DELHI. 16th October

Thursday (last day in Delhi). Up real early (11.30 am), and buy a secondhand mobile charger for 300 rupees (about $8-50), as it appears I burnt out my Dresden one the other night. Also buy a local sim-card for 300 rupees, (although I notice later that the small print on the wrapper says the rrp is 99 rupees). Also 500 rupees of credit, which immediately reduces to 380 rupees credit after an automatic government tax is deducted. To buy a sim-card, you have to fill out a lengthy form, provide a passport-sized photo of yourself, and a photocopy of your passport. Local calls are supposed to cost 1 rupee, and international sms 5 rupees (I think).

As it's my last day, I check my list of unticked items, and decide I'll try and go out to the Coronation obelisk north of Delhi. I suppose it's called this because of the ceremony held there in 1911 to (belatedly) celebrate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. Earlier 'Delhi Durbars' were held to mark 60 years of the reign of the Queen Empress in 1897, and the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. As a kid I can remember my mother talking about seeing the 'Delhi Durbar', and I guess it was a big event in her youth (she was born in 1892). This was my introduction to the Delhi Metro, which is very clean and organised. There are armed guards at every station zapping and searching intending passengers and their bags, and an armed guard in
every carriage (a carriage being a set of three interlocking carriages, as on the Met). No smoking, or eating or drinking anywhere on the Metro, AND the trains run on time. Unfortunately, although the Metro maps they hand out show the Metro as completed, this is not strictly true. In my case, the train only went about 8 of the 18 stations that I wanted, and then terminated (the rest of the line still under construction). So I never get to see the obelisk (which is out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by paddocks and swamps, apparently). But I must say that the Metro is impressive.

Back at the hotel, I'm reluctant to plug my 'new' mobile charger in the same power point in my room, and decide to ask if I can charge it at the internet shop, but no sooner do I arrive there than the power goes off anyway (with no assistance from me, I swear). Later I borrow an electric cooking ring that the hotel boys use for their meals on the landing, to check my power point, and as all is well, my fully depleted battery takes all night to charge up.