We had heard alot of negative things about Delhi from
friends and family who had visited before, many said don't even go there, but
we always like to give places a chance and so we decided to stay for a few
nights.
Having arrived into the (rather nice) airport at
1.20am and taking over an hour to go through passport control (e-VISAs are
great, but not when the system fails!), we were confronted by our first taste
of India - dodgy taxi drivers! We followed the advice we had read and after a
couple of false starts, we got our government approved taxi and we drove off to
our accommodation in Hauz Klas in New Delhi. A lot of the accommodation for Delhi
is focused around the station and in Old Delhi, but we had heard a lot about
how crazy Old Delhi was, so we opted for the south in a much quieter area. However, it seemed that our taxi driver
wasn't quite sure where to go so after about an extra 30 minutes driving
around, we got as close as we could, handed over our payment slip and wondered
through Hauz Klas until we found our
ABnB homestay. Finally at about 4am India time we were able to hit the
sack and looked forward to thrusting ourselves into the sights, sounds and
craziness that is the capital city of India...
Sights
Humayun's Tomb (INR250 pp) was our first sight of the Indian red
stone architecture. The Taj Mahal's design was based on this tomb so it seemed
like a great place to start. The best bit about this was watching the Indian
sweepers going about their daily work keeping the tomb as free as possible from
the constant dust of the city and litter from tourists.
Our favourite sight by far in the city was the Quinab
Minar (INR250 pp) in South Delhi. Easy to reach by metro, and next to an
archaelogical park with other tombs and sights to see, this ended up taking a
whole morning to take in the spectcular Minar (tower) and mosque ruins.
The Akshar Dham Temple in the east of Delhi over the river was quite a spectacle! Our homestay hosts had recommended spending a good 3-4 hours here and it was totally worth it. A newly built temple (2005) covered in the most intricate of carvings including 148 life-like elephants calved in pink stone around its base which told various stories, and beautiful designs in white marble on the interior - it felt like a white palace covered in stone lace across every surface you could see. Free to visit except for the exhibitions (INR170) which had a hint of Disney's 'Its a small world', if you go you'll know what we mean! The place was really well run, clean (except for the toilets, but then we are in India) and had a great food court. Only downside was no cameras allowed, as you needed to leave all electrical equipment (including phones) in the lockers (free) by the entrance - we had many 'great shots' moments whilst there, but you'll just have to take our word for it!
The Red Fort is usually top of most people's lists of things to see in Delhi. We were a little tight on time after going to the railway station to pick up our rail tickets, so after braving Chandi Chowk we got there just as they were closing, so opted for the sound and light show (INR60), which was okay, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it, if you have already been to the fort during the day. You also only get to see a very limited amount of the fort during the performance, so if you want to explore, get a day ticket.
A must see is the largest mosque in India; Jamar Masjid. It can take over 20,000 people. Again, we missed out of seeing it in full as prayers were starting, but the journey to it via the bazaars is fascinating and if you do have the chance to go inside, do! Cameras are extra INR300, but general entrance is free.
But there's not just the 'sights' of Delhi, there is
a whole experience in just seeing the city for the place that it is - spotting
that in amongst the dust, smog, hustle and bustle there is a whole spectrum of
colour in the bazaars, sari's and architectural sights - the India we were
coming to see!
Sounds
Delhi is a cacophony of noise, and the best way to
experience it is to throw yourself in and go with the flow! Road traffic lanes
don't really exist and the drivers have no fear. Honking of horns is a way of
letting others on the roads know you are there so in peak time you can barely
hear yourself think, or actually move anywhere.
So many autorickshaws!
And crossing roads...well there are crossings...but
I'm not sure you could call them crossings. After sussing out the technique
from the locals (walking closely in line - with them in front of the traffic)
we learnt to just put your hand out in front of them and just walk confidently,
making sure your feet didn't get caught! Try the infamously crazy Chandi Chowk road
to the Red Fort and you'll very soon get the hang of it!
We were woken on many a morning from the sound of
stray dogs barking at the traffic. Stray dogs are very common in Delhi and you
will see them everywhere in various states. There were a group of four that
liked to sit right outside the gate of our homestay - we became well aquatinted
with many of the neighbours in the street who ably assisted us to the gate and
convinced us that they would definitely not bite - it didn't stop their bark
though! Again, we learnt the local way - walk, ignore and don't look at them, as
most of the time they are curled up tired from the heat of the day.
Smells
Well we think we've smelt all that you can in Delhi -
the horrible dirt, dust, rubbish and urine through to the sweetness of incense,
delicate floral offerings and deliciously spiced curries.
Shut your nose out to Delhi and you are shutting out
one of the greatest senses of this place. It may not all be pleasant, but it
sure makes you open your eyes to the sights that you are experiencing whether
the sad poverty of the people, the kind smiles of the children saying hello
from their school bus or those bargaining with the stall holders for their
gifts getting ready to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Getting around
Generally we took tuk tuks (autorickshaws) (they will
never use their meter and will overcharge, but INR50 isn't exactly much) when we
were unable to use the metro, which was superb - clean, AC and cheap (max
journey was INR25!) and therefore was the much preferred option. There is a
women only carriage at the front, which Julia found useful a few times when the
normal carriages were packed and generally with men. There have been reports of men groping women
whilst on the metro (we had no issues), but if you take the normal precautions
and use the women's carriage, you will be alright. Radio taxis are useful when
you have alot of bags, but are generally to be used to get to and from the
airport/train stations, if you don't want to use the metro, and can be 3-4
times the price.
WOMEN only! Delhi Metro
Food
Our accommodation did lovely indian breakfasts, with
rice, fried bread and toast. This generally set us up well for the day so we
didn't really need to look for lunch. In the evenings, we went to Hauz Klas
Village for a bite to eat - its a nice area, with good bars and generally more
western style of food. Alternatively, there is a good local curry place
(Al-Jawahar) near the Mosque in Old Delhi which was recommended by our
accommodation. They do scrummy currys (the mutton is especially good).
Top tips for surving Delhi
·
Take
the metro!
·
Stay in
New Delhi if you want any peace
·
Go to
the pre-paid police taxi booth at the airport/station to get a slip - don't
just go for the taxi rank.
·
Rickshaw
drivers will not put their meter on, so suck up the 50p and just go for it! If
you find out a way to get them to turn it on let us know!
·
Delhi
is worth a few days for the sights.
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