Radinja10

After supper we chat with Shukla, the lovely lady who owns/runs Lutyens Bungalow, and her daughter. The conversation gets to including showing pictures of Alex & Craig's wedding and then onto the subject of marriage itself. The Emirates car, a very smart BMW SUV arrives promptly and we are soon in Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International. This has changed out of all recognition since our first visit in 2011. Even the security checks seem to have got slicker. Shortly after midnight we are in the Emirates Lounge and have the place to ourselves. There is wine, gin & tonic, and even a cheeseboard with proper cheese! We doze fitfully and wake up to find there will be a short delay for our flight. This delay grows as it takes an age to get everybody boarded. Clearly there is no enforcement of the rule on cabin bag size and the staff have to spend ages finding homes for enormous bags out of the economy cabin. It's not as if Emirates are mean with hold baggage allowance...

We have a lie in until 0715 this morning. It's another bright, sunny day in Delhi. After breakfast we commence packing, slightly reassured by our generous Business Class luggage allowance. It takes less time than anticipated so we can enjoy another stroll around Lodhi Gardens. It's a weekday and much less busy so there is the chance to stroll without impeding the more athletic. There is a rose garden which has attracted a group of Red Naped Ibis this morning, birds which somehow appear rather scholarly. We cannot loiter indefinitely as we have a lunch date today. Lutyens Bungalow post check out policy is very generous, allowing us the freedom of the terrace and the teamaker. BB is going to collect us and take us down the road to Hauz Khas Village. At the appointed time we meet him at the gate and soon get deep in conversation catching up. It is three years since we last met but it seems like a lot less. We go to a Keralan restaurant called Coast, which specialises in ...

It is a bright sunny morning when we stir, if a little on the cool side. After an early breakfast we take a walk around the corner to Lodhi Gardens. We have usually been here on weekdays when it is quite tranquil. On a Sunday morning it is a seething mass of humanity running, jogging, power walking, strolling and barely moving. The soundtrack is cacophonous, featuring youths playing football, dogs, geese and groups of people chanting. Last night's downpour has left temporary ponds in a few places, providing new photo opportunities for the digital generation. We spend an hour walking and watching before returning to base for a bit more breakfast. One attraction even closer to the Bungalow than Lodhi Gardens is Safdarjung's Tomb. One corner of the perimeter is right across the road. Somehow we have never managed to visit this and this morning presents a good opportunity. It is a site managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) who are generally good at keeping ...

We always seem to spend Leap Year's Day in India. In 2012 we slept under the desert sky and went camel riding. http://radinja2.blogspot.com/2012/02/wednesday-29th-february-camel-riding.html In 2016 we spent the day on a hellish bus trip through the minor foothills of the Himalayas that a "friend" had persuaded us would be a breeze. http://radinja6.blogspot.com/2016/03/on-buses-leap-day-special-episode.html He is still a good friend and today we have arranged to meet him for culture and lunch. But first shopping. Breakfast at Lutyens Bungalow is always a delight and even better now that they have started baking their own bread. We are in no hurry and step at a few minutes before ten. We haven't walked thirty yards when an auto driver approaches.  "Metro" is the answer. "Oh no sir. Crowded and dangerous. Better by auto." What he doesn't know is that  when D checks the other, even older Metro Travel Cards, they have a balance of Rs 178 on...

Bed tea arrives at 06.30 and is welcome. D has been awake for a while and notes that we leave the last scheduled stop, Kanpur, 45 minutes late. They day is another grey one but it is not raining. Even D realises that photos of IRCTC meal trays can become less than enthralling so here is the last one.  Note the smiling features of the steward. That is the smile of a shark. Unlike South Western Railway, who operate the Rajdhani that we took from Bangalore to Nagpur, Northern Railway do not decorate the coaches and staff uniforms with exhortations not to tip. When the steward makes a final appearance with a tray and some breath freshener he is not too happy with D's offering and hustles for a bit more. Cheeky sod. We accept that he works hard for long hours but we haven't asked him to do anything that isn't part of the job. Perhaps it's something to do with being closer to Delhi. A great effort is made to catch up the lost minutes but all is for nothing when w...

Yesterday evening we conducted a test run to the station in order to sort out timings for today. Having calculated that the alarm needs to be set for 05.45 we inevitably wake up before five and just decide to give ourselves some extra time. The youth in the lobby rouses himself to check us out and opens the gate. It is daylight but overcast and mizzly. We make short work of the half mile or so to the station, then walk ten coach lengths back along the platform in the direction of the hotel to get in position for coach H1. R is less than overjoyed with the prospect of a 27 hour train trip and is most insistent that D delivers a Coupe for this one. An online check confirms that we will be in Cabin D, a two berth Coupe. Train12423 Dibrugarh - New Delhi Rajdhani arrives a couple of minutes late but there is no hurry as the stop is scheduled for twenty minutes.  Our coupe has been previously enjoyed but a chap turns up promptly to clear the rubbish and we soon get settled ...