We woke up to the news that our acclimatisation practice session was cancelled due to a wet wicket. A little disappointing but meant we can sightsee instead.

We all gathered in the lobby and headed off towards Connaught Place . Along the way we lost players as they headed off on their. It looks like we are going to be a close nit bunch. A few of us ended up in the Costa Coffee shop to have a coffee and take advantage of their facilities. The Ladies learnt the lesson that one must carry toilet paper everywhere.

Again the group splintered, Tina and I were following Larry, Denise and Frank up to the Main Bazaar Road area, Paharganj. This area is near the main Railway Station and is the Backpacker area. There are lots of shops, guesthouses and narrow alleyways. It was was busy and colourful, but as we found out later it was India-lite.

We came across a small square which had a number of rooftop restaurants. We climbed up to the Mt Everest Rooftop Restaurant. The stairs were very steep. The view was great, perfect for people watching. We had a long slow lunch that was tasty and very, very cheap.

We meandered back on a different route to the hotel in time for our afternoon tour .

We had a 31 seater coach, so there was plenty of room to stretch out. Satish was our guide. We first visited the Humayuns Tomb memorial. This is a memorial tomb similar in style to the Taj Mahal, but built 70 years earlier and made of red sandstone and marble. It was very impressive. Next we drove into Old Delhi, the area built by the Mughals and old walled city. Here was the India that we were expecting. Crowds, noise, smells and traffic. Satish had a surprise for us, a visit to the main Sikh temple in India. To do so we had to hop off the coach as it did a U-turn in a street where there was no room. Then we had to negotiate the crowds. It was crazy and a bit of a culture shock. At the temple we had to remove our shoes and socks and then put on a head scarf. The temple is a very modest affair for such an important place. We toured the communal kitchen where OHS is ignored as everyone is in bare feet and there are huge vats of hot ghee cooking.

After the temple it was back on to Chandni Chowk, the main drag in Old Delhi for a ride in a trishaw (bicycle rickshaw) during peak hour traffic . Crazy. It would have been faster to walk, but not as much fun. We picked up speed when we went down a non car alleyway past jewellers, dentists and firecracker shops.  

The ride ended at the main Delhi Mosque, an open air mosque that can hold 50,000 people. Back in the bus we drove through more of old Delhi and then on to the Cottage Industries Emporium or the CIE shop. A Government owned fixed price shop. Over tea and biscuits we were given a carpet making demonstration by a very well-spoken man who emphasised several times that hand twisted carpets were art and the skill was disappearing as young people were not taking up the skill. Not surprising when it can take a year to make a rug that sells for only $6,000. Not a way to make quick money. Lovely carpets but the stingy Australian cricketers proved not to be interested in art and left rugless.

It was then back to the hotel for a quick freshen up and then the majority of the group walked to Connaught Place for a very tasty meal at the Pind Balluchi restaurant. We later found out that the Pind Balluch is a restaurant chain and were fairly common on the tourist trail.