Marathon - Day 10

The last day of our Marathon started with our longest drive of the trip back to Delhi 264km (164miles) away. We stopped at a small road side cafe for a break and something to eat about halfway there. I was feeling better, but I’d completely lost my appetite, so I just had some dry papad (popadum) and watched everyone else eat.

It was so hot so the restaurant staff decided to turn on the air conditioning units that were in the wall right next to where we were sitting. However, they were quite ineffective and kept spitting out horrible mucky water from inside onto our food! It was all a bit gross and put everyone off the rest of their meal! Yuck!

We arrived back in Delhi late afternoon and were taken back to the same hotel that we had stayed in for the first leg of our trip, Star Rocks. As we were all so tired from the long journey, we took it easy and relaxed until dinner time, when we decided to walk to a local restaurant. Once again, I didn’t have much to eat, but I did manage to eat some potato wedges.

Mum outside the road side cafe

Tom and I were leaving the next day but mum and dad were staying in Delhi one more night so we spent our last night together in the hotel bar, celebrating the success of our trip with a few Kingfisher beers.

Hotel bar/restaurant

The next day, we had just enough time before our flight back to Pune to visit Dilli Haat Market again (where I bought my pearls the first time we were in Delhi). Mum wanted to buy some gifts for her friends and I wanted to see if the pearl man was there so I could take his picture for my blog. Unfortunately he wasn’t.

Dilli Haat Market eating area

Tom 

We spent about an hour there but before we knew it though, our time had run out and it was time for us to say goodbye and get to the airport for our flight.

Saying goodbye to my parents at the hotel was especially hard this time as it was going to be the last time that I’d see them probably until December when I return back to the UK. Mum and dad both got a bit upset but I tried to be brave and held it in.

At the airport

Tired Tom at the airport

Our flight back to Pune was fine and we managed to get a rickshaw ride back to our apartment very easily. It was so nice to be back home but also a bit sad because our big trip was over. It was such a brilliant trip and we’d all seen some amazing things, things that some people would only ever dream of seeing. The Taj Mahal was just magical and riding an elephant in Jaipur was an amazing experience.  Even though the car rides were long and tiring, it was scorching hot and I got very ill, I’d highly recommend it to anyone and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if I could. 

Thanks to Tom, mum and dad for such a wonderful time!