[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 10 November 2012. Minor edits have since been made from the original post to update some links and info.]
16 March 2012, Friday: Bangalore – Delhi
Morning Call: 6:00am
It’s Day 8, and time to say goodbye to my pal and host YS as I leave Bangalore and travel 1,745km across the skies to Delhi, the capital of India. YS had helped me book a taxi the night before, so at 7:07am, I loaded my bags onto the waiting taxi and departed Whitefield for the airport.
Along the way, I had time to reflect and think about the past seven days of my journey so far. The trip had gone off a good start with the beautiful Sri Lanka, where YS and I were constantly on the move and exploring new places every day. We got plenty of exercise with the climb up Sri Pada and also the trek at Horton Plains National Park. On top of that, the weather was beautiful and the food was great.
When I came to Bangalore, the transition back to city life was quite jarring and it felt strangely unfulfilling. The presence of commercial shops and fine restaurants seemed incongruous with my backpacking mission. Being accustomed to the great scenery and natural beauty of Sri Lanka, the characterless buildings and drab landscape in Bangalore only served to emphasise how pleasurable Sri Lanka had been. And being the commercial centre of India, Bangalore is way more cosmopolitan and not like the India I had imagined in my head before I set foot on it. But no complains there, as this was all planned beforehand – to take one day in Bangalore to recuperate and also to spend some time with YS in his “homeland”. So I was glad to move on to Delhi and hopefully get to see the “real” India.
After a one-hour ride, I arrived at the Bangalore airport at 8:05am. As I was about to pay the fare and alight, the driver turned to me and started telling me a sob story about how his family is very poor and asked if I could give him more money. It’s not that I am unsympathetic, but I would respect him more if he didn’t try to blackmail me emotionally, and I would gladly give him a tip out of my good heart. I’m sure life isn’t easy for him, but at least he has a job, and being a taxi driver is way better than living off the streets. As it is, I didn’t want to risk missing my flight, so I gave him a small tip. I can’t remember how much I tipped him, but I paid him Rs 1,025 (S$27) altogether.
So I alighted and made my way through the customs. Thankfully it was quite a breeze and I had time to grab some breakfast at the café, a sandwich and a coffee (Rs 190 / S$5). The airport was very crowded, with a lot of business travellers and locals. I could hardly find an empty seat in the waiting area. At 9:10am, I boarded my Jet Lite flight S2-234 and the plane took off at 9:50am.
I touched down safely at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 12:50pm. After retrieving my luggage, I proceeded to the main arrival hall to meet up with my second travelling partner, XY, who had flown in from Singapore and arrived in Delhi just slightly earlier before me. It didn’t take long for me to find her, as there were not many Chinese faces in the crowd. Furthermore, the airport was surprisingly quiet at the time. It was great to see her, and to know that she had landed safely as well. It’s officially the start of the second leg of my trip! (Bangalore sort of doesn’t count, haha)
We took the escalator down to the basement to the Delhi Metro, an airport express train service that would bring us straight to the heart of New Delhi. After conferring with the counter staff on the station to alight, we proceeded to a self-service automated machine to buy our train tickets, or rather, tokens, as they came in the form of plastic coins. Quite handy and convenient, I must say.
Security was quite strict, as usual, and we had to put our luggage through the bag scanners before going through the boarding gates. While waiting for the train on the platform, I attempted to take a picture, but before I could do so, an armed security guard swiftly descended upon me and told me to put my camera away. Well, it did seem a bit heavy-handed. It’s only a train station, for goodness sake! Even when we boarded the train later, there were signs within the carriages reminding you that photo-taking is not allowed.
At 1:50pm, the train arrived. It’s really clean and modern, like our MRT in Singapore, except that it came with racks to store your luggage. The train was far from full – there were plenty of empty seats and it seemed like it wasn’t a very popular mode of transport. I don’t know why this is so, because it’s so cheap (only Rs 80 / S$2.10), comfortable (air-conditioned), convenient (direct and no traffic jams) and quick (only 20 minutes).
(UPDATE: As of 8 July 2012, the Delhi Airport Express Line has been suspended due to detection of some technical defects in the civil structures, resulting in a thorough inspection of the viaducts. It will remain closed till it receives re-certification from the authorities. Maybe this is why it wasn’t so popular, because it was at risk of breaking down!)
We arrived at the New Delhi station at 2:10pm, and went through the whole security check again before emerging outside and seeing Delhi properly for the first time. The streets looked pretty clean and the air was quite ok, everything seemed pleasant enough. I was braced to expect something much worse, after hearing all the “horror stories” from friends who had visited India before. After consulting my Lonely Planet e-book to get our bearings, we headed in the direction of Paharganj, the backpackers’ area where I had booked a room for our two nights’ stay in Delhi.
The further we walked from the Metro train station, the more crowded it got, and the more it became the India I imagined it to be. There was a buzz of activity everywhere – people walking in all directions, auto rickshaws (motorised tuk tuks) and manually-powered rickshaws jostling for space on the roads with vehicles, and numerous roadside stalls selling snacks and fruits. And the closer we got to Paharganj, the more chaotic and authentic it became.
We passed by an open-concept loo where guys can just walk in and do their small business, without any doors or flushing system in place. We also encountered a small pile of faeces at the foot of a bridge, where the smell hit us before we saw it. Along the way, there were many homeless people and beggars on the streets as well.
The accommodation I had booked, Vivek Hotel, is located almost right smack in the middle of the bustling Paharganj street, which is near the busy New Delhi railway station. Here, it was truly chaotic, with so many things going on at the same time. It was really quite a feast for the senses, but in a good way. It can be overwhelming to some, but I felt a sense of happiness amid the chaos then.
It took a while for us to locate Vivek Hotel because there were so many interesting shops selling all sorts of wares along the way, and we had to remind ourselves to remain focused as we didn’t have much time to spend in Delhi, yet so much to achieve. We finally spotted the white signboard (which wasn’t very prominent) and checked in at 2:50pm. I had originally booked a Luxury double room (Rs 1,100 / S$29) but it turned out it wasn’t available, so we were offered a Club Room (Rs 1,500 / S$39) instead. I’d learned to expect surprises by now – it’s never really confirmed till you’re there. The Club Room was quite big and appeared clean, despite the rest of the hotel looking quite dinghy and dark.
Vivek Hotel
Address: 1534-50, Main Bazaar, Paharganj, New Delhi 110055
Tel: +91 11 4647 0555
www.vivekhotel.com
We dropped our luggage, freshened up, packed our day bags and quickly got ready to set off for Red Fort. It was the only opportunity we had to explore Delhi, as the next day would be spent entirely on making the trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, which I was eagerly anticipating. But first, the Red Fort in Delhi. We flagged a tuk tuk outside our hotel, made sure he knew how to get to Red Fort, negotiated the fare (Rs 100 / S$2.10) and departed Paharganj at 3:20pm.
The traffic was heavy but the driver negotiated his way skilfully, manoeuvring the small vehicle between the bigger cars and cattle-drawn carriages. As per Bangalore, car horns honked persistently with impunity. Being on the road in a tuk tuk, you could feel the full blast of the vehicles’ exhaust, and that was when we first whipped out our face masks. It’s one of the must-have items when travelling on a tuk tuk in India! As Red Fort wasn’t too far away, we arrived shortly after, at 3:42pm.
Red Fort, or Lal Qila, is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and it served as the residence of the Mughal emperors. It began construction in 1638 and was completed in 1648. It is located in what is known now as Old Delhi. You can read more about the Red Fort here.
The fort is enclosed by its magnificent and distinctive red sandstone walls, 33m tall, and surrounded by a moat, which was dry. It’s really quite impressive and grand. No wonder it took ten years to construct. The main entrance is at the Lahore Gate, and that was where we entered from. The admission fee for foreigners is Rs 250 (S$6.55), while locals pay only Rs 10. We didn’t hire a guide, so we just followed the crowd.
After entering through the Lahore Gate, we passed by an arcade of shops called the Chatta Chowk, which means covered bazaar. Walking further along, we emerged at a large open space, into the main Red Fort complex. The first building we encountered was the Diwan-i-Am, the Hall of Public Audiences. This was where commoners could voice their disputes to the Emperor, who would be seated at a balcony overlooking the hall.
As the entire Red Fort complex spans about 255 acres and contains many buildings and structures, I shall let my pictures and captions tell the story.
We spent about 1.5 hours walking through the grounds. Most of the time was spent taking photographs, haha. It was interesting that the majority of the crowd were locals. There were hardly any Westerners, and certainly even fewer Asians. Thus, XY attracted quite a lot of stares from the local Indian men, who must not have seen many Chinese beauties up close. Some of them even approached XY to ask if they take a picture with her, which she promptly turned them down! Others who were not so daring tried to sneak some shots of her. I told XY she should charge them for taking pictures of her/with her, and she would make a fortune. J
At the end of our tour, we concluded that the outside of Red Fort is nicer than the inside. While many of the structures were quite grand, we felt that the collection of buildings seemed quite random and the architecture wasn’t uniform. For example, there were a few colonial-style buildings, which seemed out of place.
We only had time to visit one more place and we decided it would be Jama Masjid. From Red Fort, we walked southwest for about 15 min, and arrived Jama Masjid at 5:30pm. We were quite lucky because it closes half an hour before sunset, so we made it just in time. And 5:30pm is actually the best time to visit because the sun sets in the west just behind the main building, so you can take some pretty shots during this time. Do note that only Muslims are allowed to enter the mosque between 12:30pm to 2pm.
Entrance is free, but there is a camera fee of Rs 200 (S$5.25). As it is a place of worship, you need to be dressed properly before you are allowed to enter. That means covering your legs and shoulders, and for ladies, your head too (you can wear a cap). If you do not have the proper attire, you may rent a robe at the entrance. You also need to remove your shoes before you enter. There are racks to place your shoes, but we decided to carry them in our hands rather than risk getting them stolen. Do also look out for bogus guides offering their services.
Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India, and it was constructed in 1644 during emperor Shah Jahan’s reign, and completed in 1658. The massive courtyard can hold a staggering 25,000 people. The main building is flanked by minarets, 40m tall. It is symmetrical and very beautiful, especially at sunset. The courtyard gave a very nice feeling of openness, and it was less crowded than Red Fort, which was nice. If you only time to visit one monument in Delhi, I would recommend Jama Masjid over Red Fort.
We spent about half an hour inside the mosque, and decided to head back to our hotel before it got too dark. Just outside Jama Masjid is Meena Bazaar, an open-air market selling an assortment of things from food to cloth to toys. We walked through the bazaar and at the end of the road, we caught a tuk tuk back to Paharganj, arriving at 6:35pm.
As we didn’t have a proper lunch yet, our stomachs were growling by then. We surveyed the food options and settled for an air-conditioned eatery, Appetite German Bakery. I know it’s not exactly the most authentic Indian restaurant, but we wanted a more hygienic place. Air-conditioning means less chance of houseflies and other pests invading your food, and it also keeps out the fumes and exhaust from the road.
While it’s a German bakery, it also served Indian food. We ordered some Paratha, Chapathi, chicken curry and vegetable moki. It was quite nice and satisfying. The bill came up to Rs 380 (S$10), so it was quite alright.
After dinner, we spent about two hours shopping along the Main Bazaar of Paharganj. It is one long, narrow stretch of road with shops on both sides. It is quite a shopper’s paradise, if you like to buy souvenirs, ornaments and clothes. The quality may not be that great, but it’s cheap. Here, I bought my one souvenir from India – a small notebook bearing the Ohm symbol, costing Rs 50 (S$1.30).
At 9:20pm, we called it a day and headed back to our Vivek Hotel for a well-deserved rest. Paharganj is a lively place and good if you’re staying there for only one night, like we did. If you’re in Delhi for a longer period, it may not be advisable to stay in Paharganj because it is quite noisy and dusty. Indeed, after I showered, I had a feeling I wasn’t totally clean, like I still had dust in my hair! And maybe it’s psychological, but the bed sheet and covers felt dusty too, haha. Welcome to the real India!