We set off in the morning, and our first stop was technically in New Delhi - the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the Presidents House) and the Secretariat buildings which now house Government Ministries. The Presidents House - more like a palace as it apparently has 340 rooms and wonderful gardens - is at the top of a long road called Rajpath, which literally means Kingsway. This road is 2.5km long and looking down the length of the road you can just about see the India Gate in the distance, a 42m-high memorial arch.
As we arrived we noticed a group of Indians wearing colourful rosettes and as we approached the (locked) gates to the Presidents House some of them came over to us. As they didn't speak English and we didn't speak their language we were confused about what they wanted. At this point I have to mention that the guides don't get involved when people approach you. I guess they figure that anyone has a good a chance as any to make a buck from a tourist, and they are very evasive when you ask them what a good price is when bartering or how much to tip someone. Our guide was somewhere down the road talking to someone - I think he knew everyone in Delhi - and then he called us over and it was time to move on. When we were in the car we asked the guide who the people were and he told us that they were Indian tourists! We felt bad as now we understood that they only wanted to take pictures with us.
It is a strange thing, but we have come across many people when abroad wanting us to be in their holiday photos - maybe to them we are the tourist attraction! I suppose because we have been to some places where tourists are scarce, we are used to looking different to others and people being interested in us. These experiences have always been quite friendly and we were sorry that in this instance we weren't able to oblige them.
After driving down the Kingsway to take pictures of the Gate, we made our way into Old Delhi to the Jama Masjid - the largest mosque in India, built by Shah Jahan (who also built the Taj Mahal). Made of red sandstone and white marble, the mosque has three gateways, four towers, two minarets which are 40m high and a massive courtyard, which I believe can hold up to 25,000 worshipers! There are also great views, especially of the Red Fort, which was our next destination.
The Red Fort was another of Shah Jahan's masterpieces and was completed in 1648, taking nine years to build. The fort takes its name from the red sandstone it is made from, and the structure is very impressive, with its walls which extend for 2km. Entering the main entrance - the Lahore Gate - you have to walk through an arcade of shops selling local arts and crafts. You can easily imagine what it would have been like during the time of the Mughal Empire. There are so many sights to see in this monument - even evidence of the British presence seen by the barrack-blocks close to the Lahore Gate - that I can't possibly describe them all. When I have a chance to work out how to add photos to this blog you will see what I mean.
"Pictures!" I hear you say - "Where are they?". We do have extensive photos of our trip, but the 'taller half' is extremely busy at the moment and hasn't had time to do the whizzy things he needs to do to make them compatible with viewing online. Please continue to watch this space ...
Following our whistle-stop tour of the Fort, our guide selected a cycle-rickshaw driver and we proceeded to have a ride around what the lonely planet describes as the "chronically congested Chandni Chowk", or Silver Street as our guide called it. Our driver had been hand picked we think as he only had one arm! As I mentioned before, our guide seemed to know everyone and the cycle-rickshaw driver he chose was friendly and gave us an enjoyable tour. This area reminded us of the Delhi we first came across, the hustle and bustle, the people selling spices and vegetables on the pavement and the tiny shops ... then, in the middle of nowhere ... a McDonald's! It was quite funny because we were marveling at the new McDonald's squeezed in between the old buildings and the driver told us it was vegetarian only. Surely the epitome of McDonald's is their hamburger, but it just goes to show what some companies have to do to make a profit!! At the end we were happy to give the driver a big tip as he certainly deserved it. I don't think I could have cycled and navigated myself round the busy narrow streets - and I've got two arms!
With all this talk about McDonald's we realised were slightly hungry and hoped it was time for lunch ...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment