1st time around the world! by Laura_Foster

I knew before I set off on this trip that India would be a tough place to start. Especially as we are two girls travelling on our own. And it turns out I wasn't wrong.

Not so fresh from the mammoth night flight from London, we were nearly ripped off within our first few steps into Delhi by a taxi driver assuring us that only drivers depositing guests at 5* hotels were allowed at the airport. In fact a driver from our hotel (thank the lord for complimentary pick ups) was waiting for us through the door opposite.

The driving in India is seriously scary at first. There doesn't seem to be any right of way on the roads that I can fathom and there are rikshaws, tuk tuks, buses, lorries, camels, elephants, horses, cars, trucks, push bikes and motorbikes all competing for space on the roads. I'm starting to get used to it now though.

The first two days we spent in the Main Bazaar in the Paharganj area of New Delhi. This place was a maze of narrow alleyways and was an assault on all of the senses. Cows are considered holy in India and quite a few meander through the streets of the Bazaar, so you can imagine what we had to dodge on the floor at times! We also had to dodge tuk tuks and motorbikes etc, who incessantly honk their horns.

I'm a little ashamed to admit it (as I'm supposed to be a 'backpacker'), but we booked a 10 day tour around Rajasthan with a travel agent, with a driver and accomodation included.

After seeing some of the sights of Delhi, which the agent chucked in as complimentary when we booked out tour, I began to feel that we had chosen the right option. Whilst we were at the main sightseeing sites we had people staring, crowds gathering around us, groups of teenage boys following us and at some places people were taking photos of us! It was unnerving to say the least.

The sites we saw in Delhi more than made up for it though. My favourite was Humayun's tomb, complete with gardens and pools which the Taj Mahal was based upon. Was far away from the hustle and bustle and was very peaceful.

It was a relief to leave Delhi and we were soon on the road to Jaipur which is often referred to as The Pink City, as the city's walls are painted pink. Today we visited The City Palace which is the residency of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Tomorrow we are off to explore Udaipur.

And after our tour we are off to Goa to relax on the beach for a few days, which I am really looking forward to!

I hope I get used to this backpacking malarky quickly, its been pretty daunting so far!

Chin Up!