head to the UK. All of our sight seeing has taken place from inside the air conditioned comfort of the shopping centres and emporiums, or from the backseat of a rickshaw as we've been speeding past! Soft or what?

So, tomorrow we leave Delhi for Agra to see the Taj Mahal - finally. We'll let you all know how it goes...

Happy Birthday to Bron. We hope you're enjoying your new house!