Tuesday 12th October
Day 9 - Commonwealth Games

I awoke feeling better than the previous day, and also excited - not only was it semi-final day, but I also had tickets to the athletics that night. I had breakfast at Khan Market, trying out a new cafe. An Indian man was also dining in, and he turned to me and asked if I minded if he turned the cricket on the cafe's TV. "Not at all", I replied, "I'm Australian!". He was delighted to find an Aussie and we discussed cricket over breakfast. Aussies seems to be the favourite tourists of Indians, and whenever they hear you are Australian they reply with one of two things: either, 'Ricky Ponting!', wanting to discuss the cricket, or 'You number 1!', referring to Australian's position on the medal tally.

The first match didn't start until 11:30am, and the stadium didn't open until 10am, but I arrived at the gates at 9:45am, to ensure I was first in the gates. The Army officials offered me a seat in their circle inside the gates whilst the stadium was officially opened, and I had a grand old time chatting with them. Some spoke English, and some did not, so one young guy acted as a translator for us.

At 9:59am, I was allowed to enter into the stadium, laying down my flag on the seats that our 'crew' had sat on everyday. Our crew grew in size that day - not only was there Kila and Denyse, but we were joined by John and Mark (two single travellers about my age) and two girls in their early 20s, all Australians. How small is this world - when I was chatting to one of the girls, I mentioned something about how I loved the Crows. "My friend Chris plays for the Crows", she said. "No way", I replied, and pulled out my iPhone to show the picture of Chris Knights that acted as my background. "Is this your friend?" She confirmed that Chris Knights, my idol from the Crows, was like a brother to her!!


Just before the match started, we were joined by a guy wearing a very skimpy and revealing netball uniform. He'd spotted our Aussie crew in the crowd and headed for us, introducing himself as Ash Williams from Nova radio. He worked with Hughesy and Kate on their breakfast program in Melbourne, and they'd sent him here to try to get on TV in as many stadiums as possible, wearing completely outrageous costumes. If the audience back in Australia managed to spot him on TV, they'd win $1000. He was a scream, and a genuinely nice guy - needless to say, everyone in the crowd wanted a picture with him. It was his first match of netball, but he ended up liking it so much he returned for the gold medal match on Thursday.


The first match of the day was Australia vs England. The English supporters were out in force, and extremely parochial - too much so, acting like soccer hooligans. "Bad luck", Denyse or I would call out the girls when they just missed an intercept. "What's lucky about that?", they would call back. The match was very tight, with the English actually up for most of the first three quarters. I really didn't want to lose that match - first, because I'd come here to watch a repeat of the 2002 final between NZ and Australia, which wasn't going to happen in Australia wasn't in the final; and secondly because I just couldn't stand to lose to such bad sports, it would be like losing to Collingwood!! Thankfully, we won the match - I didn't rub it in their faces, being a good sport, but I was happy to don my Aussie flag and wave it around, singing 'Aussie Aussie Aussie!'


The second match of the day was between Jamaica and New Zealand, for the second spot in the gold medal match. Although Jamaica started strongly, it sooned turned into a demolition. I remember remarking to Denyse at the time, "Geez, this seems like the longest match in history!', as there seemed to be an injury time-out every couple of minutes. Who knew that the longest match in history was to come on Thursday ....


It turned out John also had tickets to the athletics that night, and Mark and Denyse were also keen to come with us, so we visited the ticket counter at the front of the stadium. Unfortunately, no tickets were available, so they went sightseeing out to the Lotus Temple whilst John and I headed to the athletics stadium. We snapped a few photos out the front of the stadium, and were then separated at the security line-up, where males and females are segregated (thankfully, as it's not that comfortable to have a male frisk you!).


I had class 'A' tickets, which were right at the front, near the triple jump pits. Sitting right behind me were a couple of Aussies that had sat in front of us at the netball - again, such a small world! It was my first time at an athletics meet, and being the last night of competition every event was a final. The Indian crowd went absolutely berserk every time an India athlete competed, and went mad when they won a medal - Indians were doing laps of honour for coming third (I thought that was normally reserved for the gold medal winner?) 

The night finished shortly after 8pm, and on the Metro home I realised that the stadium was only 1 stop from Khan Market, so I alighted to have dinner. (I was starving - I'd eaten breakfast at 8:30, and had only a burger in the time since!). I had a nice meal at a creperie, talking sport with the waiter, and then walked outside to hail a taxi home. Also getting into a taxi at the front of Khan Market was Liz Ellis and Luke Darcy! Unfortunately they were halfway in the taxi, else I would have gone up to them and asked if they could come over to us on Thursday for a photo and a chat.

Monday 11th October
Day 8 - Commonwealth Games

Today I had a full day off the Commonwealth Games. I had planned to spend it sightseeing, using the 'Hop On, Hop Off' bus, but I wasn't feeling well when I woke up (I'd been feeling lousy the past few days actually). Showers and food always make one feel better, so after doing the first I headed out to Khan Market for the second.

Khan Market really has become my second home - it's no wonder it's so popular with the ex-pat and diplomatic community. I went back to Cafe Oz for breakfast for some familiarity, but then returned straight back home via tuk-tuk (probably not the best idea to be choking in the smog and pollution when I wasn't feeling well to begin with!)

I spent the rest of the day in my hotel room, watching the Games' coverage on TV (there was a snippet of the India vs PNG match, for last place) and spent an hour on the internet at the internet cafe near my hotel.  I ordered take-away from the Chinese restaurant opposite, which was delicious. This was where I discovered the concept of 'fried honey potato' - effectively French fries coated in a honey batter with sesame seeds. Whilst waiting for my food, a Scotsman in a kilt (but living in Australia) stopped me, as he had noticed the (fake) Commonwealth Games t-shirt I was wearing. He wanted to know where I'd purchased it, as there was no seemingly no merchandise available anywhere in the city. I advised him (like I'd advised many, many people) that I purchased it at Janpath Market, but that they only had one design and one size (and it certainly wasn't going to fit him). He told me that the reason why official merchandise was unavailable was because the police had prevented the Games' from selling it!! So there must be huge warehouses somewhere with millions of pieces of merchandise, that all of us tourists are dying to buy, yet will end up being destroyed!

Oh - one funny thing I saw on the TV whilst I was waiting for my take-away: "Sorry Sir, we can't seem to find anything wrong with you, we're going to diagnose you with 'Symptom Deficiency Disorder'.

Wednesday 12th October

Day 10 - Commonwealth Games

Despite the early wake-up call, I bounded out of bed and downstairs to meet my driver, who would take me to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Despite only being 200km away, the ride took about 4.5 hours! As I'd booked a 'nice' package via Qantas Holidays back in Australia, I had a smooth car ride in a new and air-conditioned sedan, eliminating the pollution and dust from my trip. The ride there was uneventful, except for one point when, whilst stopped at a toll, a man came up to the window and had his monkey (on a lead) jump up on the window! It scared the living daylights out of me (he was selling photos with the monkey to tourists - I declined the offer).


When we reached Agra at about 11:30, we picked up our guide from the travel office. The guide was slightly sleazy (in the salesman sense, not the sexual sense!) but was very well educated - he had a degree and masters in tourism and history; and lead tours all over India. Having skipped breakfast, I asked to stop off at a cafe before we started our touring (random fact of the day: there are no Starbucks (at least, not that I could see) in India because they have several of their own very strong coffee chains.)


As I went to return to the car, the police appeared, blocking the main road off from pedestrians and vehicles. The train from Delhi, carrying Commonwealth Games athletes and officials, had just arrived, and the bus carrying them all was about to drive down the road - this was very typical behaviour in Delhi, but even in Agra!?

The Taj Mahal was actually closed off for the athletes only until 2pm, so our first visit was to the Agra Fort. This building was made of red sandstone, and about 500 years old. Only 10% of the area was open to the public, as the remaining sections were in use as military barracks (I think Mark was missing out in Canberra - where was his view of the Taj Mahal?!) My guide gave me a very information talk, going beyond history to speak of religion and philosophy. At one point, he started speaking about sex and its place in Indian society - and he got very graphic about "the sex" (I won't start discussing that here ... ) I know he was trying to be informative, but probably not that appropriate to speak to a single, young, female about!


A lunch break was provided at the conclusion of the tour of the Taj, and I was deposited at a local restaurant, where I enjoyed the garlic naan bread with a passion! But I was eager to get moving and on to the Taj Mahal - the greatest symbol of love in history, and one of the seven wonders of the world. (I say that, but is it really? There seem to be so many lists, a newly created list voted by the public - who knows?)


We entered via a side gate, typically used only by locals. I'd pre-purchased my ticket at Agra Fort as a discount was provided when both tickets were purchased; and I received a 'goodie bag' as I entered (bottle of water and shoe covers). Entering through the hall, I looked up to take my first glimpe (ignoring the far away view I'd had from Agra Fort) of the Taj. And wow, what a majestic sight - definitely worth putting up with the downfalls of India!


My guide explained to me that due to the Persian architectural philosophies, everything at the Taj was designed in symmetry, right down to the gardens and the intricate carving. On the left side of the Taj is a mosque, facing Mecca (as mosques must); and of course, on the right hand side, an exact replica of the mosque was built. However, this building can't be called a mosque as it doesn't face Mecca - so it's basically a pointless building for the purpose of symmetry! Everything was absolutely perfect - if even one mistake was made, the whole 'thing' (piece of marble, column etc) would be thrown out and the work started again. Imagine working on a 2 metre, 2 tonne piece of marble, carving intricate details for 2 months, only to make a mistake on the last piece of carving!


My guide also dispelled a few myths - 1), There is no evidence that Shah Jahan (the emperor who had it built) had planned a Black Mahal on the opposite side of the river; and 2) The architects and artisans who worked on the Taj did not have their fingers/hands cut off to stop them from working on other sites (more so, their fingers would accidentally be lost in accidents with their tools). As he had visited the Taj over 5000 times, he was a pro at taking photo album (or Facebook!) worthy photos, so I've got some great snaps to show.


With some buildings and sites, once you see them you feel fulfilled - "Ok, I've been to the Agra Fort, no need to come back". With the Taj Mahal, it was a different feeling - you felt like you could look at it all day, visit every day, and never get sick of it.


I farewelled my guide with a slick handshake, slyly slipping him a tip (yay, I finally mastered it!), and was back on the road to Agra with my driver. What a long day the driver must have - he picked me up at 7am and dropped me back at 8:30pm, and he does this almost everyday. A few interesting sights on the road from Agra - bulls and cows standing in the middle of roundabouts, and even the roads (cows are sacred here); and a camel 'towing' a cart down the street. As I commented to my driver how I loved cows, every time he spotted one he would make a mooing noise to point it out to me!


I had a great dinner of crispy honey potato (basically French fries, but done in a fried honey batter with sesame seeds)and rice from a local Chinese restaurant - I was stoked to find they'd included cutlery as well! Returning to my hotel, I found a large hall had sprung up next door, and the Indians were all celebrating a local festival (which was to go on for 9 nights), and were therefore singing and dancing well into the night. The sounds echoed through the speakers on my TV, so I didn't have a great night in!

Thursday 14th October

Day 11 - Commonwealth Games

The day we had all been waiting for was here - the Gold Medal play-off (yes, I do consider that a proper noun!) I awoke very early and set off for Khan Market for breakfast as usual. Only problem was, it was a public holiday in Delhi (for the closing ceremony), and so everything was closed in Delhi. Even McDonalds was closed!

There was no point in hanging around Khan Market, and even though I was extraordinarily early I headed off for the stadium. I had the tuk-tuk driver drop me off a few blocks early, and I spent half an hour walking the nearby streets to fill in time. The first match was at 11:30 and the stadium opened at 10am, but it was still only 9:15am when I arrived. A Kiwi supporter arrived at 9:30am and I politely tolerated him (just kidding!), and then Ash turned up (the crazily dressed radio host from Tuesday). This time, he was dressed in a full pink catsuit, including ears and tail, this time toting his large Aussie flag that he'd lost the previous day. He'd had so much fun on Tuesday he'd decided to return for the final, and was meeting his 'scalper' at the stadium to score a ticket (the match was sold-out, which didn't really mean much). He asked me to save him a seat inside, whilst he went off with his scalper and I went and spoke with my friends from the military, to ensure I was first in the gate.


The older Army woman was so sweet - she gave me a hug and told me "I was her friend" ( the only English she could speak) when I said it was sad this was the final day. Then at 9:59am, they allowed me to enter the stadium to score my perfect seats. Denise had a superstition that she had to sit in row 6, in the seat exactly behind the centre circle, so I secured that seat and the surrounding 6 for our 'crew' (Kila, Ash, myself, and any other Aussies who wanted to join us, of which Mark ended up doing). I'd brought yellow and green ribbons in my bag, and distributed them to little Indian girls around us, to encourage them to support the Aussies. Ash arrived, having scored his ticket for free from a random passer-by, and Denise arrived late after having to return to her guesthouse due to forgetting her ticket!


The first match up was between England Jamaica for the bronze medal, and the English supporters were out in force. The match was fairly scrappy - the first quarter was tight, but then the Jamaicans fell apart. I remember commenting at the time it seemed like 'the longest match in history' (I obviously didn't know what was to come!) with so many injuries and time-outs. The English were ecstatic to win the bronze - I guess it goes to show the difference between New Zealand and Australia and the next group of teams.

1pm, and it was time for the Gold Medal match. I wasn't game to go outside for a drink or something to eat in case I missed a minute. The stands were fairly full (although still not full, with several hundred seats still remaining - a far improvement from last week though!) A large Aussie contingent was present, although not a massive athlete presence - Kiwi athletes dominated on the opposite site of the stadium. Ash started an 'Aussie Aussie Aussie', and the match commenced.

As I'm sure you all know, it turned out to be the best match in the history of netball, going down to extra time and then double extra time. Our goal circle wasn't working at all, with Sharelle having a shocker - "We need Cath (Cox) on!", I remarked, and finally Norma responded. The last quarter, trailing by 7 goals, saw her make several changes, bringing Cath on as GS and Sharelle out to GA, and Kim on as WA. "I think I'm going to be sick," said Denise, worried for her daughter. It was an interesting move, given Lauren had been playing brilliantly at WA, but I guess she combined better with Cath due to their Swifts' relationship.


The Aussies were on the back foot at numerous times in the match, always seeming to be the ones having to catch-up. Cath did have several opportunities to win us the match, but despite her near flawless shooting she just couldn't convert the ones that mattered, and the Kiwis finally held their nerve to win the match. It was utter jubilation, with the girls jumping on top of each other and rolling on the floor. In dire opposites, the Aussie girls were despondent and in tears, slowly trudging off the court.

The three teams returned for the medal ceremony, and for the Aussies it was as if someone had died. They just could not be consoled, with Sharelle being the worse. Throughout the national anthem she kept looking at the exit, and at its conclusion she yanked off her sash and marched off the stage. No handshakes for them, as sporting etiquette dictates - whilst the Kiwi girls did the haka and the English thanked their fans, the Aussie girls were straight off the court again.


Being the final day (it felt like the last day of school!), we'd had high hopes of getting photos with the players and the commentators, but it wasn't to be - Luke and Liz left shortly after the match (Liz giving the players a hug in consolation), whilst the players were inconsolable in the dressing rooms. Denise, Mark and I decided to return the Denise's guesthouse to 'drown our sorrows', after farewelling the other supporters in the crowd (Mark and I were offered closing ceremony tickets from Pam, the president of Netball Australia, but we decided were to upset to celebrate).


Denise spoke to Kim on the phone, trying to console her, but she was unable to. She'd never heard her so upset - it was just unfathomable that they hadn't won the gold. Hopefully, looking back in the future without the emotion, they will realise that they were part of the best match in history that just unhappened to go their way, but time will tell. It was unfortunate that the girls weren't allowed out of the village AND weren't unable to drink - they all really needed to get out into the open, and share their feelings with friends and family over a few drinks (and some chocolate!)

Denise's guesthouse was amazing. Atul, the owner, who I had met before, welcomed us with smiles (and a hug, for Denise), and immediately ordered for some sandwiches and drinks whilst we considered our plans. We sat around talking for an hour or so before retiring to the rooftop and watching the sunset (the Delhi sunsets are so gorgeous). We ordered Indian food to share between the three of us, although when the food arrived we could have shared it with the whole Aussie netball team, as we barely made a dint in it! We were joined by a couple of American women who were fascinated by netball, after having attended the match that day. They couldn't believe how 'gymnastic' the game was, and how good of friends all of the players were.

As the sun set, our stomachs were filled, and the drinks stopped flowing, Mark and I eventually bade farewell to Denise and journeyed to our respective homes on the Metro, still wearing our Aussie t-shirts. As Mark wasn't leaving 'til Saturday morning (and me, Saturday night), we arranged to meet up the following day to wander through the Janpath markets.

I reflected on the day when I returned to my room. I'd said when I'd booked my tickets to India that I wanted the gold medal match to be a repeat of the 2002 gold medal match, when Australia edged out New Zealand in overtime - I hadn't realised how close my prediction had come.

Friday 15th October

The first day of no Commonwealth Games, what was I to do? Oh yes .. check out of this crappy hotel!! I was so glad to be gone, as I'd spent two (hot showered depleted) weeks feeling like the staff were vindictive, with remote controls 'suddely disappearing' and air conditioning and TV 'not working' after I'd complain about something or refuse a tour offer.


I had booked into the Park Hotel, in Connaught Place, for the night, and was keen to arrive early in the hope I could check in and make the most of their facilities. I took a tuk-tuk to the hotel (although, I asked him to stop just out the front - I didn't want to turn up at a 5 star hotel in a tuk-tuk!), checking whilst my bags were x-rayed and then sent up to my room. You may have heard there was a major terrorist warning out for the past few days against the Games' venues and a few hotels that were housing Games' officials - I assume this was one of the targets, and security remained tight.

The thing with staying in a nice hotel is tipping. I hate the concept of tipping - especially enforced tipping, like in the US. It generally makes me refuse to use the services of the hotel, just to avoid the awkward tipping situation (how much? and how?) I did tip the 'bellman' who brought up my bags - he hovered just enough to make it clear that that was what he was after - but didn't at any other time during my stay.

The hotel room was amazing - extremely funky, just like me! :-) The bed was sooo luxurious that I wanted to buy the pillows and doona - a far cry from the bed at Hotel Emperor Palms, which you would have broken your tail bone on if you fell onto it. The TV had over 100 channels - still several dedicated to the Commonwealth Games, although talk had now turned about getting to the root of the corruption that had plagued it - and the bathroom amenities included dental and shaving kits, and even a miscellaneous pack with things like safety pins and paper clips!

I had arranged to meet Mark (from the netball) after 2pm, and I decided to spend the few hours before then shopping, and took a taxi down to the DLF malls in the south of Delhi. It's strange in Delhi - malls don't stand by themselves like in Australia; but rather, they are clustered together. Here, there were 3 malls - DLF Emporium, with high end stores like Louis Vuitton and Channel; and DLFs Ambience and (??), which were your normal 'Pacific Fair' or 'Chadstone' like malls. I spent my time in the Ambience Mall, purchasing a wool dress and studded black belt - a few things for my Canada wardrobe. (I've decided I'm going to take every opportunity from now on to look for clothes to Canada - buying a wardrobe in the three days before I start work is just not feasible!)

Back at the hotel, I had an hour watching TV before Mark arrived. He first needed to exchange money, and I noticed there was a bank beside us. The bank was nothing like Australia. First, there were a few guys sitting on chairs in a lobby, behind a sign saying 'Reception'. They referred us to 'International Banking' on the third floor, so up we trundled in the lift. Walking down a corridor, we entered the 'International Banking' room, which consisted of a heap of desks, just like a normal office. Um, where we in the right place?

A man looked up and pointed us in the direction of one of the desks. We walked over, and the man sitting at the desk confirmed we were in the right place, and he could exchange the money for us (on production of Mark's passport). 'Changing Australian dollars?', the bank official enquired, on seeing Mark's passport. Mark said no, he was exchanging US dollars, as he'd previously been in Nepal. "Aah, too bad, the Australian dollar actually had a better exchange rate than the US dollar - 41.5 compared to 41.3". Wow - I hadn't realised the exchange rate had risen so much!


Money exchanged, we crossed the road to Janpath Market, where I had briefly visited last week and Denise and John had visited on Tuesday. It was probably the best market in Delhi (which was saying something) - first, a street lined with clothing stalls; and then a street of proper shops, with pashmimas, silks and souvenirs. The market was buzzing with tourists, mostly officials/players from the Games who were taking advantage of their first day off in Delhi to pick-up presents for friends and family back home. And that's exactly what Mark did.

I didn't need to buy anything, but had a blast walking through the streets with Mark as he looked at different items. He managed to score a few (non authentic) Comm Games t-shirts (selling at $4 now, as opposed to the $6 I'd had to pay), as well as some bangles and coasters. Everyone was in a jovial mood - I ran into a few Kiwis and told them I wasn't speaking to them because of the netball result - turned out they'd been at the match, and we had a good chat about the game. On several occasions I was asked for assistance in picking jewellery for daughters or partners 'back home' (the more sparkle, the better, is my rule).

We had an awesome time bartering at a stall full of table runners and bedspreads. Mark had decided he wanted a table runner for his dining table, and set out to find the perfect one. First off, he went through the 100 odd to pick those in a similar colour scheme to his brown dining table. Down to about 20, he went through it a second time, removing those that were too glitzy or ugly. A third pass then narrowed it down to two, and he asked for my opinion. "The one on the left", I replied. "Good," he replied, "that's the one I'm buying, I just wanted to make sure you agreed!" Our tastes were very similar, as we discovered during the afternoon. Whilst he was doing that, I also purchased a table runner - bartering my way from 1700 rupee to 400!! Score!!!

We grabbed a drink at a nearby coffee store before farewelling each other at the metro stop. It was sad - although I'd only known these people for a few days, they had all become good friends, of whom I would probably never see again. But we had shared a great experience and exchanged e-mail addresses, so who knows .. maybe the World Cup in Singapore next year?


I returned to the hotel and hit up the gym. My goodness, you have no idea how much I miss working out. Running is impossible in Asia due to the heat, non-existent footpaths and crowds, so I haven't run since I left Australia. I miss the feeling of thrashing myself and being physically exhautsed, so I made sure I went hard at the gym. (A very good gym - all of the cardio machines even had TVs!)

I had intended to order room service but couldn't be bothered playing the tipping game, so I headed out to a nearby Indian restaurant for idli, dosai, and uddarparm ('like Indian pizza', the waiter told me - turned out to be a potato pancake). I ordered it to take away, and chomped away whilst watching a How I Met Your Mother marathon before slipping between the divine sheets for an immaculate sleep ...

Saturday 16th October
Sunday 17th October

My last day in India! After waking in my luxurious bed, I showered in the magnificent hot shower (I hadn't had a hot shower at all in my last hotel, for 12 whole days!) and made my way down to the breakfast buffet. Everything was very luxurious, but quite frankly I was disappointed in the food. Where were the pancakes and French toast? There was an egg making station, and a banquet of mini muffins and pastries, but no real 'hearty food'. I even had to pay for my water!!

Given it was an expensive room, I wanted to make full use of the facilities and wasn't planning on checking out until right on 12pm. So after breakfast I made my way down to the gym (for the second time in about 14 hours), and utilised the weights and cardio equipment. Working out just makes you feel sooo much better! Let's hope I can find somewhere to run in Vietnam, it's just not the same on a treadmill!

By now it was 10:30, so I went back to my room to pack, watching American sit-coms as I went, before reluctantly making my way down to the lobby. I chose to take my own bags rather than use the 'bell-hop', since I just don't like the concept of tipping! (How do you do it smoothly?) Checking out, the manager(?) knew my name and even asked for the address of this blog - maybe it will turn into a book deal, just like the 'Lost Girls' blog did! (See Siem Reap posting for more details).


Storing my bags, I chose to ignore the taxis at the front and instead headed to the tuk-tuks, directing them to 'India Gate', an imposing arch that was built to commemorate the loss of 90,000 soldiers whilst fighting for the British Empire. Although I'd driven past it numerous times on the way to Tyagaraj Stadium, I'd never actually got out to look at it or snap some photos.


The heat was tremendous - it felt like it was in the 40s (not impossible, as it had been 45 at the hockey and Rugby 7s the previous days). The gate sits at one end of a large avenue, similar to the Arc de Triumphe and Champs Delysee in Paris, and I had been planning to walk to the other end where the President's Estate was located, but it was just too hot! Photos snapped, it was then on to the Lotus Temple in the very south of Delhi (again by tuk-tuk, after bartering my way down from 350 to 100 ... they try to rip you off so badly!)


The Lotus Temple was very beautiful, designed to look like a flower (as the name suggests) - and also very similar to the architecture of the Opera House, in my opinion. The queues to get in were extremely long (first, you had to drop your shoes off at an underground bunker) - and given how queuing is a foreign concept in India, the queue was enormous. I decided, given the queues and the tremendous heat, that I couldn't be bothered waiting and instead of entering would just snap photos from the outside. There was also no water to be found inside the complex, and I was starting to suffer from dehydration, so I made a quick exit to the street vendors lining the road outside.


A few Army personnel (this time dressed in blue camo gear - does this mean they're actually Airforce?) assisted me in getting a tuk-tuk, but the guy was majorly trying to rip me off, and would only lower his price if I would visit a nearby emporium, which I refused. Just at this moment, the Ho-Ho bus (Hop On, Hop Off) pulled up, and I decided a lap on the bus would be a good way to kill some time. It went soooo slowly though - and the bus driver tooted (cross that, BLASTED) his horn every two seconds, which was extraordinarily loud. The 'Guest Experience Host' was very friendly towards me though, and I soon decided to alight at an 'exclusive shopping village' (she told me it sounded like it was the only shopping place I hadn't visited!)

The place was set in a garden, with white picket fences, inside a gated community. It was very exclusive though and not my type of shopping - cigar clubs and royalty-like Indian silks. I decided instead I needed to see Khan Market one more time before I left so I hopped in my last tuk-tuk of the trip. As I didn't have much money left, I didn't want to risk eating at a cafe, so instead purchased a few goodies at the bakery I had fallen in love with. (One happened to pass through my mouth at that moment ... well, I had only eaten breakfast that day, and wouldn't eat again until the airport!)

Journeyed by Metro back into Connaught Place, I was going to stop in at Janpath Markets (where Mark and I had gone the day before) but ended up getting hopelessly lost - too many roundabouts and off streets! I did find an internet cafe though (which are in extraordinarily short supply in India) and checked in for my flight from KL to Hanoi, since I had a very short time between arriving in KL and departing to Hanoi. (My flight from Delhi arrived at 4:30 and the flight to Hanoi left at 6:30. During that time, I had to pass immigration, collect my bag, then drop in my bag and have my documents checked).

Back at the Park Hotel, it was perfect timing for departing to Indira Gandhi Airport, travelling by the British(?) Ambassador taxi (I got charged an extra 50 rupees because I wanted air conditioning!) Security was extremely tight - only passengers could even enter the terminal, with airline tickets and passports checked at the front doors. Check-in was a breeze, as was immigration, and I then had a few hours to kill in the terminal.

Don't you hate that whole 'playing with money at the airport' concept? You want to make sure you have enough to purchase a meal and a snack or magazine, but you don't want too much that you have to change again, losing money on the exchange rate. Then you don't want to buy the first meal you see, because what if it's too expensive and then you can't buy the cool snowdome you find at a later shop? Aah, this always gets me. I purchased a very cheap meal of Indian and a chocolate bar, leaving money for some small souvenirs if I found them (which I didn't, which meant I ended up with some Indian rupees left - and it is illegal to change them once you've passed immigration!)

I had scored a window seat - the lady at check-in had told me it was 'no problem' as the flight wasn't near full; and even had the seat beside me free, which allowed me to tuck my legs up for a slightly better sleep. I hadn't bothered to purchase a meal, given we were flying out at 8:45pm and arriving in KL at 4:30am (a 5 hour flight with a 2.5 hour time difference).

Alighting from the flight in KL, I passed through immigration to score my 9th Malaysian stamp in 2 months, collected my bag, and then joined the 'Baggage Drop' queue at check-in (thank goodness I had checked in online, the check-in queue was mammoth, even at 5am!!) McDonalds and Starbucks were open outside, but I didn't want to risk eating and being late to pass through immigration and security, so I settled for an 'milo ice', terminal-side.

This flight was near full - checking in online meant I had been allocated a middle seat, but as no one sat in the window seat I changed seats as soon as the doors shut. I fell asleep as soon as we took off - the few hours sleep on the previous flight weren't enough - and woke up just before arriving into Hanoi, my final country before Canada!

There was only one baggage carousel for all of the flights - 4 had arrived in the same 10 minute time span - and mine seemed to take forever to appear. I had arrived into Vietnam with absolutely no 'dong', but as I had expected there were plenty of ATMS at arrivals. I withdrew the grand sum of 4,000,000 dong - I'm a millionnaire!! (about $200 - the maximum you can withdraw, most ATMS only allow 2,000,000).

I had been warned of the crazy taxi scene at the airport, and stood back for a few minutes to try and understand what was happening, and which person/company/car I should head for. Numerous men tried to grab me, but I headed for a woman with a tag on (tags mean they're official, right?) standing by the 'metered taxi' stand. It was the most expensive taxi ride I've had so far though - almsot US$20! The weather was drizzly though, and I would almost suggest it was cold - the first 'cold' weather I'd experienced since Malaysia.

Arriving at the hotel, a doorman opened the car door and retrieved my luggage, leading me into the hotel lobby. There, I was asked for my passport and asked to wait for a while whilst they checked me in. During this time, the travel agent at the front desk worked through an itinerary for me - he planned every day, hotel, bus ride etc of my trip for the next week! I wasn't interested at all, just nodding at the appropriate moments whilst waiting for my room to be ready. At the end of this though, I was told, "We're full - we have to move you to another hotel down the road".

I wasn't impressed, especially when I'd just had 2 overnight flights and just wanted a shower, food, and then some sleep. They paid for a taxi to a new hotel, which actually turned out to be slightly nicer than the original (even had free internet - something I've lacked for the past few weeks). My room was nice and spacious - cable TV, fridge, and hot water deemed to luxurious - the only problem being the five flights of stairs I had to alight to reach it.

After showering, I dropped in my laundry (almost all of my clothes) to search for some food. The food scene wasn't too great though, and I ended up walking for several hours first. Hanoi is very scenic, with several small lakes dominating the landscape (waterscape?) After India, it felt very laid-back - even the traffic didn't seem horrendous. (Vietnam is known for its terrible traffic - in Australia, you'd never have a chance to cross the road, so here you simply start walking and the traffic will dodge around you).

Shops littered the roadsides - silks, fake bags and sunglasses, souvenirs (although no snowdomes!) I was a bit over sightseeing so I didn't snap any photos, preferring to simply walk the streets and take in the sights. I finally found a lunch place at 1pm (keeping in mind, I hadn't eaten since 5pm the day before), and after 3 attempts at ordering ( 1 - cheese sandwich - was told after 10 minutes they'd 'run out'; 2 - pasta - was told after 15 minutes they'd made a mistake; 3) finally received pasta) and 2 chocolate milkshakes (I needed to have something in my stomach with all that waiting), finally ate a meal.

I returned back to the hotel, too tired to walk any further, and promptly fell asleep for two hours (half way through 'I Love You Man' - seemed like a good movie!) On waking, I ordered some room service and then watched a few hours of TV, before submitting to my sleep deprivation once again.

Sunday 10th October
Day 7 - Commonwealth Games

Tonight, the Aussies weren't playing until 9pm! Leslie had already decided she wasn't game to attend such a late match, but I was still keen and went downstairs to the hotel reception to organise a car to pick me up after the match. As always, they were useless - "Streets are closed, Madam!" they said. (Um, streets around Connaught Place were closed until 7pm yes, but I was asking for car in South Delhi at 10:30pm). "Expensive Madam, car will have to go down and then turn around to come back!" they said. (True, but I'm a single female travelling at night - do they not have any common sense?) I told them to forget about it, I'd organise my own transport instead.


I hailed a taxi to Haus Kaus, which I'd read was another quaint enclave like Khan Market. On arrival, I could instantly tell it was a disappointment, and last all of about 5 minutes before asking to be taken to Khan Market for a meal. Of course, the tuk-tuk driver didn't tell me until we were at Khan Market that it was closed on Sundays! His suggestion was South Extension (Defence Colony), and finally at stop 3 I found a nice series of shops and restaurants. I tucked into a 'Croque Monsieur' (a sandwich made like French toast with ham and bechamal sauce, except I replaced the ham with mushrooms), which hit the spot nicely!!

My must-do for the day was to book a trip to the Taj Mahal for Wednesday. I wanted to book it through a reputable agent in Australia, as most of the Indian agents had dodgy reputations, except I was finding that a lot of the sites required a minimum of 4 days' notice. Finally, I booked the trip through QANTAS holidays, entailing a private car and guide. Despite being only 200km away, it's a 4 hour trip each way - it will make for a long day on Wednesday!

I purchased a few snacks at the ex-pat stores and ate a frozen yoghurt from 'Cocoberry', the latest fad in Asia (quite similar to Rubees - choose your yoghurt, your size, and your toppings i.e. fruits/chocolates). I had intended on sight-seeing in the afternoon but wasn't feeling well - the pollution, constant air-conditioning and heat was all catching up on me, so I rested at the hotel for a few hours instead.


Back on the metro at 6pm, I arrived at Tyagaraj Stadium to watch the pre-cursor match with the PNG Mum, and then cheered for Kim as she ran on with the Aussie team (we substituted for her Mum and sister since they were absent!!) They played Trinidad and Tobago who were a good match - although the margin was 40 odd goals, it was a good hit out.


When the Trinidad and Tobago'an team had run out on court, I'd noticed this young girl in the team. You know how some people just have the 'it' factor? Well, this young girl was absolutely gorgeous, with legs like a super-model. We dubbed her 'supermodel', and were disappointed when she didn't get any game time. At the match's conclusion though, I went over to the bench and asked if I could get a photo with her. She was stoked to be asked for a photo - she was the baby of the team at 16 (she was a goal shooter), and we said we hoped we would see her at the World Championships next year.


We had also noticed the official photographer from Trinidad and Tobago, snapping photos during the match. Except, instead of having one of the fancy cameras that most photojournalists had, he was snapping away on a Sony Cybershot! We got speaking with him and he asked if he could get his photo with us!! We tried to get Kim's attention to get a photo with her, but she was busy stretching with the Aussie team, and resolved we'd get one on Tuesday instead. (I also want a photo with Luke Darcy then as well).

Still unsure how I was going to get home, Kila had the number of a driver she'd used, and we decided to share the car home - she'd get dropped home first, since she was closer, and then he would take me home. (I would have asked the Information Desk for help on calling a taxi if I had no alternative). We didn't get in the car 'til 10:45, and I wasn't home 'til about 11:30 - a late night!!

Saturday 9th October
Day 6 Commonwealth Games

The Aussies weren't in action at the netball today, so I'd pre-purchased tickets to the tennis final for tonight. But given the crap quality of the players (the best ranked player was 100 in the world), I'd decided to forgo it for a day of sightseeing.



First up was some time on the internet. I had booked my accommodation in Delhi until Thursday, and with my flight not til Saturday I had intended on spending Friday and Saturday at the Taj Mahal/Agra until I realised the Taj Mahal was closed on Fridays! So I decided instead that I would go to the Taj Mahal on Wednesday (no netball action - and I'm sure I'll see heaps of athletes there, given it's so close to the end of the Games); and would splash out to spend Friday night at a luxury hotel for a bit of pampering. Based on the best prices I could find online, I booked into the Park Hotel (coincidentally, the same hotel I'd picked up my tickets on Monday).


I took a tuk-tuk to 'Old Delhi' in the north, intending to walk along 'Chandri Chowk', the much recommended market there. The street turned out to be a non-event - so much for the great shopping and street food! I ended up tucking into some McDonalds due to the lack of food.


Across the road from Chandri Chowk was Red Fort, the much lauded attraction. The price was rather steep - 750 rupees for foreigners (as compared to 100 rupees for Indians!), but comparable to what you would pay in any other 'Western' city (about $20). The complex was sprawled over a large area, and I snapped away happily. But the Indians all wanted to snap me! It is a status thing for them to have their photos taken at tourist attractions with 'Westerners', so I was approached on numerous occasions by Indians wanting their photos taken with me. I happily obliged - on the condition that they took a photo of me in return (a good way to get photos of me at the attractions, rather than of just the attraction). I even noticed some Indian guys slyly taking photos of me on their phone cameras - the blonde hair must do it for them (because I wasn't 'provactively' dressed!)


I went back to the Commonwealth Games HQ for what I decided would be the last time to try for merchandise, and found the 'shop' - finally. You'd except the merchandise store for the Commonwealth Games to be a large set-up right? Well, this consisted of a card table in the lobby, with a volunteer and quite literally a sack with 3 items - a plate, a nylon shirt, or a ball. Um ... pass!

I hadn't realised before just how close the HQ were to Jantar Mantar, an ancient group of sun-dials constructed in the 1700s. They were really fascinating - sun-dials showing the time (to the nearest 15 minutes) in Delhi; times in Japan, Zurich and London; even lunar calendars and astrological calendars. I had refused the service of a 'guide' ("I am not a guide Ma'am, it is my duty here at Jantar Mantar to advise you of the history"), but he persisted on telling me the back-story and taking photos of me at each of the monuments. Of course at the end, he turned to me and and put his hand out, requesting payment. I refused on principle - "I didn't ask for you assistance!" and he nastily skulked off (I made sure I exited in a group of other tourists, to prevent any conflicts!)


Outside of the building was a lively market, where I was ecstatic to find some Commonwealth Games shirts! Although counterfeit, I happily purchased 3 - one for myself, and one each for Denise and the PNG Mum I'd become friendly with, as both had been unable to find merchandise as well, even at the Athletes' Village!


Returning to Karol Bargh (where my hotel was located), I ordered some take-away from a nearby restaurant - rather than have me wait for them to cook it, they said they would deliver it to my hotel (Indian hospitality really is amazing - Delhi had a saying, "The Guest is God", which they truly do apply). Only probably was they delivered it without cutlery - expected, given it's India, but it's hard to eat hot, gooey dinners with your fingers! (This is where my travel knife came in handy, substituting as a fork as best it could).


Another night, another problem with my room - this time three things: a light flickering; my TV not working; and the room key missing. I really can't wait til I check out ...

Friday 8th October
Day 5 Commonwealth Games

I've decided not to take breakfast at my hotel anymore, due to the hygiene reasons I discussed yesterday, although given the breakfast options around the hotel are non-existent, it's making me very hungry in the mornings! I had a good sleep-in today and then ventured out to Khan Market, where Denise and Lauren had visited yesterday and given good recommendations.

The market is not really a market - more an enclave of shops and restaurants aimed at the ex-pat and diplomatic crowd, given it's location in the diplomatic enclave. I was stoked to find an Aussie cafe where I had my breakfast (surprisingly, I turned down the vegemite on toast for eggs benedict). Walking on, I found a hair salon and decided to treat myself to a conditioning treatment. For an hour and a half, I was treated like a royal - shampoo, conditioning treatment, the BEST scalp massage I have ever had. Anything I wanted was mine - a coke? A coffee from the cafe downstairs? The latest British Vogue? My blow-dry was even done by two hairdressers: one, to hold the hairdryer, and one to hold the brush!

Feeling glamorous, I sashayed through the local shops, and happened to bump into Lauren and Denise in a jewellery store (the world really is a small place). As Lauren was leaving the next day, she'd wanted to come back to stock up on bracelets and necklaces, and Denise was purchasing some for Kim as well, who wasn't really able to leave the Athletes' Village. As their driver was picking them up at 1:30pm, I rode with them to Tyagaraj Stadium, wolfing down a delicious brownie I had treated myself to from one of the bakeries.


The Aussies were playing Malawi, and we were expecting the match to be similar to that against India - i.e., a complete thrashing. But Malawi has some skill! They really showed promise, keeping close in the first quarter and not at all being disgraced by their performance. The owners of the guesthouse the Greens' were staying at came for the match, bringing their young daughter, and were delighted when Sharelle McMahon gave her the signed match ball after the match (they had teed it up with Kim the night before).

I decided not to stay for the second match, instead wanting to do some shopping. I flagged down a tuk-tuk driver near the metro station, asking him to take me to Gurgaon for some shopping. He instead persuaded me to go to 'Ansul Plaza', a closer mall (looking at the map later, I realised Gurgaon is a bit too far for tuk-tuk drivers to venture). The mall was crap though, and after about 10 minutes I was out the door and back with my tuk-tuk driver (he had waited for me, despite my non-agreeance - but I was glad he had, given it was Friday 5pm and transport was hard to flag down!)


I asked for him to drop me at Khan Market, knowing now that this was the best place for cafes in Delhi. I had a delicious wood-fired pizza with blue cheese, mushrooms and caramelised onions, and called in at one of the ex-pat supermarkets to purchase some snacks. (The shops are all oriented towards the ex-pat crowd - Cadbury chocolate, Hershey's syrup, root beer all crowd the 'aisles'). My next tuk-tuk driver then tried to persuade me to go via one of the government emporiums (he must have needed the commission). In this case, I was quite happy to make a stop though, as I was keen to purchase the pashmima I had tried on there on Monday).


Pashmima in hand (it's surprising how, even at a 'fixed-price' government emporium, prices can come down very quickly), and night truly upon us, I returned to the hotel for another night of Games' watching. Except ... my remote control was missing. It seems like every night I return to the hotel something is wrong - the remote is missing; TV not working; air-conditioning not working - I feel like there's a vendetta against me for not booking any tours through them.

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!)

Wednesday 6th October
Day 3 Commonwealth Games

I was craving for some internet - what were the media saying about the Games? Where could I buy merchandise? Where were some good cafes? So after breakfast I hopped the Metro into Connaught Place, to find the internet cafe Lonely Planet had recommended.


Despite an hour of walking, and constant interruptions by Indians ('main bazaar is over there!' 'Shops aren't open yet!'), I hailed a tuk-tuk down to Paharganj, the main backpacker area, where the Lonely Planet said the streets were lined with internet cafes. What a scary place!! Again, I felt like I'd entered a whole new world - this was the 'real' India, with dirt roads and crumbling buildings. I am sooo glad I didn't stay here - only the 'hard-core' backpackers were bunking in here. I did find some internet, although of bad quality, but took advantage of it to google a few things Indian and update my blog.


I took another tuk-tuk back to the hotel to drop off my hotel key - unsure as to whether security would allow me in the stadium with it - and then took the Metro and shuttle bus down to Indira Ghandi Stadium, where I had tickets for the gymnastics. This was the first time I'd ever attended a gymnatics venue, and it was quite good. The first sessions was the all-round individual mens' final; followed shortly by the womens'.


Although not full, the stadium did have considerably more people in it than the netball stadium, and security here worked well and efficient. We clinched a bronze in the mens, as well as medals in the womens. At the half time intermission I walked out to have some 'lunch', only to be told that they'd run out of everything (water included!) except coke, fanta, and burgers. Hmm ...... I'd heard yesterday was even worse, they'd run out of everything!

I asked some volunteers where I could purchase merchandise. "None here", they replied, "You can only get it at the Commonwealth Games HQ".  I therefore left the stadium early (before it got dark) and took the Metro into Connaught Place, where the HQ were based. (Not as easy as it sounds ... imagine thousands of stampeding Indians all trying to get on the shuttle bus to the station - queuing is not a concept here - they even jump on buses before they've stopped!). Once I arrived at the HQ, I was told by a volunteer the store was through entrance 'B', so over I walked, only to be stopped by the guard who told me it was closed. 'What time does it open?', I asked. 'Closed', he replied. 'I know, what time does it open tomorrow?', I repeated. '10am' '11am' '11:30am' - the different guards replied. 'Ok, what time does it close?' I asked. 'Closed', the guard replied. He then proceeded to ignore me as I posed the questions again. Super frustrated, I left without an answer, intending to return the next day.