The second last day on tour and a low activity day is scheduled, as we transfer from a very nice hotel in a forgettable place (Noida) back to central New Delhi and the Royal Plaza Hotel. The rooms at the Royal Plaza have shrunk while we were away. They are tiny and lack any of the comforts we enjoyed at the Doubletree. The grand neo classical lobby with frescos, columns and leather armchairs is let down by the small plain rooms.

The afternoon is free for shopping . This is the time for the players to buy their better halves something special from India. As if. Luckily my wife is with me, unluckily she does not like shopping where you are constantly hassled and are required to haggle. We are probably in the wrong country. We decide to try our luck at the Government Emporiums. What this turns out to be is thirty odd two and three storey shops contained in three building with each shop being run by a state government or a federal government department, eg the Department of Tribes!

There are very few white faces to be seen on this stretch of the Baba Kharak Singh Marg. In fact, none other than our own. Nevertheless we walk into the shop at the top of the street and come out 30 minutes later 4,600 rupees poorer having made a generous contribution to the Haryana State Government in exchange for fixed price hassle free shopping. We walk down the street making further contributions to the governments of Rajastan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and India . Three and half hours later I am pleased that Tina does not like shopping.

We lunch on BKS Marg as well, in a little local eatery called the Espresso Grill and have the Indian staple found just about everywhere, the Club Sandwich. It is my first on tour and very nice it was, but I would need to have eaten nine to catch up to Frank's number of Club Sandwiches eaten on tour.

We try to catch a tuk tuk back to the hotel but the first one we flag down tells us he is not going that way and that we may as well walk as the hotel is not far. A first for India. We walk on realising BKS Marg has the least number of tuk tuks on it of all the roads in India. On a side street we find a tuk tuk who takes us back the Royal Plaza. I drop off Tina and my driver takes me on to the Khan Market shopping precinct, apparently favoured by expats and the wealthy. If I was wealthy I think I would go to Singapore. I catch the metro back. The local station has the Delhi Metro Museum in it. It is interesting for not all the right reasons. Did you know that the Metro’s staff summer uniform shirt contains 65% cotton and 35% polyester? I learn lots of other things to bore my team mates with later.

A snooze finishes off the afternoon.

The boys have organised an expedition to the suburbs of Delhi to a popular restaurant and bar area, Hauz Khas village . The plan is to go in three taxis and the trip should take 20 minutes. Tina and I are in the last taxi which leaves 20 minutes after the others. It is Tina’s first ride in an Ambassador, a lovely ride until you hit a bump. It takes 25 minutes and the second group have just sat down for their first beer when we arrive. The first group are nowhere to be seen. Never mind we order.

The He Said She Said Bar is a monument to the non-responsible service of alcohol. They glorify alcohol. They have a 24 hour Happy Hour! Two for the price of one! Cold beers!

Eleven Aussie cricketers and Tina are most welcome.

The first group finally arrive. They have had a one hour sightseeing tour of New Delhi. More rounds are bought. Good food is ordered. Frank increases his lead in the Club Sandwich competition.

It is Chopper’s 50^th Birthday on Saturday, so tonight we celebrate as he flies out on Friday night. The Techno-swing DJ is persuaded to play some Cold Chisel and AC/DC in celebration. Funnily enough we end up being the only patrons in the 1^st floor bar.

The old and careful, seven of us, head back to the hotel. The taxi drivers have stayed waiting for us without guarantee, on the basis that we were the best chance on getting a second fare for the evening.

The adventurous five head off into the village to find another bar that they were invited to by a Congolese promoter they met earlier at the He Said, She Said.