India Part I : Delhi
As we walked around the neighborhood later that day we couldn’t help but notice that the streets were somewhat more hectic than what we had already experienced with traffic going past us on all sides, scooters weaving in and out of the crowd, bulls and cows roaming with stray dogs in between and people carrying all kinds of things including poles that almost poked Shri in the eye.
By Shri & Firuza
Intro
Welcome to Incredible India; the largest democracy in the world, home to over 1 billion citizens, one of the 7 wonders of the world, and the only country where wearing the sock and sandal together is not considered fashion suicide!
In addition to exploring the country backpacker style, this was also an opportunity for Shri to discover some of his heritage being half Indian, as well as meeting some family along the way and friends.
We begin our journey this time in the capital Delhi, where we flew in from, for what would be the start of an epic 3 month journey!
Arrival
We landed in Delhi and decided to take an Uber ride to where we would be staying. We noted that the price of an Uber was much cheaper than we had expected, with the 20 minute ride costing around 387 Rupees (which at the time of writing is about £4.19) which you’d never get in the UK. We also noted that every Uber driver seemed to own a Suzuki – Japanese business is doing well here!
We were to stay in South Delhi with a friend of Firuza’s cousin from University who had invited us to stay with him for the start of the trip. We were very grateful for the hospitality that he showed us which included giving up his own room for us, making sure we were fed every morning and evening and teaching us yoga! Shri also had fun playing badminton with him in the evenings,
The warm up for our yoga session.
We Need Internet!
One of the first things on our agenda was to make sure we had functioning internet on the go, as we weren’t prepared to rely on coffee shops and restaurants WiFi for 3 months of travelling. So we set off for the local Vodafone store.
Our friend took us both there on the back of his motorbike through the streets of South Delhi. We wondered what our parents might say if they could see us on the back of this bike, 3 people and no helmets but we decided to go with the moment. If anything, this experience may have helped prepare us for walking around Delhi and crossing roads
From the store we ended up getting a Jio Hotspot device which would allow us to connect multiple devices for 90 days and provide us with WiFi connection. We also got a local SIM card which would allow 4G data (in addition to the Jio) as well as meaning we would have an Indian phone number to contact anyone we needed to while over here. If there is one thing we would suggest when travelling around India that you should absolutely have, it would be a local sim as it will make your life so much easier.
Deciphering the Honk
In the West, honking the car horn is typically only done if a dangerous situation arises or more commonly if you are really annoyed with another driver. However, in India that is not the case. For anyone who has ever visited a large Indian city, they will be aware that the honking is a non-stop phenomenon and that it is just part and parcel of being here. However, what does the honk actually mean over here? Well, there’s no way to be truly sure for each case but we made a list of reasons that could have applied to some of the honks we noticed/experienced:
I’m coming up behind you too fast honk – for when you are too close to the driver in front
I want you to move out of the way honk – when people or animals are walking on the side but there’s a chance you might hit them so best to honk just in case
It’s getting too quiet honk – when nobody has honked in a while this unprovoked honk seems to creep in purely to stop things getting too quiet and unnatural
Do you need a tuk tuk honk? – when a tuk tuk driver wants your business and asks if you want a ride by honking while driving quite close to you
The copycat honk – when lots of people in the vicinity are honking and you decide to sneak in a cheeky honk too because you can
This list could truly go on but we must go on with the blog. After hearing numerous honks while outside the Vodafone store we set off back home, stopping on the way at the Sree Neelachala Temple and taking some pictures and also picking up some vegetables for dinner.
Sanjay Van National Forest
On our second day in Delhi we immediately needed a breath of fresh air to contrast with the city’s pollution levels and so our friend took us to work with him. Literally. He works in the Sanjay Van National Forest in South Delhi and so we quickly got our first taste of natural India in this 400+ acre forest.
Our friend took us around on a little buggy before we got the opportunity to have a mini photoshoot while taking in the surroundings. Apparently, some people enjoy visiting to practice yoga or take scenic walks. There’s plenty of wildlife to spot there too but beware the snakes – there is a sign there for them!
Qutub Minar
After leaving the forest and following lunch, we made our way to the Qutub Minar: the largest stone building in India and apparently the tallest brick minaret in the world. This is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth a visit.
We spent a great deal of time just walking around it and taking photos from different angles (as did the rest of the tourists). It’s no longer possible to go inside though due to a stampede which killed many visitors in the 1980s after which access was closed to the public.
Tughlaqabad Fort
This ruined fort in Delhi was built in the 1300s and we decided to pop over for a quick visit once we left the Qutub Minar. After we paid our entrance fee (at a ticket counter that had metal bars around it, no doubt to deter the local monkeys) we made our way in and were quickly approached by a man in uniform with a long stick! He said he would accompany us and give us a tour. We proceeded to ask us how much this would be and he told us that he’s a guard and that this would be free. So we figured why not (as the overall trip continued we’d become wiser to this tactic and anybody saying they would do things for free – especially guided tours).
The ruins were a decent attraction but as the name suggests they are very much ruined now and only a shadow of the fort that once existed from the Tughlaq Dynasty. We also found that there seemed to be a large number of youths just hanging about inside playing music from their smartphones – that’s one way to pass the time at a Delhi attraction! Our guide (or security guard) didn’t give us too much information about the place itself but made sure to ask us for a tip before we left – which we gave on this occasion but made a mental note to not accept anyone joining us for future guided tours that would be only ‘partially free’.
We finished off this part of the tour with a trip to the Mausoleum of Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq which was just across the road and is included in your Tughlaqabad Fort entry fee.
The Red Fort
For a half an hour ride from where we were to the Red Fort, we were presently surprised to find that our Uber ride was costing us just over £1. One thing we would come to appreciate would be how cheap Uber’s, taxis, Rickshaws and Ola’s (India’s very own ride sharing equivalent of Uber) are. But we soon learned how to avoid getting ripped off and how to get close to the Indian price for Rickshaws but more on that when we get to the Agra blog.
The Red Fort was easily the busiest attraction we’d yet visited in Delhi and full of foreign and Indian tourists. The interesting thing is that the ticket office is around the side rather than at the front by the entrance which means you have to walk 15 minutes thereabout to get to the ticket office and queue up. Not a problem of course, especially if you are a walker but factor this into your planning because it takes another 15 minutes to walk back to the entrance 🙂
This is a fantastic Indian landmark, full of history and is truly a spectacular site to see with it’s red sandstone walls and vast size. It’s construction was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who as many of you will know also commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal for his late wife. Well worth taking out the audio guide on this one to get an in-depth understanding of the place and its history as well as the different areas and how they were used. Or indeed, feel free to get a human guide who agrees to a fair price!
Jama Masjid
This mosque is situated in a very densely populated part of Delhi (where isn’t?) and when we finally got to the entrance we had to take our shoes off and leave them outside. People will try and make you pay them a tip afterwards for ‘looking after your shoes’ but realistically you can and probably should just carry them with you inside. Many people did this and for our future mosque visits we simply put them in a bag (packing cube) and carried them this way so as to avoid constant unnecessary tipping. On this occasion we learnt that we shouldn’t leave our shoes with them and got away without the tip as we didn’t have cash (we paid for entrance with a card).
The mosque itself had very nice architecture and we managed to go up one of the towers. It was very cramped going up the stairs but well worth it for the view atop. As we were coming down we must have passed over 20-30 people on their way up – and of course there was room at the top for about 5 people at a time comfortably so we were glad we went when we did!
As we walked around the neighborhood later that day we couldn’t help but notice that the streets were somewhat more hectic than what we had already experienced with traffic going past us on all side, scooters weaving in and out of the crowd, bulls and cows roaming with stray dogs in between and people carrying all kinds of things including poles that almost poked Shri in the eye. Taking in the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle, the business and the hectic streets, we felt now that we had truly arrived in India!
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib
We decided to view this Gurudwara, which is one of the largest and most prominent in Delhi. All guests are welcome but as with the Masjid, are asked to remove their shoes and in this case also cover your hair (both women and men). We were provided with appropriate head cover inside and were told where to leave our shoes at no charge.
The architecture was again very nice and the outer grounds with the water outside does make for a very picturesque photo.
Agrasen ki Baoli
This was quite a pleasant surprise for us to visit this historic monument which was once a step well in ancient times. It’s a nice feeling to be walking on what appears to be a normal street and to suddenly turn and find yourself looking at a fantastic site. There were a decent number of tourists both local and foreign and what looked like a newlywed couple having a photoshoot at the far end of the Baoli.
As Shri will likely point out, he very much enjoyed the lack of entrance fee! After this we tried to visit the India Gate, but unfortunately, it was closed due to ongoing protests.
Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah
We finished the day touring with a visit to this mosque which was significantly less touristy than the Jama Masjid had been the other day. The architecture was nice although less grand than the Jama Masjid and we did get quite a bit more hassle from people trying to sell us things even inside the mosque. Again, you can carry your shoes in a bag as they will push for a tip if you leave shoes with anyone (or near anyone).
Humayun’s Tomb
We made our way to Humayun’s Tomb via Uber and had our very first experience of an Uber breaking down en route. The driver apologized with a smile and said we would simply need to request a new one. Which we did and continued on our way.
Humayun’s Tomb was simply stunning and exceptionally beautiful with it’s geometrical architecture atypical of the Mughal era in India. It is said that Humayun’s Tomb was indeed the inspiration for the Taj Mahal commissioned by Humanyun’s great grandson: Shah Jahan (you’re going to hear this name numerous times throughout the blog).
Sunday Book Market
Firuza recently became a book fairy before we travelled to India (if that makes no sense to you but sounds intriguing feel free to ask – anyone can get involved with this all over the world). She planned to meet another book fairy in Delhi and so on the Sunday afternoon we met for coffee and then took a trip to the Sunday Book Market near Delhi gate.
We spent way longer than we had initially planned as this place had loads of interesting books and all for relatively low prices (about 50p in sterling). We ended up buying a good few to get us through the remainder of our travels (to help us procrastinate from blog writing) Definitely a good place to grab a book or two for a bargain price.
Akshardham
This is the largest Hindu Mandir in the world and we made our way there in the late afternoon. What we had not banked on was that phones would not be allowed into the premises and we ended up having to leave this in a locker.
As a modern day traveller and millenial, giving up your phone while abroad can make one feel extremely vulnerable and lost. You can’t check the time (get a watch!), you can’t call anyone (enjoy your own company!) and worst of all, you can’t take any photos and hashtag all over Instagram (tragedy!). In our case, it was a little strange as males and females had to queue separately for a security check and search (some people got caught trying to smuggle their phones in and got sent back to the locker area). This meant we had no way of knowing where the other one was and if they had made it through to the other side. Shri got through first and just waited and luckily Firuza appeared about 15 minutes later at the other end (the girls who had tried to smuggle phones in had caused a delay on her end).
Once inside the actual building is remarkable from the outside but even more so when you get close up and see the level of detail that went into the design.
We spent a good deal of time (we assume, not really sure though as we had no phone) in the grounds looking at the detail and taking in the views and atmosphere. We noted the large number of people with indented socks all around – the consequence of wearing socks with sandals or flip flops! At the end the sun was hanging in a perfect angle with relation to the temple for an epic photo… but it wasn’t to be.
We tried some photos from afar when we left and got our phones back but they didn’t do justice to it and couldn’t capture what we’d seen close up.
Definitely recommend a visit – just be prepared to lose your phone for a bit!
Waste to Wonder
Our friend had recommended we visit a place called Waste to Wonder before we leave Delhi and so we did. The concept for the place was that it was an attraction where waste – i.e scrap material was recycled to make structures that resemble the 7 Wonder of the World. It wasn’t exactly the same 7 wonders that we had seen – the Leaning Tower of Pisa for example had replaced Chitchen Itza. Also, both the Pyramids Colosseum were there along with the Eiffel Tower (which isn’t even on the older list) and they were missing Petra and Machu Picchu as well.
Nevertheless, they had done a great job using waste material to construct these replicas which were nicely illuminated by lights at night time. We walked past a small family as a father correctly told his son that the Eiffel Tower is in France, before proceeding to incorrectly tell him the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in Spain.
We also stopped past the Taj Mahal on our way out. This was our first glimpse of our 7th wonder of the world – albeit not the real one, it still made you happy to be able to see it in India and just got us more excited for the real thing!
Lodhi Garden
This was a very scenic city park in the middle of Delhi, with nice vegetation as well as housing several tombs which are worth a view. It was a nice, relaxed and non-expensive (it’s free to walk around it) way to end the Delhi part of our trip.
We finished off the visit with brunch at a hipster type coffee bar (Perch Wine & Coffee Bar) meeting Firuza’s friend who works in Delhi. We even managed to get avocado in our meal!
Conclusion
Unfortunately, two places we didn’t get to see during our Delhi stay were the Lotus Temple which looks beautiful in pictures and the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial. If we return to Delhi, these two will be hot on our lists.
Our next part of the trip takes us to the town of Mathura, and then to Agra. So join us in the next blog and find out; what it’s like to ride in sleeper class on a domestic train, how long trains get delayed by, discover a holy city, see if we manage to complete our World Wonder mission and marvel at how we manage to change hotel room 4 times within 3 days all in Agra!
