Day 19 - Jaipur to Delhi

Left Jaipur for the drive back to Delhi - our base for the last 3 days of the holiday. We went out past the Amber Fort again, scene of yesterday's first ascent. Elephant rush hour was in full snarl up again. We made the outskirts of Delhi by 2-ish and called back in at Sanskriti Kendra, where our idyll had begun. We were hoping to catch up with UK potters Katherine Winfrey and Paul Young , and Francoise Dufayard from France (well known Potfesters all ) who had been out at Sanskriti for a 10 day terracotta workshop, but their work finished and being fired, they had taken off for a couple of days to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple. We caught up with the Tamil Nadu potters, and saw the elephants they had built now fired - and they were just starting to fire another small kiln load of pots.

Our coach driver, Mahaveer, is leaving us in Delhi, and just before we left Sanskriti we took some group photos and presented him with a cricket bat and ball, for services above and beyond the call of duty. His unruffled demeanour amidst all the chaos of the Indian roads has been truly admirable, he was a very valuable addition to our cricket team and as Dustin Hoffman would say .... an excellent driver! Unfortunately his friend Rajkumar, who had travelled with us as back up and tax payer as we crossed from state to state, had had to leave us in Jaipur, as there had been a death in the family. They were both valuable additions to our party - we were probably not what they were used to escorting around India, but they coped with us very well.

Presentations over we drove into central Delhi - hardly scary at all now after the delights of driving in Jaipur. Our last home in India is the Ginger Hotel, next to New Delhi Railway station. This is part of a chain of Ginger Hotels, probably loosely based on an Indian Travellodge, that are now scattered all over India - very upmarket backpacking at a very reasonable price - I can't recommend them highly enough. The rooms were very clean and had everything you could need - clean big bed, hot hot shower, TV and tea making facilities. The location next to the Metro and main station meant that getting around Delhi was very easy. Our room on the 5th floor overlooked a sort of goods yard, where 24 hr activity took place - high tec TVs were trundled around on pull carts, men rushed around with enormous bundles of stuff on their heads - not a fork lift truck to be seen anywhere. The evenings adrenaline rush took place on the 15 minute ride right into central Delhi where we were meeting up with a friend of Pollie's, Anju, who had helped with hotel choices and bookings for all of us. Anju is a potter and keen quilt maker who also will be exhibiting some pieces in the terracotta exhibition that we will be going to see in 2 days time. Over dinner she offered to show us the sights of Old Delhi tomorrow - an opportunity too good to miss!