DURHAM CALLING DELHI - breakthrough phone call, Swaggies bearing whisky and Tandoori celebration, 1977

[Day 12 stranded in Delhi but things are looking up: contact is made with home, a ticket is on its way and I bump into 2 old friends from the overland trip, Canadians Shirley and Bill.  Once again the overland drivers of Connaught Place treat me as one of the fraternity and John keeps me fed and watered.]

Bill and Shirley, fellow Swaggies from Canada, 1976

MONDAY 10TH JANUARY, 1977

" Call came through at 7.0.  Got Dad and told him to buy ticket, said Mum would buy it in Edinburgh. Relief!  Had breakfast with John.  Dad called again!  Said ticket would be to Newcastle plus £25 to cover costs.  Had to disengage from blatant proposals of Bali!  Even after 6 years in Germany he still has warped view of western women. 

Went to B.A and told them good news.  Sat on bus again.  Nice co-driver Bob appeared - amusing.  Margaret came with me to see if P.T.A through.  No!  Guess who saw crossing road - Shirl and Bill!! [fellow Swaggies from bus trip]  Ran after them - big welcome.  Went to Palace Heights were they were staying and sat on terrace waiting for them with various of the patrons - nice bunch - good looking too!  Saw S & B's room - really nice and big, clean with beds, tables, phone, toilet etc for less than YMCA.  Finished their Haig with them!

Got back - walked across park in Connaught Circus - huge fountains spraying me, Indian music - all rather festive.  John took me out to Embassy Restaurant for a meal - had Tandoori Chicken - nice.  Went for drink at Imperial - "the local"!"

ALL ALONE IN DELHI - CHEERED BY OVERLAND DRIVERS & ROSY PELICAN BEER,1977

[With Nikki gone I was feeling very bereft until I met John, an overland driver, at the YMCA.  He showed great kindness taking the stranded Swaggie under his wing and introducing me to the camaraderie of overland drivers in Connaught Place.  Rosy Pelican beer helped keep up morale in the wait for a ticket and fruitless attempts to get phone calls home.]

SUNDAY 9TH JANUARY, 1977

"Nikki got up at 5.30 - had breakfast in room before left - said a sleepy goodbye.  Muggins on her own now!  Went down to breakfast.  Bali beckoned me to his table.  Introduced me to John - an overland driver, 29.  Chatted on about [Asian] Greyhound.  He's got 2 buses - been doing Overland trips for 6 years - when things were really primitive.  Invited me to drop in at bus if wanted.

Called at B.A to see if P.T.A come.  No.  Sikh asked me to come for a beer, but I didn't go.  Went and sat on John's bus in Connaught Circus (after changing rooms [in YMCA] for a single).  All Overland buses park here and all visit each other and chat.  Met some nice drivers - Margaret and Arthur (Sunshine Bus), a boozy Aussie - Dennis, who had a mini bus; Barry hash smoker, Ernie - cockney given to exaggeration.

Went back to see if any message.  Called Durham - but all away at funeral - student wouldn't accept charges, but gathered brother there this evening.  John took me out for a drink at the Imperial Hotel after supper - had Rosy Pelican beer - quiet strong and sweet.  Very pleasant.  Booked call to England for 11.45. 

Got back - couldn't get through - waited till 3.30 in morning.  Slimy attendant waited with me - offered to pay my fare home !! plus any of my expenses - warned me off John - said might leave me high and dry, wanted to know if he was my boyfriend - so I used him as excuse to refuse his attentions.  He pursued me [down corridors saying had keys to all rooms] but I was too quick for him!"

DELHI - samosas with postmen, Tamla Motown and Indian whisky to drown bad news, 1977

[Thanks to the help of the B.A staff, word was finally filtering back home that we were stranded in Delhi.  But they feared that the reason I hadn't heard from my granny was that she had died.  Worse still, they couldn't confirm if this was true.  My grandmother, Sydney Easterbrook, had gone out to India from Scotland in 1923 to marry forester Bob Gorrie, and they had lived there until the Second World War.  Granny was one of the inspirations behind my trip east.  Now like the elderly enigmatic Mrs Moore in Passage to India (another inspiration for going to India), it was possible she was dead.

So we 'attacked' the whisky to drown our sorrows ...]

WEDNESDAY 5TH JANUARY, 1977

"Happy Birthday Ank! [youngest brother Angus]  At breakfast a Sikh came to our table and asked us to model his clothes, so could guarantee right size - he sells to boutiques in Germany - we certainly meet all sorts in this place!!!

Went to B.A - nothing.  Went to GPO - they're so used to us, today we were given sweet tea and chapatis wrapped round potato samosas (potato in batter)!  Cheerful fella warmed chapatis over small electric fire!  Must be the only tourists to have done this - probably the only ones to penetrate so far!  Nice middle-aged man gave us address of Foreign P.O and told us to try there in case mail had been insured. 

Off we went in a rickshaw for miles, racing with traffic far beyond the confines of Connaught Place!  Hassled away with Indian and weren't understood very well - 2 blokes helping - said had no access unless we had registered number etc.  Discovered this wasn't foreign mail!  Went to building behind - same story.

Back to centre - cheered ourselves in record shop by listening to Tamla Motown L.P!!  Then found really good Penguin bookshop and browsed in there for a while.

Back to B.A - telex for Nikki telling her to go and check GPO!  Several for me - no reply from Granny.  They in touch finally with parents.  Dad sent cheque for ticket - then horrible news that Granny may be dead.  No confirmation - felt very upset.  Can't stop thinking of it - what can be happening at home?  To be stuck in this place because of Asian Greyhound inefficiency and to have no news from home!  Very anxious and miserable.

We attacked the bottle of whisky bought for New Year - drank half of it before supper - took mind off worries.  Went down to dining room giggling and wearing new tops.  Waiter in good mood tonight."