Delhi day two

Friday 1st January. Today we got up a bit earlier and had a delicious breakfast cooked by Charu Talwar, Rakesh's wife. We had potato cake/pancakes with onion, served with homemade chutney, a chickory and tamerind sauce and curd. This is a Northern Indian speciality. Lovely. We went along to the Metro station (about a 3 minute walk along the road and bought another day pass (R150 each, about £2 including R50 deposit that you get back when you return the card). The Metro is incredibly clean and efficient, although in the evenings it is absolutely packed. There are seats set aside for (in this order) the physically challenged, senior citizens and ladies. Constant announcements remind passengers that they must give up their seat to these groups and not to sit (or spit) on the floor. They also warn that any briefcase, flask, or other receptacle could be a bomb. We didn't see anyone spitting or sitting on the floor but no evidence of getting offered a seat either. Women are definately outnumbered by men on both the Metro and on the streets in general and that might go someway to explain the constant staring.

After a quick stop in Connaught Square to get our bearings and have a drink. We got back on the Metro and went to the Lal Qil'ah (Red Fort) in Old Delhi, via a ride on a bicycle ricksaw. That was an experience, with Liam clinging to the rear. The Red Fort is amazing and people visit it in huge numbers. As is usual in Delhi, there is one ticket window for Indians and one for Foreigners. the Foreigner's tickets are more expensive. Once inside, Cliff became a bit of a celebrity with lots of Indians asking to have their picture taken with him and their families. He reckons they thought he was David Beckham.

We then made our way to the Jama Masjid mosque, India's largest. After a bit of an argument with the man on the door about wanting to charge us for taking in two cameras, when we only intended to use one, Cliff and Liam went inside for a look around, whilst Elaine sat outside on the steps and watched the kids begging money from the tourists. One little girl, aged about four, was clearly an old hand, if the tourist was looking like they weren't going to play or were taking a bit too long getting their money out and she saw a better option, she just walked away. A bit of excitement happened when she was getting cash from a couple and an older lady and boy turned up to get into the action, the little girl's mother (grandmother?) weighed in and started shouting at the other older lady. It was all a bit reminisent of Jeremy Kyle to be truthful.

By the time the boys came out from the mosque, it had closed for the duration of afternoon prayers and Elaine couldn't go up the minaret anyway because she was 'unaccompanied' (by a man). The moral to this story is that even if there's a principal, it sometimes pays to spend an extra R200 to go in at the same time as your husband and son.