Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Dan&LJ RTW
"Quickly, quickly, move outside, smoke in train. Fire, very bad, move move!" We are confusedly awoken on our night train to Delhi by much drama and a crazy eyed Indian guy pulling the Emergency Stop chain in our compartment. We hurriedly unchained our rucksacks in anticipation of an emergency exit. The family in our compartment though, would not move until they'd finished eating (for the 5th time that evening).
Drama aside, it was probably one of the funniest things we have ever seen. Oh and it was just the brakes over heating, so it all turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax.
DELHI
The Nation's Capital, a daunting prospect for any new visitor to the subcontinent, we however, are not new visitors & find it quite easy to take the initial madness in our stride. This is a skill that takes time to acquire & we are both in full agreement that this place must be really tough as a first destination.
Our hotel was situated right at the heart of New Delhi's 'Main Bazaar' which was a fascinating place to stroll around & kill time, even in the 45 degree heat. We have walked around many bazaars & markets during our time in India & they never cease to amaze. The colours, the smells, the sounds & the buzzing atmosphere are just fantastic. Something that will definitely be a lasting memory of our time here, it's a great way to try to get an insight into the way of life & we have found ourselves sat people watching for endless hours.
As most people's first port of call into India, not surprisingly, we saw more western travelers in Delhi than anywhere else we have stayed so far. After 7 weeks "on the road" we were both starting to feel quite confident, but some of the people we saw in Delhi looked as though they'd probably been backpacking for the past 30 years. There was a huge variety of looks, styles and ages. Apparently, Howard Marks and his wife were staying in the same vicinity, but to Dan's disappointment we didn't bump into his old pal 'H'.
Our time in Delhi was limited anyway, but to make thing's worse our train was delayed by 3 hours because of the 'wheels and track on fire' scare which then only left us with a day and a half to explore.
The city is split into 7 major regions, we knew we were never going to get around them all, so we concentrated on just a few of the main areas, the first of which was 'Old Delhi'. This place is exactly as it sounds, scattered with monuments and forts dating back to the mid 16th century, the biggest one of which is the 'red fort'. On arrival it appeared that the fort was still active as we were greeted by fully armed soldiers occupying machine gun nests which were dotted along the fort wall.....somewhat unnecessary we thought! The red fort was built by Shah Jahan (of the Taj Mahal fame) and it served as a great appetizer for what was to come. The photo's which we will upload at the weekend will show the red forts detailed architecture - something that we can't be bothered to explain ourselves.
As with many places in India, a short rickshaw ride will present a totally different part of the city. We headed to 'Connaught Place' which is the main shopping and banking region & a total contrast to the bazaar lined streets we had come from. It really doesn't seem to fit that the contrasts can be so vast. We both agreed that we prefer the madness of the bazaars to the cosmopolitan, glass fronted, designer outlets. There's something pure about a man happily selling fruit from a wheel barrow and something false about buying DKNY within spitting distance of a begging leper (Diesel is well cheaper though!)
The most incredible things about India's capital city are the frequency of the power cuts here. We had to eat our dinner in darkness on 2 occasions and you've already heard about the football debacle - Danny is still bitter.
AGRA
Much apprehension surrounded our arrival in Agra - home of the Taj Mahal and tout capital of the world. We left the railway station with our wits fully about us and on guard to haggle haggle haggle. In the end it was quite pleasant and we got to our guesthouse (which was 200m from the Taj) without any problems whatsoever. The young lad on reception however, who must still be undergoing training, really needs to polish up on his 'conning of innocent white people' routine. When asked how much for a double room, he responded with, "3...er...4....er 800 rupees". Dan just laughed in his face and said we'll take the room at 300 knowing that every room was exactly the same. Poor lad.
So, bright and early we excitedly head out for what was possibly to be one of the major highlights of the entire trip - The Taj Mahal.
I know we've touched on this issue briefly in a prior entry, but sweet baby Jesus & the orphans, our government controlled entrance fee was a staggering 37 times more than that of an Indian citizen. It's the equivalent of foreign tourists at home paying around 950 quid to get into Madame Tussauds. Rant aside, it still only worked out at a tenner each to see one of the modern wonders of the world.......so not that bad then.
The Taj Mahal is quite simply the best building we have ever seen. As you walk through the main entrance & glimpse at it for the first time, the sheer majesty of the structure hits you like the heat hits you as you step from an aircraft, it's astounding. It's as if you are walking through a postcard, it looks exactly the same as every picture you've ever seen, but the feeling you get as you walk in its shadow, is magical. Most works of art are better viewed from a distance, but this baby seems to improve as you get closer to it & touch it. It's just fantastic & we could write pages & pages & it still wouldn't truly reflect its beauty & spectacle.
We spent over 9 hours in total amongst the grounds (we had to get our money's worth) marveling at the Taj as it changed colour with the movement of the sun. We were initially concerned that this thing wouldn't live up to expectations, we needn't have worried, it surpassed all of our hopes & was perfect in every way.
JAIPUR
The third leg of the triangle, 'The Pink City' of Jaipur was in danger of being an anti-climax following the events in Agra & after a 5 hour train delay & a seat on the hottest, most uncomfortable train in the world, all either of us wanted to do was eat & sleep. It was at this low, weak point that we succumbed to temptation. When the heat was on, when the pressure was at it's strongest & the writing was on the wall, we failed...........we went to Pizza Hut. It's quite possible that the said American chain had to close after our departure as I think we ordered everything on the menu x 2.
So the next day, remedied by sleep and Pizza, we headed out early to see what The Pink City was all about. Basically named due to the pink colour of all the buildings in the main area, which is also surrounded by a 10m high pink wall. The sight itself is quite charming, but the town of Jaipur becomes quite overwhelming with traffic and the worst hasslers we have encountered. We bat on though and visit the City Palace, the Observatory, the Wind Palace, the floating palace and we walk amongst the bustling streets to take it all in.
We have also had a first close up encounter with an elephant (pics to follow shortly) and lets not forget the England V Ecuador game during which Dan quite possibly scarred the Indian family, with whom we are staying, for life with his abuse at the telly. To his defense though, the Indian father (who had never seen a football match in his life & wondered what all the fuss was about) also agreed that Owen Hargreaves should not be playing for England & we have to start playing 4-4-2! God help us when we're back at Padma's for the Portugal match (advanced apologies Padma if you are reading).
We've said this over and over, but we cannot believe that we now have only one more city in India to visit.....The James Bond destination of Udaipur (or Oooodiiiiiipurrrrr in Yorkshire language). It's a sad thought to be almost leaving as we're having so much fun, but on the plus side we've just booked our room in Hong Kong - hurrah, all is not bad in our world.
- comments