Day 77 Delhi

Hotel lobby - it's 6:31 am, after a (pointless) night spent on the Hot Rock bus. Mosquito net deployed last night. Delhi station is as busy at 2 am as it is at 2 pm - just no difference in the number of people or what they seem to be doing. But there's no truck security during the day. Anyway, I'm here in the lobby, waiting with the keen newbies. The plan is to go climbing at the Old / New rocks here in Delhi. Hopefully might get some breakfast at some point too.

11 am. Bouldering at New Rocks, located in the Garden of the Five Senses at Said-ul-Ajaib. Still not much of a fan of bouldering - just did a couple of problems.

6:50 pm. Moved to my new hotel, the imposingly named Mohan International; in reality a bit crappy but better than the last place. Good climbing to day - New Rocks bouldering - okay but not my cup of tea; thence (after ice cream and Pepsi - whoops there goes my food budget!) we went to Old Rocks at Lado Sarai in Delhi. Very short sandstone cliffs - the sort of thing which looks a lot better in the guidebook than it perhaps is in real life. But it's climbing nonetheless. Climbed the arete - a couple of nice moves near the top. Owen led the arete further right at an impressive E4 6a or so - run out to the first friends (small) at 15 feet. Then the monsoon rains started at 3 pm. I had to scramble back up to retrieve the gear I'd left for a top rope problem. Scary enough trying to scramble back up - but even worse trying to get down - slippery sandstone covered in a flood of hot running water.

Hope to go out tonight to a good food place - called the Big Chill, with T, Mel and a few of the other nice people.