Tales From Middle Earth 2: Delhi Part One

With the first visa imbroglio behind me (three more will follow) I traipse out into Delhi. The dry heat delivers a mean left punch. I feel my jacket wilt and the rest of my clothes will follow suit shortly. It is marginally hotter than Lahore. It has been many years since I have visited Delhi. The most perceptible change that has occurred lies in the fact that one can breathe again. The last time I visited Delhi, the pollution had been compounded by the post Diwali fireworks. I recall having to rush into airconditioning to be able to breathe properly. Thankfully, all that is history. A bunch of brave lawyers (tadaaa) and an enlightened judiciary have allowed a city to breathe again.

My travelling companions are a delightful and somewhat varied bunch of Pakistani women. Regular readers will have discerned that my life is delightfully occupied by women as I have (almost) written off the drones who pass as Pakistani men. The UberHarem consists of Dimple, who we encountered in an earlier blog; Jewel, an urbane Pakistani businesswoman undergoing a messy divorce; and last (but never least) there is "She" (as in the Rider Haggard novel) an exuberant lawyer who has just begun to discover the joys of Younger Men. The Harem and I traipse into the Intercontinental and the jets of airconditioning are bordering on the orgasmic. The gals fancy some shopping. Delhi, like an enthusiastic mistress, tries to lure me out onto the streets. Two flights, the visa fiasco and the all encompassing heat make me tetchy. I strip, throw myself into a cold shower in the kitsch 60s bathroom (green onyx ...sigh) and collapse on my bed.

After a seeming eternity of deep sleep, I am awoken by Jewel. We met for the first time earlier that day and she invites me out for dinner. We assemble in the lobby and make our way to the Imperial, one of Delhi's truly "Grand" old hotels. The interiors are "olde worlde" colonial and some of the vistas are stunning. The designers, however, seemed to feel they were onto a good thing and didn't quite know when to stop. The end result is a kind of Colonial overkill - brilliant in some parts and overdone in others. The Silk Route is our destination. Jewel insists that we start with cucumber dacquiris. I am initially hesitant but accede to her request. In a word, they are brilliant. The food is great. The visa officers seem a million miles away. We return and I sink into a truly deep sleep.