Delhi is a bit of a maelstrom! We didn't mind it, but we had been in India for 6 weeks by the time we got there and I'm sure that helped. It must be an awesome place to arrive if you've never been to India before (see "Warning" below). It is a big, busy city with a faster pace and shorter tempers. An indication is the incident Gail, our 2 kids and I encountered in our auto-rickshaw ride to the Delhi Fort from Paharganj where we were staying. Our driver stopped to buy fuel from a petrol (gas) station, a truck parked in front of us and prevented us from leaving for a couple of seconds. The 2 drivers started yelling at each other, then both got out their vehicles and started shouting at each other's face while standing toe-to-toe. It got more heated, and our driver ran over and picked up a softball-sized rock and held it in his fist above his head, clearly threatening the other driver with a caved-in head! The other guy backed down, jumped in his truck and took off. Our driver jumped in his machine, and soon we were hurtling down the busy Old Delhi street in pursuit. We passed him, swerved in front of him and slowed right down. It was a scary sight, that Tata truck's radiator and huge "T" only feet from our back window, accompanied by the hiss of brakes and blast of the comically musical horn. Road rage, Delhi-style!

Delhi Accommodation. On your first arrival, maybe you could book into a nicer hotel than your standard budget place to ease the impact of the place! Otherwise, if you are using the Lonely Planet or other guidebooks, you might notice that there are 2 main budget accommodation areas in Delhi. There is the Connaught Place area. The maps don't indicate how far apart everything is around there, which makes it difficult to shop around for lodgings. Also there is fewer to choose from. We went there when we first arrived to look around for accommodation. But we ended up taking a rickshaw over to the alternative area, which is Paharganj. This is in the heart of Old Delhi, so we found it more colourful and interesting (but more crowded and noisy). There are heaps of places to choose from though, and lots of restaurants. If you are shopping for Indian market-available stuff, than this is probably a good area. If you are after more standard consumer goods, perhaps the more affluent Connaught Place area is better.

Warning! Actually, I should warn you about your arrival to Delhi! You will be the prey of all the notorious scam artists in the city on your arrival. We met so many people who told us about their arrival into Delhi. They found it impossible to get a ride directly to the place you tell them you want to go to. If they don't try to take you to their "uncle's", "brother's", "friend's" hotel, they will take you to an "Official" tourism office to get you to book your next travel leg. These places pretend to be Government tourism offices but in reality are private sharks. They will tell you that the train to Agra is totally booked out, unavailable, bombed, whatever, and instead they will try to get you a car all the way, or even a luxury tourist coach. This is a lie, don't believe them. HOWEVER, if you are really short on time, it is hard to get a train ticket without at least a few days notice. So in fact maybe a car to Agra may be an option in this situation. BUT, do shop around, these guys I am sure will try to charge you at least double (I'm not kidding) the going rate. Don't tell anyone you have never been to India before and BE FIRM!