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Last Updated On August 23, 2021 by Dave Briggs Leave a Comment

First day in India – The start of a one month train travel experience in India

Back in 2004, I flew over to India from the UK to begin a one month journey around the country by train. This was back in the days before I was blogging. These notes are taken directly from my diaries, and then transferred to this India travel blog.

My first day in Delhi, India

Sunday 04/01/04

The time is now 18.05, and here I am in New Delhi, India! What a strange old life. The journey here was quite long, but uneventful.

Getting through customs was a breeze, and I changed some money for my first Rupees in the airport. Then, I booked a pre-paid taxi, and told them where I wanted to go… The Yatri house on Punchkuin Road.

An introduction to India travel scams

That was when I was introduced to the first of no doubt many little scams in India. Despite the office saying that the driver knew where the hotel was, the driver said that he didn't, and needed to go to another office ask for directions.

Whilst I was there, one of the guys in this other office pretended to phone the hotel for directions, only to find out that the hotel was ‘suddenly booked out'. He then suggested another, cheaper hotel, where no doubt he would pocket some commission.

I stuck to my guns, told him the Yatri was where I wanted to go, and that he'd better take me there.

He obviously realised that (a) I knew what was going on and that (b) I was a lot bigger than him, because the driver took me there without any more hassle, although after dropping me off, he did have the cheek to ask for a tip.

I told him where to stick it and booked into the hotel, where lo and behold, my pre-reserved room was waiting for me. One-nil to Dave!

Related:

  •  Travel Safety Tips – Avoiding Scams, Pickpockets and Problems
  •  Common Travel Mistakes And What Not To Do When Traveling

My hotel room in Delhi

My hotel room in Delhi at the start of my train journey around India in 2004

The hotel room was basic (goes without saying really), and reminded me of some of the hostels I'd stayed at in Spain.

The weather here is surprisingly chilly. 10-12 during the day, and half that at night. After booking in, I crashed out for a few hours, as I hadn't been near a bed for almost 48 hours. Woke up at four in the afternoon, and decided to go for a wander.

First Impressions of Delhi

My first impressions of Delhi were noisy and dusty! Drivers don't use indicators, and instead use their horns to let people know they are changing lanes… Not that the lanes actually represent anything more than an amusing attempt to paint straight lines over a series of potholes. It took a couple of hours to realise what side of the road people were supposed to be driving on. There was some sort of Sikh festival happening, and that combined with jetlag was enough for me, so I headed back to the hotel, and had an early night. I had a full day ahead of me in Delhi the next day.

Read more about my India train travel adventure

This is a directory to the blog posts in this series.

  1. First day in India
  2. Second day in Delhi
  3. Sightseeing around Delhi
  4. First Indian train journey
  5. Calcutta
  6. Sightseeing in Calcutta
  7. Puri
  8. Day trip to Konark
  9. Bubenishwar
  10. Calcutta again
  11. Into Darjeeling
  12. Darjeeling day 2
  13. Darjeeling day 3
  14. Train journey from Darjeeling to Varanassi
  15. Boat ride on the Ganges
  16. Another night on a train
  17. Journey to Khajorho
  18. Khajorho
  19. Amritsar
  20. Taj Mahal
  21. Waiting at the station
  22. Quiet day
  23. Jodhpur
  24. Jaisalmer
  25. Camel Safari
  26. Problem day
  27. Jaisalmer Festival
  28. To Ranthambore
  29. Tigerless safari day 1
  30. Tigerless safari day 2
  31. Another day, another railway station
  32. On to Mumbai
  33. Mumbai
  34. Aurangabad
  35. Ajanta
  36. Ellora Caves – Day 1
  37. Ellora Caves – Day 2
  38. Hyderabad
  39. Chill out day
  40. The end of the India trip

Filed Under: India Travelogues

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Dave Briggs, writer at Dave's Travel Pages

On this travel site, you'll find detailed guides and tips on traveling to Greece, as well as bikepacking blogs about cycling around the world. Dave's Travel Pages is an essential resource for planning trips to popular destinations like the Greek islands as well as preparing for adventures in off the beaten path destinations.

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