First weekend in Dehli

I arrived safe and well on thurs evening at around 11:30 local time. I went trhough customs, where there was a very cursory check for swine flu, literally a form to fill. Very efficient as you can see! I then waited in line for the passport check, where a nice young man struck up conversation with me which was a nice welcome to India. I was one of the last to have the passport check, and the man was very austere, and once finished stamping and looking he looked me straight in the eye and slammed the passport on the counter top!
It took very little time to find my way out and to a warm greeting form my host for the next 6 month Paul. Despite everyone having warned me that the temperature here gets very hot, nothing had prepared me for when I stepped out of the nicely air conditioned arioprt to the dust bowl of Dehli. There is a perpertual haze of dust generated form the work being carried out building a metro, which should help road congestion. The traffic has been extremely kind to me thus far, with very little hold ups, and if there were again I am in an AC cooled vehicle with driver that can cope with the chaos that is Indian driving. There are regular breakdowns, oncoming traffic on your side of the road, bikers with an entire family perched on atop another, not to mention the stray dogs, pigs and cattle that wander hither and thither. This morning on my way to my first day with Save the Children the traffic was a little worse, but stood out to me were the two chaps having a deep converation on what resembled a junction onto a motorway, the only concession here being that Indian drivers tend to keep a slow pace, otherwise it would be carnage. Of course, if you are out on the roads at the early hours then you have to watch out for drunken drivers winding their way across the roads.
The house that I am staying in is a veritable palace, as we drove into Sanik Farms you are in a series of small cul de sacs with housing ranging in size and condition, but genmerally of a higher standard. We paused momentaraly as the gates were opened to reveal a fair sized white builing with balconys as on two levels. I ione again had to set food outdoors into a overly balmy night and made my way to a fantastic dorrway that opened into the most amazing marble, high celinged hallway. To say I was pleasantly suprised doens't quite express my first impression. And it only got better when I had a tour of the house that has been decorated in the Indian style with immense taste. The entire building has marble floors, huge fans, AC, and my bedroom has a huge double bed, walk in wardrobe and en suite. What else could I want, I feel that i have more than landed on my feet.
That first night I sat outdoors with a fan overhead and a beautufully mixed G and T, how very Brit of me.
I have never felt in such an exotic place before, the night air was filled with the sounds of chattering bats of varuous sizes, little birdies and the occassional call of wild peacocks that roost 20 foot in the air not far from the house. Subsequent evenings have been spent in a similar fashion, with ever more sighting of exotic birds such drongos (a very deep call similar to a monkey), and a flock of ibis.
Have to go as I have some work to do! Eeeek!