DELHI - FEBRUARY 2

After a very short night, I wake up at 7.30…. There were so many noises in and outside the hotel, doors banging and dogs barking…. After breakfast, we meet our driver at 9 am, as we have to collect Number 4 of the team, Christine, who is flying in from Paris via Mumbai… Since she arrives from Mumbai, we think she’ll be at the domestic airport, so here we go…. We wait and wait there and she sends us SMS, asking where WE are… we soon find out she arrived at the international airport, several kilometres away…. In fact, her flight is just a stopover en route to London, so it is considered as an international flight, what we of course did not know… So we drive to the international airport and here she is…

We first decide to visit the Qutb Al Minar, as it is relatively close to the airport. It is a vast Muslim complex with the tallest brick minaret in the world built in the 12^th century. There are many scholars visiting the site. We can spot many birds, among others parakeets and lots of chipmunks, they are so cute. Then, we drive to the Bahai Temple, in the shape of a giant lotus. It is open to all confessions. It is very crowded here, many Indian families. Then we stop at Connaught Place, the main square of Delhi, where we have something to eat and also buy our stamps (8 Rp to send a postcard abroad). Then, Jessy takes us to his boss, so that we can do our first part of the car rental payment. We stay almost two hours there, Bobby being very talkative. He explains a lot about Do’s and Don’ts… It is dark when Jessy takes us back to Wongdhen House, where we have our dinner.

Weather in Delhi: it was cold last night, temps as low as 5°C. It is up to 18°C during the day, rather warm, but the sun is mostly hidden behind a curtain of haze and pollution.