As far as culture shocks go, I feel like I’ve been hit by about 250,000 volts!

India is by far the most unique country I have ever been to, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

As soon as I arrived at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport via London Heathrow, one thought immediately struck me: "How the Hell did anyone ever think this place was meant to host the Commonwealth Games?"

With huge piles of rubbish apparent at every turn, stray dogs, rats and snakes as common as people and busy traffic jams stretching as far as the eye can see, it doesn’t seem to me to be an obvious location for a major multi-sport event to take place.

Although I am half-Indian, I had never been to the country before and my biggest reference for place was the film Slumdog Millionaire.

In that respect, I was not disappointed because Delhi is a crowded, bustling place complete with the dusty, dirty streets depicted in the Danny Boyle film.

Driving around on the packed, potholed roads with cars beeping incessantly feels about as safe as shaving your wrist although I must admit, a ride on the famous tuk-tuk (a cheap three wheeler motor cart that is a cross between a motor bike and a tiny van) represented the most fun I have had in a while.

It was a bit like being on a ride at Thorpe Park only with the very real danger that you may be hit and fatally injured by the cars flashing by just inches away from you.

Another fear-inducing factor in India is the pigeons.

Yes, pigeons.

They are not the same as the timid birds I am used to in England but fearless creatures that walk into you from time to time as if spoiling for a fight.

And due to the enormous size of them, I wouldn’t fancy my chances.

The one thing that had been mooted as troublesome ahead of Delhi 2010 was security, but it appears quite safe to me due to the fact that you can not walk more than ten metres without seeing an armed security guard.

The backdrop to the city is a dark shade of brown which seems to be the colour of many of the worn old buildings, but perhaps the most striking think is the immense poverty apparent almost everywhere.

There are beggars and homeless people lining the back streets or simply washing in polluted streams on the side of the road.

But, bizarrely, they appear rather content and the children are often smiling and joking with each other in what appears to me to be the bleakest of situations.

Closer to the venues for the Commonwealth Games, there is very much a sense that a lot of work has been attempted in a very short space of time and it is a sad sight to see more young children carrying huge piles of bricks or rubble when you are fully aware that they are paid next to nothing for their hard labour.

The Athletes’ Village has been the main talking point at these Games and, at a distance, it doesn’t look all that bad.

However, as you get closer, you begin to see the problem.

Like most of Delhi, it is the sheer heat and dusty terrain that seems to have assisted in leaving dirty marks on the venue.

They are still being cleaned right now despite many of the athletes having moved in to some of the nicer apartments.

It was actually the organising committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot who made the infamous comment a few weeks ago regarding the appallingly dirty conditions in the village when he said: "Everyone has different standards about cleanliness. The Westerners have different standards, we have different standards."

The comment came as prominent Commonwealth nations such as New Zealand and Scotland were contemplating boycotting the event and Bhanot was heavily criticised for saying what he did.

However, now I’m here, I kind of agree with him. This place is about as far away from modern living standards in the UK, USA or any other Westernised country as possible.

It cannot be disputed that the state of the Athletes’ Village was unacceptable but if the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) were looking for a spotlessly clean Games, they should never have taken it to Delhi.

Another key characteristic of Delhi is the smell of the place, which is a permanent reminder of the spicy cuisine they serve.

I am a big curry fan but seven in the last two days is bordering on the ridiculous.

This coupled with the fact that I am not a huge fan of spicy curries means Delhi’s staple foods and me are a bad mix.

It appears that you cannot make a meal in India’s capital without putting an outrageously spicy ingredient in it which, maybe in winter, wouldn’t be too bad.

But a hot curry followed by the 35 degree heat outside is an unpleasant combination.

However, the spicy food, the lack of cleanliness, the crazy driving and the heat can all be forgiven and in all honesty, aren’t all that awful once you start getting use to them

It is simply a culture shock to a Westerner like me and once I took a step back, I had to admit that I was quite fascinated by this new world.

The thing one thing that can’t be forgiven though is Delhi’s obvious lack of readiness for a Commonwealth Games.

A major footbridge collapsing outside the main stadium just days ahead of the Opening Ceremony tells its own story and although the staff and the volunteers working at the Games are genuinely lovely and very friendly people who are unusually polite in their willingness to help, they don’t actually appear to have been assigned proper roles.

In fairness, they cannot be blamed for this as many of the venues are woefully behind where they should be.

I feel the London 2012 Organising Committee, who still have just under two years to deliver the Olympics and Paralympics, are probably ahead of Delhi at this stage!

The Main Press Centre, where I have spent the majority of my time, is a prime example.

There is no wireless internet access, accreditations are well behind schedule and the head of press operations, Manish Kumar, was removed from his post just days ago leaving the organisation of the place in chaos.

Delhi has something so unique to offer that it had the potential to be one of the great multi-sport events of all time.

It is such a strange city with such wonderful culture that it still might pull it out of the fire at the last minute and I am a big advocate for judging the Games after rather than before they have taken place.

But it seems that the Organising Committee, led by Suresh Kalmadi, has shot Delhi in the foot.

Superficially it may look good but on the ground, things appear like they will be awfully difficult.

This event was meant to be a platform for India to showcase itself as an emerging world power and a potential platform for an Olympic bid in 2020.

They can probably kiss that notion goodbye now, though I do believe they could host an amazing Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) could do a far more stringent job than the much smaller CGF in monitoring the progress of construction and would be able to ensure that a Games is delivered on time, on budget and with a lasting legacy.

CGF chief executive Mike Hooper tried to ensure this with his limited resources and has come under heavy fire in the media for his criticism of the organisers.

But while outspoken, he is not out of line and has said nothing regarding the stuttering progress Delhi has made that can be deemed an outright lie.

I feel the IOC would have ensured that Kalmadi left his post a long time ago and if the Organising Committee in Delhi think Hooper is bad, they wouldn’t know what hit them if an IOC Evaluation Commission turned up to inspect the venues.

Unfortunately, regardless of what happens over the next three weeks, the Delhi Games has not been delivered on time, on budget and will not leave a lasting legacy, which is a huge shame for the poor Delhiites who deserve more.

They, and India, have simply been let down by a small but significant minority.

The city has something amazing to offer the world but I don’t think it will be at these Games because hosting a major sporting event in this city required a lot more work than has been put in.

Anyway, I’ll wait and see what happens and judge afterwards.

It may well be a truly great Games that defies the predictions of even its most vociferous critics.

But such comments come from my half-Indian heart rather than my head.

Tom Degun is a reporter for insidethegames and will be covering the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi