Off to India

Organised an Uber and headed to the airport for the next part of our journey. We had all our paper work and a negative PCR so a very uneventful boarding was had...thankfully. Since Covid, security checks at airports require you to be there 3 hours before departure, yet the check-in desks usually open 2 hours before take off, just saying! We were flying Qatar Airways and oh! Mr. Ryanair how cheated I feel with your cut corner ways. Plush seating, good food, latest movies, head phones, masks, steri-wipes and gel I might add, no cutting corners here. I felt truly spoiled. We had one stop over in Qatar a beautiful airport to spend an hour or three and then on to Delhi.

It was a beautiful sunny morning as the Plane descended into Delhi airport. A thick blanket of smog covered the city and I was so glad we had to wear masks because this stuff was something to behold and did not burn off as the day progressed. Róisín registered for our visas in August 2021 because the Indian government decided to reopen borders since closing them due to the pandemic. They closed the borders again within 3 weeks but were honoring those visas that had been issued so we were among the lucky ones! We had arranged (through the hostel Roisin had booked) to be collected from the airport. All a little nerve-racking as we were required to check that the driver had the correct code which was "chai tea". If he did not know the code we were not to go with him, lovely welcome to India! Apparently bogus drivers turn up having wangled your details from the hotel porter or some other deviant manner. They turn up in place of the legitimate driver and whisk you away to a totally different accommodation (I might have thanked them if they had). We meet our nice taxi driver even if the transport was a little battered looking, I kinda thought this is all about the aesthetic keeping with the gap year and economy travel theme and this was definitely that, a battered old VolksWagon van. The one thing that struck me on entering the car park was the number of stray dogs and they are not small dogs. Most are the size of a Labrador and they move in groups I will not say packs. I am nervous of dogs, however, these dogs did not appear to be any threat to us. Leaving the airport you can see the well kept embankments on either side of the road. These embankments are kept in check by teams of people on their hands and knees with a trowel digging out each individual weed. No roundup here lads but you have to wonder about the cost of labour. We stop at a roundabout and in the middle of this roundabout were two women and a child about the age of 2 years. The child started to wander toward the edge of the road, my heart was in my mouth but the women did not make a move other than to laugh. I eventually figured that the child was playing chicken with them and fully understood the dangers of the road as he ran toward the edge turning and laughing at the two women, it was all a game. So you grow up fast in India.

The hostel we were heading to was in the old part of the city and this was unlike anything I had ever seen. He pulls up at the top of an alley and tells us we will have to walk to the hostel from here as the van will not fit down the narrow street. The street is packed with stalls and people, and I am at least 100 miles outside my comfort zone wondering how much worse it could have been if we hadn’t the secret code for our driver. We turn the corner into the alley and there is a row of men urinating up against the wall and this is a sight that will be repeated through out India. My head is screaming, Oh My God where the hell are we!? How did Roisin find this place? It did have incredible reviews so figured the best course of action now was to follow the guy wit our bags. We got to the hostel and I felt a little bit reassured as the guy on reception seemed to anticipate our needs and asked if we had purchased a sim card as yet. I needed cash and luckily there was a cash machine at the top of the road. Having checked in I was feeling a little less overwhelmed until we were directed out of the building into another hole in the wall around the corner. When we get there we are directed to the counter to check-in. Behind this counter was a young man with the rudest of temperaments. He was having his breakfast and continued to have his breakfast as we waited in the hall. Roisin stood politely in front of the desk and I sat down not trusting myself to speak as I was really mad now and mad beats scared any day of the week. There were 3 more guys hanging over the stairs staring at us. I have already made up my mind I am not staying in this dump. We are checked in and brought up three flights of stairs where we are introduced to our room. What should have been a private room with twin beds was a grubby room with a platform that a family of five could have slept in. Grubby sheets, walls and furniture. The en suite consisted of a toilet and our shower was a bucket and jug. I hadn’t quite understood what the porter (bit of a stretch) had meant when he said just give him a call for hot water. Our shower was a bucket. After our porter had left I took out my coat, put it on and zipped it up to my neck. I then sat on a stool, being sure not to touch walls or anything really, and collected my thoughts. Thought number one was that we were getting out of here but first we needed cash.


We left everything in the room and made our way out of the building. We had to go up through the piss alley again to the ATM that was right on that corner at the top of this alley.  When we got to the ATM we had to wait our turn before we could access the machine. It was in a little room off the street but there was no door. I asked Roisin to stand behind me watching the crowd. I inserted the card and pin and waited for my cash. A notice appeared on the screen to say transaction declined. I knew I had the funds so I tried again but again the transaction failed. A few guys offered to help with the transaction but I thought better of accepting and decided to move on as we were attracting too much attention. We had no choice but to venture out into this crazy city. I figured if we walk long enough we would find another ATM and perhaps less crowded. The more we walked the more we were approached by every faucet of humanity, beggers, stallholders, disabled, children with hands outstretched, it was unbelievable. If I had any money I would have happily parted with it just to get them to leave us alone. The more I walked the more I confirmed for myself that we were not turning back until we got some cash and could get the hell out of this place.   

Tuk Tuk through the streets of Delhi

We kept walking wondering how far we might have to go to get a cash machine. Again, men would stop what they were doing and follow saying “Hello madam can I help you, where are you trying to go?” I waved them away and kept walking. Then a guy comes out of a travel agency and again “hello madam, can I help you. I am working with the government travel agency so its safe to talk”. I figured he was telling me he was tourist information as we get at home. I did not believe him but asked if he knew where I might find an ATM. He was very helpful and asked me to come into his office so that he could give me a free map. I wasn’t too keen on following him as the office was way in at the back of the building. I told Róisín to stay out front and followed the man. We got to his office and he began showing me brochures for any number of tours we could take with his organization. I told him that I had a better chance of booking a tour if I found an ATM. Out we went onto the street again and he pointed just a few yards up the road. He wanted to come with us but I insisted that I would return after I got to the bank. We managed to get some money from the machine and I ordered a tuk tuk as soon as I stepped outside. We were back in Gotham in no time. 

We had discussed sim cards with the guy on reception and since we were at a loss as to how to navigate Delhi, I figured we have cash, we now need communication. We were assured by the receptionist that the man for the sim cards was on his way so I decided to wait. While waiting, the owner of the establishment happened to phone the reception. He specifically asked to speak with me as he had concerns regarding his son's return from his studies in England and if there were any major delays at the airport. He also took this opportunity to ask how I found everything, I lied and said everything was fine. He did say that I should contact him if I had any problems whatsoever and I assured him I would. The man with the sim cards arrived and signed both Roisin and I up to a mobile network. We gratefully headed back to our room where Róisín got to work booking alternate accommodation. I said “Róisín, that’s it, I appreciate that this is your adventure but I cannot take one more kip hole budget accommodation nor do I have too. I am way too old for this crap and I doubt if I will live long enough to re-run this on a five star budget. So you are welcome to jump on board my 5 star adventure and re-run this with your student friends at a later date. Agreed?”


We booked accommodation not too far away, but away. I went down to reception to tell them we were leaving and I would be grateful if they would order me a taxi. I had promised Róisín I would not be mad or rude just as nicely as possible we were leaving and that is precisely what I did. The reception guy was shocked and I assured him that everything was fine it was just that the place was just "too budget" for me and I had booked alternate accommodation. He calmed down and accepted my explanation telling me he would send someone to fetch us as soon as the transport arrived. I returned to the room and was only a few minutes there when there was a knock on the door. On opening it I was surprised to find a man who introduced himself as the owner. I stepped out to speak with him and again reiterated what I had previously told the reception. He offered every form of compromise possible. He would move us to another room. I assured him that the mistake was all mine in thinking I could do budget and that I had no intention of looking for a refund as he had tried to offer me. He really did try everything possible to get us to stay and I have to say he was a genuinely nice man but I told him I had already booked and paid for alternate accommodation. He offered to pay for this too. I assured him once again there was no need. I told him that I had no intention of leaving a review if that was his concern and its also the reason I am not giving the name of the hostel here. He wanted to know the name of the other place and said he would personally take us there at his own expense. When Róisín told him the name of our new accommodation he said it was in exactly the same district. I thought "Oh my God! Into the fire we go, what kind of dump has she booked now?" Anyhow after much to-ing and fro-ing he arranged for his receptionist to personally escort us to the new location, and in lieu of refund offered Roisin free accommodation for her and a friend at any future date. We arrived at the new location and oh what a dream. A uniformed porter came to help us with our bags. Reception was beautiful. The room was beautiful and if it were in the same area it was definitely on the outskirts. I went into the room got into bed and told Roisin I was not stepping outside the door until it was time to leave Delhi.