Drum Majorettes and Carmen

I was up much earlier today, and in Karol Bagh by 9am. Unfortunately too early, as the bike shops didn't open until about 10.30. So I let a chatty tuktuk driver (whose son apparently was working in MacDonalds in Nottingham) persuade me into driving me around for an hour.

The first stop was a temple. Although the Hindu/Buddhist philosophy no longer speaks to me with same force as it once did, it felt really familiar to wander around in front of the icons, read the scriptures and sit awhile in contemplation. I asked for and felt a blessing for my trip.

The hard sell Kashmiri Emporium was next. I am too used to these to buy any carpets, suits, jewellery, pashminas, fabrics, trinkets, plates, musical instruments or religious icons. The most beautiful things there were some antique Rajasthani Doorways, fantastically carved in wood, and looking very old. So I escaped wallet intact.

I chose for a number of reasons to go with Tony Bikes. They had the better deal, and more importantly, could get me a bike that evening.

I spent the next few hours sorting out paperwork. Indian beaurocracy being what it is, it took awhile, with visits to a photocopier and photographers. £600 (inc deposit) has got me a 350cc Royal Enfield Electra for 2 months.

I returned to the hotel for a couple of hours in the early afternoon. It is some kind of festival today, and at the Rama Krishna temples nearby, I was given Pooris and Dhal and they wouldn't accept any donations.

On my way back to the bike shops, the festival was in full swing. Dozens of trucks filled with large Icons and shouting people, a hundred or so people following throwing paint, and most unexpectedly some drum majorettes.

When we finished the paperwork, an engineer took me to the same test park I visited the day before. This time I felt much more at home on the bike. Lighter, more responsive, sleeker, cooler - it started first time and I felt pretty good driving it round. I have called her Carmen.

I was dropped back at the hotel with the bike, spent the next hour packing, sorting out my costume for tomorrow and generally feeling excited.

Had a thali supper on the roof and got chatting to a guy called Oliver from Essex. He is off to Dharamsala to do a weeks meditation course, so may well run into him again. It was the first real conversation, with someone who wasn't trying to sell me something, that I have had since I arrived.

So, I leave tomorrow early, when the Delhi streets are free from the overbearing crush of traffic and heat. Hope to be in Chandrigarh by the afternoon.

Overall, I have been impressed by Delhi. It is a lot less crowded, a lot cleaner, a lot greener and a lot less hassle than some other Asian cities I have been to. I did what I needed to do here with relative ease, and can now start the real adventure. Tomorrow.