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Hello Everyone

Hello again everyone  

OK so there we were, our bus pulled alongside this bedlamic Indian Road. People, Buses ,Lorries, donkeys, cows ,tuk-tuks,rickshaws  you name it they were there. Rafeeq and I looked at each other his words were, 'ok partner lets go .....'   We asked the group just to stay in their seats for a couple of mins whilst we came up with an instant plan, Rafeeq advised he would do the logistics.  This was sense as he had all the numbers and my Hindi comprises of 2 words neither of which would have got us very far !!!, and I was to take care of the group.   I address the group and explained that Rafeeq was calling Delhi, as we weren't sure if it was a quick fix..we had broken down right ouside a roadside repair workshop which was lucky. This workshop compised of a lot of canvas stretched over wooden poles with a lot of engine parts spreadout on the groud and a couple of upsidedown Tuk-tuks, and tractors. There seemed to be a lot of grease and hammering involved. Meanwhile Suman and Irshard were busy trying to establish what had happened.  

All the group were enjoying this temporary delay ...people watching and enjoying the interaction of the local folk, who, I dearsay are still talking about the day the bus of tourists came to stop !!! Rafeeq had arranged for alternative transport ..it was now past 1700 and we had to get the group to Agra..the sun would be going down and it would be getting dark very soon. It was arranged for 3 vehicles 1 x for all our luggage ..1 x 12 seater and 1 x 6 but they were in Agra the opposite direction and would be 2hrs in the now rush hour traffic.  

I organised the water and made sure that the cold stocks were distributed asap, I sprayed the bus with Mossi repellent and encouraged the group to stretch their legs. The environment outside wasnt hostile we were of much fascination with the beautiful children who by know had finished school and word had spread about the stranded tourists...not to mention the 15 or so Indian Motor repair guy's who with much head wobbling,loud voices and gesticulation were trying to repair our bus.   Suman stayed with me and we kept an eye on the group, this wasnt hard work as most members were experienced Explore travellers and were thoroughly enjoying the goings on. We had local indian cardamon chai offered by the locals in clay cups the children queued to have their picture taken in raptures that we could show them what they looked like on the digital screens.  

The cars arrived we all stood in a line and in a chain emptied the back of the bus and loaded the luggage vehicle (teamwork), at around 1945 all the vehicles were with us, I organised the groups I took the 12 seater the 6 were going to follow us and Rafeeq went with the luggage. Jaded, but still with humour we all finally made our way to Agra.   We arrived at 2200. Rafeeq had already organised the meal for tonight. The group had 10 mins to wash their hands whilst I sorted the check in and gave them their keys, we were all very tired but jubilant that we had made it and the drama all seemed to have become another part of our experience...making it to the restaurant we drank beer and discussed the events ..knowing that we would be getting wake up calls for 0500 the following day to get to the Taj.     Beer has never tasted so good.    

The question was would our bus ever get to Agra.. would we ever see the forever smiling Suman and our excellent driver Irshad again ??   TBC    

All the best Christine

Monday 18th Oct    

Hello Everyone   

I havent introduced you to the rest of the Explore ! Team....Rafeeq you all know as head Tour leader .. we also have Irshad the Driver of our much needed bus, Suman who is our conductor his job is to take care of all the behind the scenes things like keeping us in fresh cold water etc. Also each town we arrive in we have a Guide and since yesterday we have with us for our time in Delhi Prashanto who is genning us all up on the sights and sounds of both Old and New Delhi. Hes been a really fantastic guide and genuinely a lovely guy.  

So today is the tour of old Delhi, in order to get there we have today used the Delhi Metro...oh what a challenge, if you think that the London Underground is busy then x 10 for Delhi..the best thing about the Metro here is the lady only carriages, so picture the scene. The carriages are filled with these beautiful elegant Sari clad Indian Ladies enter 9 rather bewildered Brits with their backpacks on the front in case of pickpockets...the carriages are already absolutely crammed in order to board the train and not get seperated from the rest of the group ie the men we have to literally launch ourselves into the throng of rather Bemused Ladies !!!  Then into that mix a couple of Indian men seeing that the Lady only carriages are no where near as full as the male carriages follow suit much to the distaste of one particular Indian Lady who very gently and with a wobble of the head (indian style) advised that they were not welcome !  

2 stops down and we arrive in the indescribable old Delhi... Now I cannot for the life of me begin to even put this into words that will give you you even one tenth of what is really like there. Imagine a bustling open air Souk type environment over head are the electric cables that literally in places make the Sky go black with their density and thickness Lord alone knows what happens in the Monsoon....its a miracle that no one gets electrocuted....So in order to have the true experience we all jump on the back of Pedal Rickshaws with drivers and head off into the throng of alley-ways and mayhem. I have managed to video record the whole experience which I will show you on return ..you have to remember that we are not alone in these alley ways there are also motor cycles, people rickshaws going the opposite direction & lots of shops and traders  ...etc and at points its only wide enough for 1 rickshaw..its  an experience of a life time ..the smells,colours and the noise its all going on !   We finally emerge from the Alleys and end up at the Great Mosque which will accommodate 20,000 worshippers (in other word its HUGE) where we ladies have to donn what can only be described as Hospital Gowns..glamorous moment !!  From The great Mosque we then need to embark on a bit of a road trip to take us to Agra where tomorrow we get to the Taj Mahal.

The Road between Delhi and Agra is 240km but Indian roads and chaotic traffic this will take us approx 5hrs, the plan is to stop midway for food and comfort break to get us to Agra for no later than 18.30ish 19.00 top line. Where we can check in to a nice Hotel get a good meal, and an early night as we need to up at 0500 for the Taj tomorrow Sunrise .  

Best Laid plans .....  

Ok so we get Half way no problem other than we are held up a little as the Delhi Traffic is horrendous coming through the South, we make the rest stop get drinks and food and a chance to strech our legs, the road speed here is no more than 50 and also the infrastructure isnt marvellous so all in all its ok . At around 16.15, we are driving through the bustling if not slightly industrial town  of Kosi ..where all of a sudden our precious bus coughs slightly billows out a whole heap of smoke and grinds to a halt.   Now the tourist buses here especially the 20 seater type like ours see the driver and front passenger in only what can be described as a seperate compartment ..there is a panel of glass so you can see through the windscreen and then a glass door behind the front seat , we all sat and watched speechless as this compartment filled with smoke as our bus decided that Agra wasnt on its agenda.  

18 passengers going to Agra whilst our bus went to pieces.  

TBC.....     Christine

Follow in the footsteps of our 'Adventure Apprentice' Christine Griffiths. Earlier this year we ran a competition among travel agents for one lucky agent to win the chance of leading their very own Explore group on our Moghul Highlights tour. After enduring a gruelling showdown in the Explore boardroom against Maxine,(watch the video) followed by trips to the Explore office for full briefings and instruction, Christine has now flown out to Delhi to lead an unsuspecting group! She will be sending daily blogs of her time there. Here are her first 4. Blog 1 Hello Compatriots !!   Well here we are after months of careful planning and deliberation, Explores 1st Adventure Apprentice is on her way to India !!   After what has been a horrendous Journey around the M25 on a Friday night, I am finally checked in and ready to go. Now I need to introduce my travelling companion who arrived in a box to me at work yesterday .... who could that be... other than Huxley Hippo..(explore Mascot)who will be just as prolific on this journey of Discovery and adventure as I.   Huxley will be appearing in all sorts of places and I am going to hand over some of the resposibilities to him also ...No not really hes a stuffed toy but he definately will get into some mischief.

  Ok not much more to say at this juncture other than I am now quietly nervous but am up for the challenge, if not only to prove that I am capable of being the 1st Adventure Apprentice and that they chose the right candidate when I was HIRED !!!!   Speak to you all soon, from the Exoticness of Delhi   Love to you all   Christine Hello to you all,  

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Blog 2 Lots seem to have happened since yesterday ...... let me start by telling you that we nearly had an incident in the Departure Lounge, Huxley was almost Hippo Snatched !!!!!   We had decided to do a short departure lounge photo shoot ... with huxley looking cool when a little girl decided that actually Huxly was to cool and picked him up and ran off with him .... dont worry the ransom was minimal and was soon negotiated with a handful of Gummy bears and half a milky way !!!!! Huxley is fine and currently recovering from his Trauma in a darkend Hotel room ..   Ok so flight 9w 121 landed this morning at 0920 ..let me say Jett Airways what an excellent service we were airbourne for only 7.5hrs in total with a seat pitch that would have seen the cast of Strictly doing a tango behind it ...top food and excellent service .   It's been 7 yrs since my last visit to Delhi, and how its changed !! the Airport with its new T3 which opened in July is huge and airy and very welcoming, but once you walk through those doors you cant forget that your just adding to the 20 million who already live here . Its good to know that the chaotic and vibrant nature of this extrodinary city still lives on . It just magical to be back here in India, my passion for this extrodinary country knows no bounds and it going to be an incredibl experience to have 16 others to enjoy this opportunity .   After a quick rest stop, Raj who met me form the airport took me to the Groundagents for a meeting with my fellow guide for the tour . Let me introduce you to Rafeeq. Rafeeq and I have cogitated our plans(through much hilarity ) for the next 10 days and I now get the full drift of what is being expected !!! Ok now I get it ..if anyone here thinks im on the back seat of a bus with my feet up on some kind of jolly then  really ...think again !!   We have all eaten the most delightful meal crossed legged on the floor of the office which I am told happens everyday ... singularly the most amazing Indian food I have ever eaten and now feel like part of the family .. after which Rafeeq and I went in search for a restaurant for the group who arrive tomorrow at around 0930 - with me their first introduction to the Tour ...yes reality has just sunk in and its all going to kick off with the arrival of 16 unsuspecting passengers !!   Anyhow I must go I need to check on Huxley to see how he's coping ...    

Love to you all Christine Hello Everyone  

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Blog 3 So last night... after sending the last missive, I thought that perhaps an early night would be the best option seeing as though it was all going to kick off in the morning. I wanted to be prepared and ready for action ..so I packed my Explore ! rucksack, procured my Explore T shirt from my case then I unpacked the rucksack and then repacked it ...this went on for 20 or so minutes !!  I would prefer to believe this wasnt nerves ..this was me ensuring that I had all the correct documentation and necessary bits !   Ok my Room here at the rather nice Hans Plaza Hotel is on the 20th Floor, it wasnt until last night when i got back to my room that I noticed  the view I have from the Window is breath taking. I have the whole Delhi Skyline,India Gate illuminated just for me or so it seems Stunning indeed.   Delhi is very British in its design and infrastructure, wide boulevards with 3/4 lanes of grid designed roads. Even the parliament buildings although Indian in Architecture were indeed built by the British,It looks very neat and orderly Therefore the whole inner working of New Delhi around the Connaught Place area where we are staying feel strangely familiar. That is all except the heat (around 35c)  and the madness of the Indian traffic donkeys the infamous Tuk-Tuks and the yellow and  black cabs, the continuous honking of the car Horn, not to mention the rikshaw carts with "only just " on wheels- Motor bikes with a whole family on the back ...youve got to love it.  

Speak soon   Christine

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Sunday 17th October   Hello All   I'm oficially A Chachi. Hindi for tour Guide . I came down for breakfast this morning donning my Explore Tshirt and kit ...the waiters in the Breakfast room wouldnt let me do or get anything I had it all brought to my table ..no amount of saying different got a result so in the end i just accepted and enjoyed their attention.   So the group are due to arrive today at around 0945 landing time . Rafeeq and I met in the hotel lobby at 0900 jumped in a metered cab (the famous black and yellow ones) and headed off to the airport where we met with Raj who has the airport permit and the bus.   Airports are fascinating places arent they ? An Emirates flight had arrived bringing Indian workers back from the Gulf whilst we waited for the Jett Air to come in , now if you have ever come through customs or checked in behind Indian travellers you will have noticed that they dont travel with Suitcases, they travel with everything wrapped in either quilts, bed sheets or even towels in all the colours and then Meticulously tied in a complex rope knotting usually in a flourescent nylon . If they do have suit cases then these too are wrapped and tied in the same manner. I asked Rafeeq why dont Indian Travellers carry their Luggage in the usual fashion .....his reply was simple ....Christine didnt you know .....Indians Love Bundles !! We then laughed solidy for around an hour watching these amazing parcels pushed around on airport trollies by their owners. in all the colours and sizes ..the best being leopard print !  

The group finally made it through the complex workings of the Indian Customs at around 11am with everyone together we joined the bus and headed back into Delhi to check in, we also had 2 people on land only arrangement meeting us back at the Hotel . Pleased to inform you that my first taste of Airport transfer went well as did the Group Hotel check in ...phew ! I am the official checker inner ive got all the Vouchers in my command ..Rafeeq oversaw it for the first time just to make sure it was ok and gave his seal of approval !   We gave the group 40mins to refresh quick Lunch if desired then arranged for them to meet us back in the lobby ready for the full day tour takinig in the Q'tab Minar, Humyans Tomb and then finally the Parliment Buildings and India Gate. The Indian traffic gave the group the most amusement today ..much hilarity ..   I have to say it went well, the group are delightful if not a bit jaded by the end of the tour which you can understand, and they seem to have accepted me too and think that the competition etc was a really good idea. Thats a huge relief. Even after day 1 its really tiring, constantly watching and checking that the group are where they should be and back in one piece at all times, Ive got to remember that I am not one of them I am part of their structure .  

So after what seemed like a really long day we all headed out in the evening to the Restaurant that Rafeeq and I had chosen the day before. The food was excellent and everyone had the best Curry ever, a couple of beers later and we were all ready to head back to the Hotel for some well earned rest. I have to say that after the initial nerves have now subsided and I am in a Zone ... afer all I am for the next 9 Days I am  a Chachi.....    

Love Christine