... unfortunately lunch wasn't part of our agenda and we kind of forgot that this was our holiday and that if we wanted to stop for lunch we should have just asked! I think the guide must have been waiting for us to mention it and vice versa. Luckily I always carry 'snacks' with me so we munched away on the trip back to the New Delhi area.
On the way we drove past the Raj Ghat, the memorial site where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. It was a kind of now-you-see-it now-you-don't kind-of visit as we were on a main road surrounded by buses, trucks, cars, motorbikes, rickshaws, bicycles and cows and there was nowhere to stop!
Humayun's Tomb was our penultimate destination. Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor - Shah Jahan's great-grandfather - and this wonderful building is very similar in its architecture to the Taj Mahal, which would come later. As you walk through the arched entrance gate, the beautiful ornamental gardens and fountains spread out before you leading up to the tomb. Made of red sandstone and white marble with a large dome on the top, the tomb is an impressive example of Mughal architecture. What I find appealing about the Mughal style is the symmetry of the buildings and chambers, and the decoration which has a perfection and attention to detail which is amazing.
Our final visit of the day was to the Qutab Minar, a five storey tower made of brick which stands almost 73m high. It was started in 1193 however the original builder only got as far as the first storey! Successive rulers added to the tower and it was finally completed in 1368. What is interesting about this tower is that you can see the different kinds of architecture as it developed over the years. The tower sits on the ruins of a previous structure, all that is left are some intricately carved red sandstone archways.
We got back to the hotel tired but went to bed happy that this experience of Delhi was much more pleasant than the last, and glad that we made the decision to go back to visit India. Not having unpacked we did not have much preparation to do for our trip the next day. We were going by road to Agra via the Delhi-Agra highway. On our itinerary it said it would take 4hrs. Not bad we thought, we'll be there by lunchtime ... O dear, we soon learned that the time estimations on our itinerary were not always very accurate!
Showing posts with label delhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label delhi. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
Day 2: Part 1 - Old Delhi
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 ...
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 ...
Sunday, 22 April 2007
Post Script - Day 1: London --> Delhi
We booked our holiday tours with a great company called Compass Tours (recommended by a friend - thanks Isabelle!), all we had to do was book our flights and they did the rest. They are based in India so we figured that they would be best placed to know where to go and stay, and also that the money we spent would stay in India. I must warn you though that they didn't offer us budget options (Deluxe or Luxury only), however I think we definitely got value for money and brilliant service.
On our arrival in Delhi, we were greeted by the rep and met our driver, who was to be with us for about 9 days. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about going back to Delhi, as we had previously visited there as part of our backpacking trip in 1996.
In 1996 we landed at the airport around midnight and booked a hotel from one of the booths in the arrivals hall. We had the most terrifying taxi trip from the airport to the hotel, honestly, we did think that our lives were going to end there and then, and arrived at the place just as the power went out. We were guided to our room up the rickety wooden stairs by candlelight and then proceeded to get no sleep on account of the heat and the noise from the card game down the corridor that went on all night!
The next morning, we decided to get on our way to salvation - my cousins house in Mumbai (Bombay as it was then) - and asked for directions to the train station. Luckily my erstwhile companion, my long-suffering boyfriend who from this moment on shall be known as the 'taller half', was quick witted enough to pick up a hotel card, as we were bundled into a van and drove at breakneck speed through the busy streets of Delhi. After a stop at a street stall to buy some dodgy-looking cigarettes, which they tried to make us smoke, we ended up in a sort of building site. Obviously this was not the train station. We were taken up to a portacabin where a man tried to sell us train tickets and demanded lots of $US for the privilege. By the time we convinced them that we weren't interested and we didn't have any $US we escaped from the portacabin to find that our lift had disappeared ...
Armed with our lonely planet and a small business card in the middle of Delhi we proceeded to walk ... and walk ... and finally found a train track which a few hours later eventually lead us to the train station. Not having been to India before, we didn't realise that buying a ticket is not like it is in the UK, but after queuing for what seemed a lifetime we were lucky enough to get a ticket for a seat on the train that left later that day. Hurrah! We didn't care that we would be doing the approx. 16hr journey sitting on a hard seat in a crowded carriage ... so then we had to find the hotel. Which was a mission in itself.
For anyone who has been to the main train station in Delhi and seen the maze of streets in the surrounding area, finding a tiny building unless you know where you are going is nearly impossible! By this time the heat was about 45 degrees, yes we were in Delhi at the completely wrong time of year, and we were sent from street to street by people who clearly had as much idea where the hotel was as we did. The story ends happily as we finally located the hotel and collected our backpacks and made our way to the station. The train trip is another story I'll leave for another post ...
Where was I? Oh yes, we had arrived in Delhi - this time in the daytime - and I must admit memories from the distant past were haunting me. Well, the driving and power cuts haven't changed, but the Delhi experience was much more pleasant and relaxing. It probably had something to do with the lovely hotel we stayed in - the Taj Palace - and the fact that we had transportation and a guide to show us around! We spent the rest of the day sleeping and eating, and looked forward to our sightseeing tour the next day.
On our arrival in Delhi, we were greeted by the rep and met our driver, who was to be with us for about 9 days. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about going back to Delhi, as we had previously visited there as part of our backpacking trip in 1996.
In 1996 we landed at the airport around midnight and booked a hotel from one of the booths in the arrivals hall. We had the most terrifying taxi trip from the airport to the hotel, honestly, we did think that our lives were going to end there and then, and arrived at the place just as the power went out. We were guided to our room up the rickety wooden stairs by candlelight and then proceeded to get no sleep on account of the heat and the noise from the card game down the corridor that went on all night!
The next morning, we decided to get on our way to salvation - my cousins house in Mumbai (Bombay as it was then) - and asked for directions to the train station. Luckily my erstwhile companion, my long-suffering boyfriend who from this moment on shall be known as the 'taller half', was quick witted enough to pick up a hotel card, as we were bundled into a van and drove at breakneck speed through the busy streets of Delhi. After a stop at a street stall to buy some dodgy-looking cigarettes, which they tried to make us smoke, we ended up in a sort of building site. Obviously this was not the train station. We were taken up to a portacabin where a man tried to sell us train tickets and demanded lots of $US for the privilege. By the time we convinced them that we weren't interested and we didn't have any $US we escaped from the portacabin to find that our lift had disappeared ...
Armed with our lonely planet and a small business card in the middle of Delhi we proceeded to walk ... and walk ... and finally found a train track which a few hours later eventually lead us to the train station. Not having been to India before, we didn't realise that buying a ticket is not like it is in the UK, but after queuing for what seemed a lifetime we were lucky enough to get a ticket for a seat on the train that left later that day. Hurrah! We didn't care that we would be doing the approx. 16hr journey sitting on a hard seat in a crowded carriage ... so then we had to find the hotel. Which was a mission in itself.
For anyone who has been to the main train station in Delhi and seen the maze of streets in the surrounding area, finding a tiny building unless you know where you are going is nearly impossible! By this time the heat was about 45 degrees, yes we were in Delhi at the completely wrong time of year, and we were sent from street to street by people who clearly had as much idea where the hotel was as we did. The story ends happily as we finally located the hotel and collected our backpacks and made our way to the station. The train trip is another story I'll leave for another post ...
Where was I? Oh yes, we had arrived in Delhi - this time in the daytime - and I must admit memories from the distant past were haunting me. Well, the driving and power cuts haven't changed, but the Delhi experience was much more pleasant and relaxing. It probably had something to do with the lovely hotel we stayed in - the Taj Palace - and the fact that we had transportation and a guide to show us around! We spent the rest of the day sleeping and eating, and looked forward to our sightseeing tour the next day.
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