Delhi Airport

Landed in Delhi half an hour early, first thing in the morning the airport wasn't that busy. First sight at the arrivals lounge is the spectacular wall sculpture of Hasta Mudra (hand gestures)!! Who'd have thought they'd have neuromuscular gestures on the airport wall!

Probably the second trickiest thing about coming to India is the e-Visa application, let's just say the website isn't that friendly. This means you have to queue in a separate place when you get into the country and the security procedures are very thorough. After taking your photo they scan your left hand fingers, then your right hand fingers and finally your thumbs! The technology is a rather temperamental and it takes a bit to get a good scan, but in the end you have two magnificent stamps in your passport! I didn't think I'd fare very well with this because in the dining hall at work the machine takes 20 times to recognise my finger for the cashless catering. I keep joking I've been a bank robber in a previous life and had my prints erased to keep me out of jail. So you get to stand in a queue for at least an hour to get these fab stamps, although the staff are really good humoured and try their best despite seeming a bit understaffed on this occasion. My e-Visa man told me I had great fingerprints :)

The mobile phone situation is probably the trickiest. You need an unlocked phone and an Indian SIM card, it takes a bit of setting up and I'm not sure if it's worth it if you're staying somewhere with WiFi. It is easy to have a quick visit to the Vodafone desk in the airport and buy a SIM card very cheaply though, this is the most reliable option.