Feelin' hot hot hot!

That was a warm day.. by any standards. It was 45 in the shade at the pool today - so I spent time running to the pool swimming for a bit then jumping back out again - actually I didn't run as that is DANGEROUS - it was more of a skipping ouchy hoppy thing - very attractive.
I appear to have been abandoned by the driver - of course nobody ever tells me ANYTHING in this nut house so I never know what is happening - like with Carmen coming, the no phone and internet, the staff having the night off so no cooking (which you don't know till you are starving and half cut from pre dinner drinkies!) so in order to get to Harry's last night I ordered a local dodgy cab. I make it a habit to always get at least one dodgy cab per trip - this one was OK except that me being a cheapskate last night meant I ordered an un a/c one thinking oh goody I'll save 30% and then got stuck in a big old traffic jam. Lovely.
So last night was my last at Harry's karaoke for this trip - and if they have any brains they will put my photo outside on the 'not wanted inside' list! For some reason I now see fit to sing AND dance - last night I got roped into 'Karma Chameleon' with a rotund jolly Indian chap in an apricot polo shirt. He then tried to get me to do 'Islands in the Stream' with him but I gave that a miss. There was a table of 3 girls who sang very well ( I think they were using the place for practise) but they weren't buying any drinks which annoyed the owner.. of course. Then there was a young lady's birthday do where the blokes all stood down one end (or went out for a smoke) while the girls were down the other singing and admiring someone's new tattoo.
Manish has ordered me to go to Bennigan's on Saturday and then finally Ice Lounge/Bar thingy on Sunday since I'm leaving on Tuesday. So you will get more of the latest Delhi karaoke news. Did you know there is a facebook page - karaoke friends are forever - set up (I think) by the pilot Andre that I met a while ago here. But I don't think you will find me on it - well I hope not anyway!
Great news on the trekking frontier - Robin got some blue sky yesterday. Not for long, but it was better than nothing. The weather reports make it look like the weather is finally clearing - I have about a dozen websites I look at and then have to decide which is correct - since they are all different - sometimes it is a subtle difference, others it's like I'm not looking at the same area or day at all. Today Robin was off to a hot a-spring (as the Nepalis call it) - don't need one if you are in Delhi!
If you stop on the footpath for more than a second your shoes will melt into the tar!
The country is agog with the crap$hit effort of the Indian Cricket Team (or TEAM INDIA as they seem to be called) in the T20 World Cup. The captain, lovely MS Dhoni, has come out and said that IPL is to blame because they played late night matches and then had to go to parties (but when he says it it comes out like puddies - sounds cute!). The TV cricket wallahs - on one channel we had 3 ex Indian captains - a Hindu, a Muslim and a Sikh - which I thought was rather interesting - all slamming the players, administrators and anyone else they could think of. Then Imran Khan turned up (former Pakistan captain and hunk) and they didn't seem to appreciate him telling them that Indians didn't know what they were doing and couldn't play short pitched balls. And just now I heard that there was (allegedly, as they love to add in the papers here) a punch up in a Tequila bar between 'puddying' Indian players after their 'shock' exit from the World Cup, and 'disgruntled' fans who took exception to the team having a good time. Allegedly, 'taunts were exchanged'.
Delhi may indeed be melting, but the big trees are looking great. The laburnum (yellow) and gulmohar (red) are fabulous right now.

Here's one of the trees round where I am staying:

And since it's Cocktail o'clock: CHEERS!!

Daze of our lives!

Talk about weird. I've certainly had an odd week - and when I tell you what's been going on you'll understand why I've been out of touch.
So, last Thursday I went to Olive Restaurant, right? Then Friday I blogged all about it, and since then...
First of all the summer power cuts kicked in, with the house plunged into warm inky blackness on Friday afternoon. So no internet. Carmen arrived back from Goa on Friday night - nobody bothered to tell me she was coming - and promptly announced that she was flying to Spain on Sunday night. Family 'issues' I think you could call it. Saturday no internet - but that was kinda OK as I was busy at the pool. Then in the afternoon  Louella and I sat in Carmen's room eating samosas and drinking whisky or rum. Every 'proper' Indian bedroom also has a lounge etc in it so you can just sit in there and ignore the rest of the family - it's a very Indian thing!
That night I went to Bennigans in Greater Kailash with Manish. A totally different karaoke crowd - most people were damned good. The best thing was a foreign family were there with their 2 kids, eating dinner, when the karaoke started. The young boy was busting to sing, so got up and asked if he could sing 'Livin on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi. He did an admirable job, much to the delight of mum and dad, and everyone gave him a huge cheer. The equipment there kept petering out - the amp got too hot I think - and after 5 deaths the evening was declared 'over'. Just as well as it was about 1am.
Sunday - pool and no internet and a walk up to the local cafe. I was asking about the internet problem but just got stupid grins at home. Oh well. Carmen was busy getting all her last minute stuff done so no car for me.
Monday was VERY hot so after swimming and lunch, I went to the Post Office to mail something to Kolkata - the Post Office hasn't really changed in 20 years. The parcel sewing men are still outside, sewing and sealing, and the fruit juice man was doing a roaring trade with the foreigners busy mailing their rugs and clothes back home. And the staff still try to look like they are doing 10 things at once when in fact they are really just wasting time! But at least it's cheap. After that I headed to one of the big malls here in Saket - such wonderful material in the clothes but it beats me how anyone wears saris that have so many sequins on them - it must scratch every time you move. The icecream was pretty good though. Still no internet and I couldn't help but notice that there was an Airtel bill on the kitchen counter, with rupees piled on it. It was still there on Tuesday when the internet wasn't working, but finally disappeared at lunchtime. Chances of internet action up 50%. And finally this morning it works.
So today being Wednesday it's karaoke at Harry's again - last one for this trip anyway as I leave next Tuesday for Nepal. Where there are 12 hours of powercuts a day - fun.
Now let me think, what has Robin been doing? Oh yes that's right, trekking! They had a few 10 hour days where they got completely soaked, then one of the horsemen got crook and ended up in hospital, and they got a new set of horses. They had a 2400 metre climb (with accompanying descent) which was $#@*!! tough so I am told. On Monday they were in a place where the first Choegyal (King) of Bhutan came from and were staying with his relatives who could trace their family back I think it was 12 generations. So he got to stay in a room with a big pot bellied stove in it to dry out him and his stuff, and there were kittens prancing around. There always seem to be kittens jumping around. Yesterday when he called me after another epic he was wrapping himself around a bottle of 'HIT' beer from Sikkim. Sounds great doesn't it. He is now in Central Bhutan on the bit that is called the Snowman Trek - very tough week ahead but then it should be plain sailing (or trekking), which is why I can go back to Nepal and won't be required to mount any form of rescue from India apparently.
Robin has had 2 enquiries today about people wanting to walk the Nepal part of the GHT - one would like to do some on mountain bike. I always just say to these people that Robin is in the field and will get back to them in July. Some people seem to have unrealistic expectations - like that they can just put on a pack and wander off without a guide, and that there will always be some local who will put them up and feed them. That is so far from the reality of the situation, but many people seem to be very opposed to using any local staff - and the whole point of the GHT is that it isn't about YOU walking it, it is about THEM getting money and tourists. After all, it ain't the Everest Trek!
So, India has a new World Champ - Vishy Anand, Chess Grandmaster who defended his title overnight in Sofia. Well done him. Much better effort than the Indian T20 cricketers, who are now blaming the constant round of IPL parties for their poor show in the Caribbean.

And on Saturday, Delhi police got in a 'tizzy' when there was a hoax call made that the Chief minister of Delhi's life was in danger. Trying to picture tizzied police.....

Prayer flags at the  temple in Darjeeling