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Up and out the door by about 8am, I had observed a ATM in the taxi the night before, so walked there and was so relieved that my card worked. So got out my money and went back to the hotel after getting some water supplies.
I got wifi up on my phone and somehow through miscommunication ended up getting in with a free driver from the hotel. I had been asking where the markets were as I wanted to go shopping in the markets. And this hotel Is apparently close to some little markets.
However, what a morning I had. I had asked for a map, so this driver took me to a tourist information point, and dropped and left me there, so I had no idea where my hotel was in Delhi, or where I was in Delhi, I just had no bearings. So these people were trying to sell me everything, tours of Kerela etc even though I was telling them that I am sorted etc I just wanted a map. Eventually they gave me a map and pointed where my hotel was, and off I went, not a clue where I was, so I went for a bit of a wander, and got talking to a local, who jumped me into tuk tuk, I said all I want to do is go to a little market, well this tuk tuk dropped me off at a tourist info on the way so I popped in to be polite as he wouldn't drive, then he dropped me off a tourist bazaar. So I paid him and walked in, watched him drive away and came out.
A great thing I always do is carry a business card of the place im staying at so I can always get back, or so you would think. I asked a few different tuk tuk drivers and no one knew where it was. I eventually found one who did know where it was, but refused to take me, as there was a protest. All the Tibetans are protesting as the Chinese leader is here in Delhi, so Tibetans have been setting themselves on fire etc. And where I was staying there were loadsa road blocks as I musta been near where he was staying.
So I asked the tuk tuk to show me where I am on the map and ill walk, he was like very far very far as people don't walk they get tuk tuks and taxis every where. So I set off in my direction of hope and thankfully recognised the road from the drive in that morning, so I walked and walked and there was such a bad traffic jam. Once I got so far, and next to the metro station I got a rickshaw, which took me past the market I had wanted to go to originally.
So I got all the way back to my hotel, bought my bus ticket to get me to Dharamsala to leave that night off a tourist info a street away from where I was staying.
I then checked out the hotel, as by this point, after a disastrous and feeling rather fed up morning and just wanting to be far far away from Delhi as far away as possible, it was midday.
I then started to walk the way the rickshaw driver had taken me and a tuk tuk went past, I told him the name of the market as I was worried about time that wouldn't have time to get round the market and walk there and back before my bus left. So he was like yeah yeah, so I jumped in, so he started zipping up to the main road, I was like, woah where you going, no no its that way, hes like I take you to bazaar you trust me, im like no no, don't take me away from this area, I cant leave this area etc etc, so I explained id seen the market I wanted to go to, directed him back off the main road back to the side main street id been on, and he was like, see this is market, there is nothing here for you, so I cursed him and got out, by this point I was getting fed up.
So I walked and found the market I was after and finally had some peace, buying little charms to make crafts for when I get back and just wandering the streets. A happy girl for a while.
I headed back and got a lovely smoothie from the roadside, once back at the hotel, I went back early as by this point I was rather really fed up with Delhi, and sat in my hotel on wifi, and a girl asked me if id been for lunch, so I ended up going for lunch with marie, sat chatting for a couple hours.
Then I had to leave for my bus, I had to go to the tourist info to get a lift to my bus, so I went and ended up going the wrong way and then realised when I finally got there I had just walked round in a massive square and there was one street I coulda walked down that woulda got me there in 2seconds, so marie was laughing at me. I said bye to her and she is heading to Dharamsala in the next two weeks so I said for her to email me and we can meet up there if she wants, but we will see, plans change quickly. But she makes me laugh, just kept saying, 'Incredible India' after everything she was saying about India in a sarcastic way.
So I got in this lift, and got dropped off in the middle of a really busy road next to loadsa rickshaws, and got left, to sit on my bag, waiting for 'the bus man' to come and collect me, at this point I really started questioning if this was the end of my normal life as I know it, was I going to be sold!
So just sitting waiting, after 10mins a guy turns up and tells me to cross the road, it just like walking across the A1, you causally walk and the traffic just swerves around you, its mad but I do love that about india.
So I get told to sit somewhere else, then this lad turns up, and me and him get put in a tuk tuk and taken to where there are loadsa tourist buses. After sitting around for ages, I had began this 'bus' journey at 4pm, Finally got on the bus at maybe, we shall say close to 6pm. I am told that I had been dropped off at the wrong point and that I am to get on this bus and at the next stop transfer over to the Dharamsala bus.
Along with about 5others, this is what I did. So I sat next to a lad from England and we chatted on the ride. At the next stop, we are told we are going to have to walk to our next bus. 5mins my arse, here we all are lugging our backpacks etc through the slums, probably about 20minute walk, across another A1 style road, to get on our crap bus, the one we had left on was lovely. So on the back seat, im not going to lie, it was a horrendous journey, Id done it once before on the chicken bus and 2year ago I didn't mind it, but coz I was already fed up, sleep deprived, only maybe 3hours sleep in the last 48hours, well being at the back of the bus our chairs were bouncing all over the place, lifting about a foot outta our seats every few minutes on our journey up to the mountains. I kept changing position every 2mins, just couldn't get comfy, such a long long night. Also still very emotional about leaving Richy, and my phone had died so I couldn't even text him.xx
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