My penultimate day in India. Where has it gone?

29/1 - The legs loads better, so after a banana porridge boost I'm off for a mini wander. It's not 100%, so took a cycle rickshaw to Old Delhi. I must find the working areas of cities, because Delhi definitely doesn't look like a capital city from what I have seen, although Connaught Place where I played chicken and lost is quite modern, in fact very modern, but still not enough to say "capital".
Old Delhi has a nice everyday feel about it. I was dropped outside the Jama Masjid, India's biggest Muslim temple. I forget how many people it will hold. I took one look at the steps and decided to give it a miss. I wandered around to where I thought the Red Fort might be and stumbled across a Hindu temple, so perched outside there for a while. It was peaceful and had a bit of a natter whilst watching the world go by. A lot of the Hindus bless themselves as they pass the temple, whether they are on foot, cycle, motorbike or car. This is a busy temple too, it must be important, the bells outside are getting a lot of stick.
Hit the road and hit the Red Fort. I'd have done well to miss it as it is huge. I had to run the tout gauntlet on the way here. Delhi is Toutsville. Everyone wants to show me Delhi. I wandered along to one of the entrances, the fort is in a haze. I am not sure if it is morning haze or smog. Probably a bit of both. I decided not to go in, but sat on the wall of the moat for yet another breather. I think I am getting almost middle aged. A young lady came over and asked if she could have her photo taken with me. My fame as the bloke with the sign behind him "Come and talk to stupid" must be spreading through India, because I looked and it wasn't there. She was a smashing lass and her friends all came over for a natter. I forgot to look for the sign at this point. They had come from Assam, which is a fair old hike. We had a couple of group shots then and the lady asked for my address, so they will probably all have moved in when I get home. It seems to be a done thing, to ask for addresses or phone numbers, it has happened a few times, so they are probably fighting over my house as I type.
Wandered on down Old Delhi's main shopping drag, the smog is begining to lift and it now sweat your whatsits off time. I went into an Indian fast food shop and fastly left. I asked for masala kocheri and was sent to a counter where you have to order and get a receipt I think. People were diving in with money, receipts, complaints, so I took a sharp Harp exit. Strangely enough I exited straight into a confectionery shop which sold samosa etc too. I scoffed my samosa and kocheri and wandered off with my cake to find a step, but once sat there I got mithered to death by a beggar with better shoes than me, so I ate my cakes on the hoof.
Behind this main drag, Chandni Chouwk, there's a very tightly packed bazaar, that the LP warns you off at this time, due to it being hectic. I took notice at the first entry, it was heaving and not good Gil territory, but the second wasn't bad and I couldn't resist. I got loads of strange looks in there. It could have been because 99% of the stalls/shops are saree shops. The colours are great in the shops and there are bunches of women sat in some of the shops with bright coloured material scattered all around them. They look like they are having a ball, which is very strange for women shopping. I hit a few dead ends trying to find my way out, before a young lad took pity on me and showed me the back way out. I could have been there all day, the way I was shown didn't look like a way out and when I made it there was a studded wooden door that didn't look like the entry to a bazaar. It was like secret tunnels. One of the dead ends I hit opened into a courtyard selling chai and only had the one entrance. It was like being in some Indiana Jones film, or perhaps I am now a member of some secret masons society after finding the inner sanctum and secret entry. Now I am getting giddy, back to the blog.
My mini-wander is turning into an epic, so I found a bench and did some mandatory people-watching. Before the bench I had asked for a price on a cycle richshaw back. It was an inflated Rs100, so I headed for the bench. By the time I'd made the bench, without saying a word it as Rs80 and after his next 3 visits was down to Rs50, much to the amusement of the Indian bloke sat next to me. As usual there was some nattering whilst sat on the bench before I headed back for a brew and a piece of banana cake.
Went back to the cheapest place in Paharganj, with the seats outside to sit and watch the sun go down. The Swedish lady and her niece where here again. I told you it is the best spot to sit in Paharganj. I met a Kiwi couple here at breakfast. I have met some great people on my travels. Life is good.
As the sun dropped a cow turned up, everyone loves this place. It stood at the door until the waiter came out with a few chapatis and hand fed her, then it wandered off into the sunset, only to turn up an hour later on its way back. It new it was onto a good thing so stopped for another handout before being shooed on.
I went for an e-fix and blew my last meal in India. It was too late for anything heavy, so settled for some pancake and honey, which did remind me of Goa.
Off to bed for my last time in India. POSSIBLY, you never know in this place.
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