I slept in as well as I could, but I had picked up a cold and my night was interrupted with feverishness and snot. I skipped breakfast and headed to Connaught Place, but all the places were closed. A guy approached me and started chatting me up and said the stores don’t open until 11am. He said he likes to talk to foreigners to hear our perspective on things and asked if we could go to a coffee shop and chat. He seemed sincere and a little gay and unthreatening so I agreed. His name is Jahn and he was really nice. He had a cappuccino and I had a berry smoothie which was delicious. He wanted me to go out that evening with him and his friends, but I declined explaining my cold and early flight the next morning. We parted ways and I spent the rest of the midday shopping around Connaught Place picking up a few souvenirs.
I returned to my hotel around 2:30 and tried to take a nap but just couldn’t. I kept thinking about how I hadn’t seen everything I wanted, so I went back out and took the metro to Chandni Chowk again. This time, I asked directions for Jama Masjid, the second largest mosque in the world. I made my way there and explored it, though I confess I was not as impressed as I’d hoped. Still, I’m glad I saw it.
By the time I returned to my hotel I was exhausted. I showered and ordered room service, then watched Midsomer Murders while packing. I arranged with the front desk for a taxi to pick me up at 5am to take me to the airport. I ended up not sleeping much at all. In the end, India was a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, exhausting and exhilarating, and I only saw a slice.