Piece of cake... so far

Had a fine first night's sleep in "The Pearl Plaza" here in the Paharganj area of Delhi and, since Mike is still fast asleep, decided to go take care of my emails and give you an update. The hotel is cheap but pretty nice, with its own bathroom, clean-looking sheets, and good AC. Here's the website, www.hotelpearlplaza.com, but dont be fooled, its nowhere near as nice as it looks (but it's nice enough). This is probably going to be the nicest and most expensive hotel we stay at, though it still is only about 15 bucks a night.

Regarding my flight and arrival last night, everything went perfectly. Had the entire row in the airplane to myself so I made myself a nice bed and slept for most of the flight. Customs and immigration was a piece of cake and Mike, sure enough, was there waiting for me, talking with some locals over a cup of coffee. Since he had arrived on the morning of July 3rd and I arrived in the evening, he spent the day scouting for a hotel and a trustworthy travel agency. From what I've gathered so far, there are a ton of scams and hustlers out there, but it appears Mike found a perfectly legit driver and agency. The driver, Vicky, is a young Indian who was knowledgeable and polite. Coincidentally, on the way to this internet cafe from the hotel, another polite and seemingly legit young Indian named Vicky offered to drive me around in his rickshaw and give me advice on where to go. I remained polite, but wary, declining his services but thanking him for his advice.

The plan for today is to spend the day in Old Delhi, visiting The Red Fort and other attractions, as well as head to Connaught Place, where there will be plenty to do and see. First I need to wake up Mike and get breakfast. Catch you later,

NPW