New Delhi

We were meant to be on the road by 7:30am, but a power outage during breakfast rendered making toast a tad difficult. Everybody in India has a job, but only one. In the restaurant, the guys in the grey outfits set the table, the guys in black jodhpers take your order, the guys in the red turbans make your toast and deliver your food, and the guys in white hats cook your breakfast. Don't try to buck the system. We couldn't sit at our favourite table, as the grey guys hadn't set that table, and nobody else could do it.

Finally, with only our driver as a silent companion, we started our 6 hour drive to Delhi. Not much to say really. The usual bikes, cars, trucks, camels and elephants pulling anything you can think of. Carts and bicycles in the left lane, trucks in the right, and the cars and motor bikes weaving themselves all over the road in order to get anywhere.

There is a lot of road making activity - about 1km on and 1km off for 250km, and each new roadwork involved a detour, so it was slow going.

We arrived around 2pm to have the bonnet, boot and underside of the car checked, and we had to undergo bag searches and x-rays, and then go through metal detectors just to get into the lobby! Finally we had to leave a $200 deposit on the minibar. It's a pretty pretentious hotel, and I couldn't help reflect on the contrast to the Rombuk Monastery just a few days ago.

We were picked up by the driver for a pretty perfunctory tour of New Delhi, and we didn't even get the promised tour of Old Delhi. First stop was the Ba'hai Lotus Temple - supposedly the symbol of Delhi. We were met at the temple by our new guide who gave us a two minute explanation, and then gave us 15 minutes to queue up and go inside. It's quite like the Sydney Opera House from the outside.

It was on to the Delhi Gate, which I thought was more the symbol of the city. It was built by the British following the first world war to commemorate the 90,000 Indian lives that the British generals expended on the Western front. It seems a common story that the colonies provided an enormous amount of cannon fodder.

The Delhi Gate is built at the centre of the planned city of New Delhi, and is in the middle of a nice green space well frequented by the locals. Again we were given 15 minutes to wander by ourselves.

Lastly we had a short look at the President's palace, Parliament House and ministry buildings from outside through the fence, before being taken back to the hotel, where we were told that the tour was over, and wished a happy journey.

In general it's been a great tour, and every guide except Delhi has been bursting with pride to show you their city. Our poor driver has a day's rest, then he drives all the way back to Agra, and starts over again.

In one last ditch effort to feel human again, we went to McDonalds for tea. Can't tell you what the Big Mac index is here - they don't have it - but the McChicken index is AU$2.50 which is pretty outstanding, given that a chicken burger, fries and soft drink at the hotel is AU$18.

After three weeks it feels strange having nobody telling you where to be, when to get up, how the day will be structured, and what you can do, but I'm sure that Mandy will rise to the occasion.