Discovering the Local Area

On arrival at the YMCA we checked in and were given our rooms. This all took some time. By the time we got to our rooms it was about 8am and we'd agreed to meet for lunch at 12:30 - we weren't going to get much sleep. I spent about 20 minutes trying to erect a mosquito net with nothing really available to hang it off. I eventually managed (sort of) with the help of some string and a couple of pictures hanging on one wall, plus the overhead room fan, as anchor points. We crashed!

I woke up several times, quite disoriented and worried about sleeping in in spite of my alarm (which I've mis-set a couple of times recently...). On one occasion I was sure I heard a Muslim call to prayer, which confused me completely! In the morning, Paula said she also heard it and that may well have been what it was - there is a reasonably sized Muslim population in Delhi, despite most of them having been moved to Pakistan during the Partition.

After lunch we decided to go out for a walk around the surrounding neighbourhood. One of the first things we saw was a man lying covered up in the middle of the pavement. A few feet further on was a woman curled up asleep on the ground on a traffic island. Behind her head was a city sign of some sort carrying the words - "Stay inspired". I was struck by the juxtaposition - she certainly didn't look as though she was feeling very inspired! A few yards further on and we were mobbed by beggars - some women and a lot of children. They all homed in on Paula for some reason and Dave had to step in to the rescue. After this we weren't pestered too badly but quickly got used to the attention. We didn't give them any money, as we'd been advised, but either avoided making eye contact or just politely and firmly refused. In India there are many career beggars who work either for themselves or in organised groups. There are of course also many genuine ones but it's difficult to know the difference. If you give to one you have to be prepared to be followed and more persistently pestered by others.

The area we walked round, near the YMCA seems to have a lot of bank headquarters and I was struck again by juxtaposition - this time between wealth and power and those who have nothing or next to nothing trying to eke out a living on the streets just below. I was also very conscious of my wealth and of the power that it gives me - so much freedom and so many choices that these people don't have. No wonder the beggars find us so attractive!