After the rickshaw incident last night, I'd retreated back into my comfort zone. Dean went back to his own hotel last night so I woke up at 9.30 this morning by myself and thought 'Oh Shit, I'm in India'.
I went downstairs and saw the smiley girl on reception and managed to extend my hotel stay another night, and that helped ease the panic a bit. Then I went and got some breakfast. Yesterday I tried to control what I got for breakfast, but today I just let them bring me what they thought I needed, which was an omelette and four coffees.
Looking out the window over breakfast, it was back to being a scary movie out there. All my confidence seemed to have disappeared. I texted Dean and then tried to ring him but his phone wasn't receiving. By about 11 I'd changed some more money, and I looked out the window some more, and I thought 'If I don't go out of the hotel soon, I'll have to stay here forever'.
I knew the way to Connaught Place where the cafe and the mobile phone shop were, and I set off walking. As soon as the doorman opened the door for me, I was out in the noise. I was really apprehensive being on my own but I thought if I walked quickly and like I knew where I was going, no-one would bother me.
A young well dressed man approached me, and started walking alongside me, telling me he didn't want any money, he was a student and he just wanted to practice his English and he asked me loads of questions and tried to give me directions which I eventually ignored as I did actually know where I was going.
Pretty much as soon as he'd left me another well dressed young man approached me, and it was the same story. A student, didn't want any money, practising his English. He did guide me to the mobile phone shop, and then asked me if I wanted to buy any weed. I said no thanks and he went on his way.
By the time I reached the coffee shop I felt like someone in a slasher movie who'd been running away from people for ages, and I was pleased to be back behind some glass. I ordered a coffee and shortly after Dean phoned me and thankfully he was just next door in the mobile phone shop so I ordered him a coffee and then I felt a bit more secure. Safety in numbers etc.
I'd decided after yesterday's claustrophobic end to the day, that I wanted to go somewhere with big open spaces so I persuaded Dean to go with me to New Delhi where the parliament buildings are. We agreed a 100 rupee fare with a tuktuk driver and we asked him to drop us at India Gate. He spent the whole bloody trip then telling us we didn't really want to go there because it was all shut and trying to get us to go on a magical mystery tour with him. We got out near India gate and it was shut for Republic Day tomorrow and there were roadblocks everywhere and armed soldiers and police patrolling all the entrances, so we started to walk round the outside.
Tut tuk drivers kept pulling up and trying to persuade us to go with them, and one guy in particular stopped us about half a dozen times, and kept telling us there was no point in walking because everything was shut. In the end I stopped telling people where we were going, and if they asked I just said 'Nowhere, we're staying right here'. I was feeling stressed a) by the tuk tuk drivers and b) because this was my idea and it was turning out to be shit. Anyway, after some more walking we arrived at India Gate and it was pretty spectacular and it stopped being shit and instead of having to tell tuk tuk drivers to piss off ourselves, the army kept moving them on, which made us think we weren't the only ones they were annoying.
We decided to head for a big Anglican cathedral, I think it's called Church of the Redemption but every road we went down to get to it was blocked off. With the mosque yesterday a boy at the entrance had refused us entry, with the Christian church it was the whole army who were stopping us getting there.
As we got nearer the Parliament buildings the roads got quieter, we stopped at a roadside tea stall and had some delicious tea for 10 rupees each and then we started to feel the benefit of the closed roads as the incessant pestering by tuk tuk drivers got a lot less frequent. We were followed for a while by a girl about the same size as Harriet or Rosie who tried to sell us a biro and kept telling us she had no food, and at one point she held my hand but I just kept walking. Normally at home I'd get concerned if I saw a stray dog wandering around loose, but here I'm brushing off children as if they're not there. To be honest she looked reasonably well clothed and fed, and besides I don't want a biro.
We then started to see the advantage of all the roadblocks as we got to some big impressive buildings and the roads were closed off so we got to wander around in the road. It was a bit like being in the area around Buckingham palace but with no traffic around. We messed about taking some photos and I started to feel better now I was getting some space. I saw a couple from Calcutta and I offered to take a photograph of both of them together and this descended into 10 minutes of farce, where we discussed various group shot scenarios and no-one had a clue what was going on, but we did eventually take some pictures together.
Then we started walking back towards Connaught Place and stopped at a Sikh Temple (Bangla Sahid Temple). We went in the tourists entrance, took our shoes and socks off and put a headscarf on which went the wind caught it made me look like a Smurf and went in. It was very serene and we sat around for a bit, before a Sikh man came up and started talking to us. At first he was purely informative but then he started to sound a bit political and like he was trying to convert us to Sikhism. I was glad when he went away, as I was just starting to relax and I didn't feel like talking.
I asked Dean to take loads of photos of me inside the Temple, and I was joking with him that my photo album of this trip is going to be 'Jonathan looking terrified and uneasy at various locations in India'.
As we left the Temple two more tuktuk drivers came up and tried to get us to go with them, so out of sheer pig headedness I went and found one who was looking the other way having a break, and asked him to take us back. They said something to him, which was probably along the lines of 'What have you got that we haven't?' but I felt like I was taking a tiny bit of control back by picking my own ride. I'd had strangers accosting me all day telling me they know what's best for me, and where I should go, and for once I wanted to make my own decision.
We got back to the hotel at 5. I'd only been out 6 hours, but to be honest it felt like weeks. For someone who can be a wallflower in social situations I'd felt assailed on all sides all day, and I was glad to get back in the hotel. Dean made me a cup of tea in the room, using the kettle I'd never noticed was in there, and I laid on the bed for a bit, and felt pretty much wiped out from the day.
We went up to the rooftop terrace and had a drink, and I felt safe again and secure. I feel like I can only take India in small doses and I was glad to have the hotel as a refuge from the craziness. I can't stay here forever though, but I'm still adjusting to the sensory overload and the attention that comes with so obviously being a foreigner here. I still don't feel like unpacking a bike, but I'd like to get to Rishikesh somehow, as it looks like it would be a lot more relaxed place to be than here.
I went downstairs and saw the smiley girl on reception and managed to extend my hotel stay another night, and that helped ease the panic a bit. Then I went and got some breakfast. Yesterday I tried to control what I got for breakfast, but today I just let them bring me what they thought I needed, which was an omelette and four coffees.
Looking out the window over breakfast, it was back to being a scary movie out there. All my confidence seemed to have disappeared. I texted Dean and then tried to ring him but his phone wasn't receiving. By about 11 I'd changed some more money, and I looked out the window some more, and I thought 'If I don't go out of the hotel soon, I'll have to stay here forever'.
I knew the way to Connaught Place where the cafe and the mobile phone shop were, and I set off walking. As soon as the doorman opened the door for me, I was out in the noise. I was really apprehensive being on my own but I thought if I walked quickly and like I knew where I was going, no-one would bother me.
A young well dressed man approached me, and started walking alongside me, telling me he didn't want any money, he was a student and he just wanted to practice his English and he asked me loads of questions and tried to give me directions which I eventually ignored as I did actually know where I was going.
Pretty much as soon as he'd left me another well dressed young man approached me, and it was the same story. A student, didn't want any money, practising his English. He did guide me to the mobile phone shop, and then asked me if I wanted to buy any weed. I said no thanks and he went on his way.
By the time I reached the coffee shop I felt like someone in a slasher movie who'd been running away from people for ages, and I was pleased to be back behind some glass. I ordered a coffee and shortly after Dean phoned me and thankfully he was just next door in the mobile phone shop so I ordered him a coffee and then I felt a bit more secure. Safety in numbers etc.
I'd decided after yesterday's claustrophobic end to the day, that I wanted to go somewhere with big open spaces so I persuaded Dean to go with me to New Delhi where the parliament buildings are. We agreed a 100 rupee fare with a tuktuk driver and we asked him to drop us at India Gate. He spent the whole bloody trip then telling us we didn't really want to go there because it was all shut and trying to get us to go on a magical mystery tour with him. We got out near India gate and it was shut for Republic Day tomorrow and there were roadblocks everywhere and armed soldiers and police patrolling all the entrances, so we started to walk round the outside.
Tut tuk drivers kept pulling up and trying to persuade us to go with them, and one guy in particular stopped us about half a dozen times, and kept telling us there was no point in walking because everything was shut. In the end I stopped telling people where we were going, and if they asked I just said 'Nowhere, we're staying right here'. I was feeling stressed a) by the tuk tuk drivers and b) because this was my idea and it was turning out to be shit. Anyway, after some more walking we arrived at India Gate and it was pretty spectacular and it stopped being shit and instead of having to tell tuk tuk drivers to piss off ourselves, the army kept moving them on, which made us think we weren't the only ones they were annoying.
We decided to head for a big Anglican cathedral, I think it's called Church of the Redemption but every road we went down to get to it was blocked off. With the mosque yesterday a boy at the entrance had refused us entry, with the Christian church it was the whole army who were stopping us getting there.
As we got nearer the Parliament buildings the roads got quieter, we stopped at a roadside tea stall and had some delicious tea for 10 rupees each and then we started to feel the benefit of the closed roads as the incessant pestering by tuk tuk drivers got a lot less frequent. We were followed for a while by a girl about the same size as Harriet or Rosie who tried to sell us a biro and kept telling us she had no food, and at one point she held my hand but I just kept walking. Normally at home I'd get concerned if I saw a stray dog wandering around loose, but here I'm brushing off children as if they're not there. To be honest she looked reasonably well clothed and fed, and besides I don't want a biro.
We then started to see the advantage of all the roadblocks as we got to some big impressive buildings and the roads were closed off so we got to wander around in the road. It was a bit like being in the area around Buckingham palace but with no traffic around. We messed about taking some photos and I started to feel better now I was getting some space. I saw a couple from Calcutta and I offered to take a photograph of both of them together and this descended into 10 minutes of farce, where we discussed various group shot scenarios and no-one had a clue what was going on, but we did eventually take some pictures together.
Then we started walking back towards Connaught Place and stopped at a Sikh Temple (Bangla Sahid Temple). We went in the tourists entrance, took our shoes and socks off and put a headscarf on which went the wind caught it made me look like a Smurf and went in. It was very serene and we sat around for a bit, before a Sikh man came up and started talking to us. At first he was purely informative but then he started to sound a bit political and like he was trying to convert us to Sikhism. I was glad when he went away, as I was just starting to relax and I didn't feel like talking.
I asked Dean to take loads of photos of me inside the Temple, and I was joking with him that my photo album of this trip is going to be 'Jonathan looking terrified and uneasy at various locations in India'.
As we left the Temple two more tuktuk drivers came up and tried to get us to go with them, so out of sheer pig headedness I went and found one who was looking the other way having a break, and asked him to take us back. They said something to him, which was probably along the lines of 'What have you got that we haven't?' but I felt like I was taking a tiny bit of control back by picking my own ride. I'd had strangers accosting me all day telling me they know what's best for me, and where I should go, and for once I wanted to make my own decision.
We got back to the hotel at 5. I'd only been out 6 hours, but to be honest it felt like weeks. For someone who can be a wallflower in social situations I'd felt assailed on all sides all day, and I was glad to get back in the hotel. Dean made me a cup of tea in the room, using the kettle I'd never noticed was in there, and I laid on the bed for a bit, and felt pretty much wiped out from the day.
We went up to the rooftop terrace and had a drink, and I felt safe again and secure. I feel like I can only take India in small doses and I was glad to have the hotel as a refuge from the craziness. I can't stay here forever though, but I'm still adjusting to the sensory overload and the attention that comes with so obviously being a foreigner here. I still don't feel like unpacking a bike, but I'd like to get to Rishikesh somehow, as it looks like it would be a lot more relaxed place to be than here.
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