Day 60 - New Delhi
Monday, October 11, 2010
Thursday 7th October
Day 4 Commonwealth Games
I decided to skip breakfast this morning, as the buffet breakfast was really crap, and the hygiene was a bit dodgy (there were dead mozzies on some of the plates) - I'm not keen on seeing another Asian hospital! The reception actually rang me to ask where I was, and I told them I wasn't hungry. Instead, I went for a walk and found an internet cafe near the hotel - thank goodness! Here, it is a law that when you use a computer you must present your passport and sign in with all of your contact details.
I hailed a tuk-tuk to take me to the Commonwealth Games headquarters again, to try for merchandise. This time I walked into the reception area to ask for a visitor's pass to the main building, as I had been advised last night. Again, the queues (or lack of them!) was insane - and when I was finally served (1 person for the whole HQ), I was told that the souvenir shop would set up in the corridor 'soon'. I wasn't going to stick around to find out when 'soon' was, and feeling peckish I high-tailed it to an 'All American Diner' that had been recommended in the Lonely Planet for breakfast/lunch of pancakes and a 'wicked brownie shake' (there's just something about the heat and pollution in the area that makes me crave milk - it seems to get rid of the irritation in my throat).
Still with another three hours to kill before the afternoon's netball session, I made my way to 'Dilli Haad', which was a craft market located close to the stadium. As there was a small admission fee (about 35c), touts were kept away, which made for a more pleasing experience. It wasn't as great as I had expected, with much of the same souvenirs and handicrafts you could find elsewhere (pashmimas, jewellery) - I did buy a 'real pearl' necklace for $2.50 though (I'm sure it was another 'genuine fake'). Not knowing when I'd eat again (the afternoon's session started at 3pm, and ended at 7pm, so it would be quite a few hours being dinner), I grabbed a snack of a 'masala dosai' (Indian crepe with curry potato filling - they don't use cutlery here, so I had to use my hands to eat).
I reached the netball stadium, about 800m away, an hour before the afternoon's session started, and decided to take some snaps of the court (now that I was allowed to bring my camera in!) I stood at the back of the court, taking in the media on the opposite side (Luke Darcy decided to change his shirt in the open!) and clicking photos, when an official came over to me. "Sorry, but you can't stand here - you can either stand outside the doors or sit in a seat, but no standing." Aaaagghhh! This place is ridiculous!
I vented on the phone for a while to Mum and Dad (an extremely expensive phone call - I went through my whole $50 of phone credit) before meeting up with Denise and Lauren inside for Australia vs Jamaica. Denise had a surprise for me - Kimberlee had given her an authentic, Australian Diamonds Commonwealth Games top, for me - so stroked!!
The match was very physical - extremely close in the first quarter, and a lot closer than the scoreboard indicated. The Jamaicans were all extremely tall, but out pace and skills outclassed them in the end. I stayed on for the Papua New Guinea match, sitting with the PNG parents. They were playing Barbados. who had the most entertaining warm-up style (booty shaking, like on a nightclub floor!). The PNG girls lost in a close one (I'm a temporary citizen of PNG at the moment!)
Although it was dusk, I took the Metro back to my hotel (with the amount of soldiers and even just people on the roads, it's hard not to feel safe). One thing I'm a huge fan of is the women-only carriages on the trains - the men's carriages are always packed to the brim and the stares make travelling uncomfortable. There was one man who insisted on staying in the carriage I was in though. At one station we had a temporary delay, and he stepped out to stretch his legs. The train's doors all of a sudden sprung shut and the train departed - we all had a good chuckle at his expense (served him right!)
I had a simple room-service Indian dinner of roti and noodles whilst catching up on the day's results (there is almost no coverage here of the swimming though, as Indian media concentrates on the sports Indian's are good at, of which swimming is not one!)
Day 4 Commonwealth Games
I decided to skip breakfast this morning, as the buffet breakfast was really crap, and the hygiene was a bit dodgy (there were dead mozzies on some of the plates) - I'm not keen on seeing another Asian hospital! The reception actually rang me to ask where I was, and I told them I wasn't hungry. Instead, I went for a walk and found an internet cafe near the hotel - thank goodness! Here, it is a law that when you use a computer you must present your passport and sign in with all of your contact details.
I hailed a tuk-tuk to take me to the Commonwealth Games headquarters again, to try for merchandise. This time I walked into the reception area to ask for a visitor's pass to the main building, as I had been advised last night. Again, the queues (or lack of them!) was insane - and when I was finally served (1 person for the whole HQ), I was told that the souvenir shop would set up in the corridor 'soon'. I wasn't going to stick around to find out when 'soon' was, and feeling peckish I high-tailed it to an 'All American Diner' that had been recommended in the Lonely Planet for breakfast/lunch of pancakes and a 'wicked brownie shake' (there's just something about the heat and pollution in the area that makes me crave milk - it seems to get rid of the irritation in my throat).
Still with another three hours to kill before the afternoon's netball session, I made my way to 'Dilli Haad', which was a craft market located close to the stadium. As there was a small admission fee (about 35c), touts were kept away, which made for a more pleasing experience. It wasn't as great as I had expected, with much of the same souvenirs and handicrafts you could find elsewhere (pashmimas, jewellery) - I did buy a 'real pearl' necklace for $2.50 though (I'm sure it was another 'genuine fake'). Not knowing when I'd eat again (the afternoon's session started at 3pm, and ended at 7pm, so it would be quite a few hours being dinner), I grabbed a snack of a 'masala dosai' (Indian crepe with curry potato filling - they don't use cutlery here, so I had to use my hands to eat).
I reached the netball stadium, about 800m away, an hour before the afternoon's session started, and decided to take some snaps of the court (now that I was allowed to bring my camera in!) I stood at the back of the court, taking in the media on the opposite side (Luke Darcy decided to change his shirt in the open!) and clicking photos, when an official came over to me. "Sorry, but you can't stand here - you can either stand outside the doors or sit in a seat, but no standing." Aaaagghhh! This place is ridiculous!
I vented on the phone for a while to Mum and Dad (an extremely expensive phone call - I went through my whole $50 of phone credit) before meeting up with Denise and Lauren inside for Australia vs Jamaica. Denise had a surprise for me - Kimberlee had given her an authentic, Australian Diamonds Commonwealth Games top, for me - so stroked!!
The match was very physical - extremely close in the first quarter, and a lot closer than the scoreboard indicated. The Jamaicans were all extremely tall, but out pace and skills outclassed them in the end. I stayed on for the Papua New Guinea match, sitting with the PNG parents. They were playing Barbados. who had the most entertaining warm-up style (booty shaking, like on a nightclub floor!). The PNG girls lost in a close one (I'm a temporary citizen of PNG at the moment!)
Although it was dusk, I took the Metro back to my hotel (with the amount of soldiers and even just people on the roads, it's hard not to feel safe). One thing I'm a huge fan of is the women-only carriages on the trains - the men's carriages are always packed to the brim and the stares make travelling uncomfortable. There was one man who insisted on staying in the carriage I was in though. At one station we had a temporary delay, and he stepped out to stretch his legs. The train's doors all of a sudden sprung shut and the train departed - we all had a good chuckle at his expense (served him right!)
I had a simple room-service Indian dinner of roti and noodles whilst catching up on the day's results (there is almost no coverage here of the swimming though, as Indian media concentrates on the sports Indian's are good at, of which swimming is not one!)
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