Venturing out into this new landscape...

The morning - and a full day in Delhi to explore. This is one of the haziest days for exact detail (and I am not claiming that any of these memoirs are chronologically accurate).

I had a slightly more positive sense of mind, only slightly. I had not found my role within the group yet. I had not established my personality on the students and Gilly probably thought I was still a lot tougher than I was making out.

In the early morning Paharganj was still busy, but it seemed more in slow motion. The short walk to the other part of the hotel for breakfast allowed me to take things in more. There was no problem with the people, I still think it was the pace of everything. Children sat on the top of fruit carts, the dogs roamed, the scooters continued their manic progress up and down.

Breakfast took an age, Gilly was impatient with them. I was able to get to know some of the students better.

Our schedule for the three weeks was to start with our two charities and then become tourists. This was our day of acclimatisation, this being Delhi meant it was not going to be a calm, relaxing day.

We were told it was a national holiday and that most of the exhibits, monuments and museums would be closed for the day. I will try and piece together some of the main events of the day, as I said - it was all hazy and my mind wasn't straight.

After breakfast we set out to find some bottled water to take with us. The heat, dust and general dryness would be a big factor. As we stood on a street corner the throng of people and traffic suddenly slowed then parted. After about twenty seconds a small troop of religious men, pilgrims? Priests? walked in line. The crowds seem to be respectful. I looked into the gaunt faces of these men, they wore simple robes and seemed purposeful in their stride. You do not see a lot of that in Dorset. This religious and spiritual aspect of the country was starting to impose itself upon me. They carried a statue, covered with orange and yellow flowers, even the scooters fell silent. This helped me think of my next problem with India.

How do you start to understand a society that is obsessed with mobile phones, has sent a space probe to Mars, builds nuclear weapons and is on the cutting edge of a lot of technological advancements of our age – with this society that is still obedient to class and religion and accepts poverty and those living with nothing? The reverence to the figure being held aloft, the shrines full of deities...

Once we gathered we set off, we had a list of places to see. There were twelve students with Gilly and myself. Gilly led and I was happy to follow up and chat with the stragglers. We were approached by a well dressed man who wanted to know where we were going. Gilly told him the places we wanted to see. He confirmed that it was a holiday, but said one of the sites was open and he would happily take us there. What a nice chap!

He led us through the streets on to some busier roads. He seemed very pleasant and eventually we arrived at a large building. Crafts and Arts emporium. It did look quite interesting, but this was where he had led us - a very large shop aimed at tourists. We were hustled inside and then the entrance was blocked by shop workers and our 'guide'.

We made the best of it, looking at wooden elephants, carpets and silk scarves but it was a lesson learnt. Some people who are being helpful may not be as helpful as they seem, Our guide disappeared, having picked up his commission for delivering fourteen tourists into the store. My more cynical nature took over, it was good that on the first day we had fallen so easily into a trap. It actually cheered me up, here was a challenge - be more questioning, work out who to trust and who was playing with us. I enjoyed questioning anyone who offered help from then on, it was a psychological test - and I liked it.

India Gate.

A memorial to those Indians who gave their lives in the first world war and other conflicts of that time. Standing in the heat and bustle of Delhi it is hard to comprehend that men volunteered from their cities, towns and villages and wanted to defend their 'mother empire'.

Men signed up and traveled to die in Flanders. I cannot imagine how they would have coped with the trenches, the cold and the wet. What type of hold did we have over this nation that men would do that? Indians fought across many of the first world war conflict zones. It was quite humbling to learn this history and pay respects to them.

The moment could have been even more humbling if it was not for the hawkers that descended upon us like a plague of locusts. Horrid. Forcing lighters, postcards and cheap souvenirs in your face, stopping you from walking. This site was the worst that we ever encountered. I suppose they know that westerners will come here, and with other museums and monuments closed it was the only location for the day.

I suppose a reality check is needed. These traders are only trying to earn a living, a very meagre existence, probably working for gang masters and needing to sell their goods to survive. It is hard to put that into perspective when as a group leader you are checking that the all the group are fine after being submerged into this frenzy.

We walked from India Gate through the impressive gardens that lead to and from it. We had escaped from the sellers but had picked up a group of boys, the numbers increased by the minute.

There were more girls than boys in the group but we tried to put them into the middle and we walked faster. The chasing pack walked faster. We had to stop, confrontation was inevitable. I stepped forward, but not quick enough, Gilly got to them first. It was a perfect demonstration of how the Indian people are such a contrast. The traders made us suspicious, but all these boys wanted to do was have their picture taken with western girls. They were polite, spoke good English and meant absolutely no harm. It was quite fun mixing with them, the girls were flattered and I came down from'combat' mode. Less than twenty four hours in and it seemed as though India was not going to allow any ten minutes to be boring.

Contradictions, contradictions.

With photos taken, plenty of handshakes traded, we were left alone. A pleasant experience. Now, what to do? We walked to the edge of the park and sat by the road in front of the main museum - which was closed. Like a blooming flower, the bees were not far away. Two, and then a third tuk-tuk arrived, hemming us in.

"Where are you going? Museums closed? We take you to palace?" There was a desperation for the business. These guys were not going away. Gilly stood up to them, but they were not going to respect a woman. The group looked on, they were physically blocking us in now.

This was my moment. I stood and walked to them. Gilly had told them we had no plans, and we were happy to walk but they were not listening. With the whole group listening, I approached them, stood as tall as I could and looked the leader squarely in the eye.

"We do not need a tuk-tuk. If we did need tuk-tuks we will not use you." He stood, not moving. And then the line that gave me my role in the group, or at least broke the ice and demonstrated I would be able to step forward.

"Now, **** off." They got the message.

I am not someone who swears, nobody within the school had ever heard me swear before - but the three tuk-tuk drivers moved away. Turning to the group there was an acceptance and some smiles. I needed that confrontation, a lot of my frustration and the claustrophobia of the city came out in three simple words. Some basic Anglo-saxon had lifted my spirits and helped me bond with the group.

Wandering through those gardens and green space insulated me from the city that surrounded us. The noise was in the background, but there was something about walking on grass and seeing the sky above that was calming.

We did not really know where we were going but we set off for Connaught Place – a large roundabout and a place where tourists would gather. On the roundabout was a large western style restaurant, with a large, spectacularly moustached doorman type greeter on duty. It was very western, but there is a very important point about this.

Most trips you want to try and engage with the local culture, experience something of the lives they lead. For me, India forces itself upon you. I had found it almost suffocating. To have these moments of escape are vital. They are more than vital.

Although we ordered Indian food, it was surroundings that I was comfortable in. Slowly I was fighting back.

Unfortunately, India had only just started – and I did not stand a chance.