My flight was a direct flight from Munich and took off with a 30 minute delay. This was due to the de-icing procedure, which was necessary given the outside temperature of around -10°C. This delay then added up to 1 hour, but this is bearable.

After the immigration formalities were completed, the suitcase delivered and money exchanged, I met the person who was most affected by the delay: Narwan, a school friend of Manish. He had been standing at the exit for about an hour early in the morning (it was now 9:15 a.m.) on Saturday and had brought his driver with him.

From here on, I got to know Indian hospitality: I was driven everywhere and everything was already paid for. First, I went to a nearby 3-star hotel to freshen up, which I wouldn't recommend for more than that. Then I went to Delhi's posh hotel for lunch and, without Narwan, to the city's most important sights.

Delhi surprised me as a relatively dirty city with few well-developed parts of the city. Perhaps this was due to my limited choice, but we drove through Delhi quite a lot between the sights. Speaking of driving: the Indian driving style puts everything I have seen so far in the shade. The motto is to always drive, and if you stick to signs, lanes or similar "suggestions" from the authorities, you won't get anywhere. Honking indicates that you want to do something or indicate something, but the exact coding was hidden from me. Side mirrors are folded in (at least on the left) so that you can still use the 10cm to the next vehicle. As in England, you drive on the left, but you can overtake anywhere in the lane itself: right, left or right through. The main thing is that you honk a lot.

The first stop was the Qutb Minar (Kutab Minar). The construction of the 71 m high sandstone tower was most likely started after the victory of the invading Muslims over the Hindus around the year 1200, and it was completed between 1211 and 1236 as a 'Victory Tower' and minaret. It was repaired and embellished in the 14th and 15th centuries, but the upper part was damaged by an earthquake at the beginning of the 19th century. This damage was repaired, but this 'most perfect tower in the world' has been slightly crooked ever since...

Oh yes, so much for tourists: I bought the entrance tickets for the driver and myself at the booth provided for this purpose. They charged 500 rupees (approx. EUR 10) and I paid them. The driver pointed out to me that I had probably forgotten the change and after some discussion with the person in the booth, the tickets suddenly cost only half as much.

Afterwards we went to the Chhatarpur Temple, 4 km away, a popular Hindu temple in the South Indian style. Quite modern with lots of marble and a wonderful peace in the temple complex - here you can escape the street noise for a while.

The Lotus Temple is built in the North Indian style. Completed in 1986, this round building with nine entrances and a dome of the international Baha'i faith community is an impressive structure. The temple grounds are 10 hectares in size, the marble-clad concrete temple has a diameter of 75 m and a height of 34.5 m.

Since we were in the land of traders, the obligatory detour to a "textile and art museum" was inevitable. Of course, it was nothing more than a tourist trap where you could buy all kinds of souvenirs. Then we drove on to Panipat, which is about 80 km from Delhi. Due to the chaotic traffic conditions, we arrived at the hotel where I was supposed to be picked up for the wedding an hour late.