So my month in the UK flew by in a bit of a flash, lots of frantic socialising and spending time with all you lovely people. However this is a blog about my adventures in India so the story picks up again as I return to that wonderful country of elephants, spices and monsoon rains.
I got my flight back to India on the 28th, leaving Heathrow again I was excited at the prospect of seeing my Indian friends and I was looking forward to getting back into the routines of my life in the small Tamil Nadu town I think of as home. However I must admit that I was also filled with a slight trepidation. Perhaps even more than a slight reluctance to leave my family again so soon and with certain things feeling unsettled and up in the air.
On arriving at the airport I was told that I had been upgraded to club class, I don’t know about you but I have never in my life before flown anything other than economy. Well I thought to myself, I might not be worry free but at least I am going back in some style! The flight was lovely but uneventful, my seat was more comfortable than most beds that I have slept in recently and I was out like a light for almost the entire trip. Now some of you may not know this but my primary destination on arriving in India was not the south! I know it is shocking to admit but I actually went to the north of India. Why I hear you chorus? Well actually it was for a obstetrics and gynaecology basic practical skills course held in Delhi.
Delhi in July, I can say with some confidence was the most sticky and humid place I have ever visited. It was very similar to that sensation of walking into a butterfly house or the glass houses in botanical gardens. The air is hot and wet. I arrived after 11pm and still there was not an inkling of cool breeze. The muggy night air enveloped me and I greeted India with a fresh gleam of sweat on my brow.
I was met at the airport by a really sweet driver who I had arranged via my hotel and despite having worried about being a female traveller alone in the big city I am very happy to report that in the two days and three nights that I was in Delhi I never once felt threatened. After a comfortable night in my hotel I headed off to the course. Unsure of how far the course venue was and how to get there I decided to take a taxi, not too expensive at only 250 Rupees and worth it as I was already running late. The driver I am again pleased to report was a lovely man and although he didn’t know any better than I did really where to find the training institute we muddled through and eventually got there. I only had 220 rupees in small notes on me or alternatively a 1000 rupee note. The driver looked at me a little concerned, obviously he had no change. I had agreed the price with his boss before getting in the taxi and I got the impression that if he went back without the full fare there might be trouble, but it is a testament to the trusting culture in India that he agreed to take the 220 rupees on the promise that if he came to my hotel that evening I would give him the balance.
The course itself was really good, nice to be learning again and meeting some lovely obstetrics and gynaecology doctors from all over India. I was as usual a bit of a novelty, being white and British. It is going to seem strange when I move back to the UK full time not to be considered exotic! As one of the course co-ordinators said to me I was their first example of course tourism.
I decided to take the Metro back after the course and I am sure I have said it before but I will certainly say it again, the Delhi metro is really rather wonderful. Cheap, safe and air conditioned it even has women only carriages for all those independent women. The only amusing thing is that to get into it you have to pass through something akin to airport security. Although I suppose in a country where terrorist attacks are a very real danger this is not such a surprise. My favourite sign at the entrance to the metro by a mile is the one explaining what you cannot bring with you. This includes, and I am being totally serious, manure (of any kind), rags (including oily rags), Human remains and any decayed animal or vegetable matter. For some reason this just tickles me, especially the need to be so specific. As though there was a person in the queue who thought “well I know it says no rags but surely these oily rags are ok?”.
Anyway I made it back to my hotel safe and sound without transporting any manure at all (of any kind). I was just meandering through the streets wondering what to do next when I spied my driver from the morning. He looked happy to see me and was such a gentleman that I really had to be quite forceful in my encouragement before he would allow me to tip him the princely sum of 10 rupees.
All in all it was a very pleasant trip and after the two day course I packed myself up and headed back down south with a much improved opinion of them up north. It really is great to be back in India although as I hinted at earlier things back in England are a bit worrying at the moment (not a subject that I need to go into on this blog) so I might need to cut my stay a little shorter than anticipated. All the more reason in my opinion to write plenty while I am still here and make the most of it!
So to cut a long story extremely short expect more blogs from me in the short term, I will be attempting to capture it all in writing in shorter period of time. That is a lot of shorts in one sentence but there you have it!
With as always all my love and best wishes.
A x
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