1144 Just checked out. Bill was about 45 rupees more than I expected but meh. Left my bag with them, may feel obliged to tip when pick it up. Tipped the chap who sits outside the door opening it 20, which isn't much but then the service is a stupid one.
Didn't get to sleep til gone 3 with intermittent 'bloated' pains in guts. Odd twinge this morning but much better. Not sure what to make of it. Probably going to eat now as if I don't I will be starving later, and if it must kick off again best to give it time to settle down before train.
Just about had enough cash to pay bill, hotel in Delhi is paid in advance via expedia so need to make a small withdrawal for just spending money (though two meals at Kwality will run about 2.5k-3k). Since I don't seem to be getting charged a fee I don't have to go too nuts on withdrawing a large sum.
My (free) prepay coupon for wifi at hotel ran out this morning so unable to search for a post office - modulo illness etc, my plan for today was just to send off the postcards for lack of anything else major to do.
1230 At Tehal Singh's waiting for food - murg Tehal Singh's special boneless with jeera rice and two tandoori roti (chap on train from Amritsar recommended tandoori roti, also saag something but not sure what, and I'm not ordering a random spinach dish just for the sake of it). Guts feel a bit intermittently gassy/churning but not much I can do. As I say, probably better to eat than not. Have written postcards, may ask chap here where the post office is (though he may not know). They're a bit crap as they don't say where there are of, just 'The palace water faal (sic)' not 'Rock garden, Chandigarh, India'. Wrote that in by hand. :-) Don't think I managed to get a great 'excitement' vibe onto the postcards but I guess the main thing is that I'm sending them.
Withdrew 3k (first tried 2900 and the machine just printed out a 'cannot dispense' slip instead of inviting me to enter another amount), damn thing gave me 3x1k notes. Not end of world, the meals at Kwality will be 1kish, probably over, and I do have a 500 and some 100s and will try to pay with a 1k note here.
1342 Bill 480ish, I suppose I did have a diet pepsi and tea as well and the special is a touch more expensive. Definitely OK to use a 1k then. Change is a 500+20 so had to dredge out dwindling supply of small bills to make tip 40. Guts still churning intermittently. Asked about post office/stamps, guy said no - not entirely sure he understood me. Oh well. Let's wander and maybe try a pharmacy. Not sure what exactly I want medically tho if in UK might try some calcium carbonate. Didn't finish food, seemed silly to force it given current state (nothing is coming out either end, I just have this internal discomfort) and I ate a reasonable amount.
1456 Found a pharmacy and bought some calcium carbonate tablets; not sure if they're helping but guess they won't hurt. Asked him where post office was and he sent me over to sector 17. Have finally found it (there is a map, but only on one street on corner of sector, no maps internally and loads of shops) and fingers crossed have sent them (INR15 each).
1504 At Cafe Coffee Day on first floor (UK style) near GPO. Moderately swish though access via a staircase which I mentally associate more with dodgy bars. Just getting a french press black coffee; I hope they have a bog (not that am desperate, but be good to 'have a go') but not asked yet. Train is 1820ish so will probably head back towards hotel after this and maybe have another coffee somewhere nearby.
In hindsight shouldn't have given that possibly rather poor tip to chap on door this morning, should have waited until I left for the last time. Oh well. I don't really see why I should have to tip for someone opening the door for me, I am more than capable of doing it myself.
1605 Just checked, it's 144 for the coffee which isn't exactly cheap IMO but is acceptable. Going to have a second, the timing is getting a bit stressful with the train but I won't loiter over this so much.
Got bill, it's 288 (gasp! how unexpected!), it seems to include a small service charge as well as a service tax so I will just make it 300. Actual made it 310 which I think comes to about 10% with the service charge on the bill. I'm not to 10 or 20 rupees on a purely financial basis, I'm mainly worried about not having any suitable small bills left to eg tip bag carriers at hotel in Delhi. But fingers crossed.
1820 On train. Got to station about 1740. Not sure I am in right carriage because they're not labelled clearly. Also, the seating is 3+2 and I get the window seat in a 3-set. Yay. Not as good as I expected based on the Shatabdi (sp) (this is also a Shatabdi) I took from IIRC Agra to Jaipur. It is better than the 3+3 chair car on the train into Chandigarh at least.
Picked up bag OK at hotel though felt a bit pushed walking over there; Chandigarh is pretty sprawly. Got there about 1h5 before train due. Didn't tip anyone. Got tuktuk in street; driver wouldn't (or couldn't due to language?) give me a price but I said 150? and he took it. Not sure if excessive but it is a fair old drive and not too bad.
Window blinds are all down for no obvious reason. Would all other things being equal prefer it open but not going to open it.
Chap to my right is one of those really sprawly elbow right over the armrest types. Meh.
Ah, woman in front asked me in good English if I minded if she opened the window shade. Somehow reminds me of chap I met on train to Jodhpur saying the men spoke Hindi at his university but it was 'cool' (my phrase) to speak to the women in English.
2258 Train massively late. Can see by GPS we're just outside New Delhi stn, we've been sat here for ages. Took my headphones out some time ago when we seemed to be at a station and somehow don't want to put them back in. Bit hacked off, though I do feel 90% healthy so it could be worse. Not looking forward to the walk to hotel but really it is fine. Also if the cunts have given my room away despite it being prepaid for three days ('cos apparently that sort of thing is OK when you're a hotel; it's like charging 1970s prices for phone calls, I guess), I don't seriously believe I can't apply the banker's solution and walk into any of the several billion hotels in Paharganj and get a room regardless of the time of day or night. I think it will probably be OK at my hotel anyway.
This is reminiscent of BR in my student days. There hasn't been an announcement in any language all the time I've had my headphones off.
Looking at GPS map I think I might go to Delhi's Jantar Mantar tomorrow. It's practically next door to Kwality so a good afternoon stop before dinner, and if there's time I might go somewhere else first. I'm not busting a gut to tourist it up these two days in Delhi. Friday will be mainly about checking in for the flight online and finding an internet cafe to print my boarding pass.
2339 In hotel room. I can't believe it but the chap at the desk wants my expedia booking printout. To be fair he isn't insisting on it tonight but tomorrow I can go to an internet cafe to print it out. Fucking hell. I will ask at the desk tomorrow if I can leave it until Friday as then it will be less inconvenient since I need to go to an internet cafe then anyway.
I carried my bag up in the lift, chap showed me the room, I wonder if he wanted a tip but I didn't give him one. They are going to bring me some towels. I will tip 50 for that and then I'm done with it.
This room is at the front which is a bit noisy but no big deal, I also by same token get a view.
2344 Wifi signal poor verging on nonexistent (I haven't managed to connect yet) on my phone but at least it's normal wifi without the wanky hotel system stuff so laptop probably be OK.
Oh, I was at Hotel Diamond Plaza in Chandigarh.
0130 Finally going to bed. Wifi not great on netbook but good enough for Skype voice (borderline), called parents, my new phone has arrived so fingers crossed I can get it working. Done booking.com reviews of last two hotels (as requested by staff), not tripadvisor yet. Anyway, bed.
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