♫ wanna feel the warm breeze
sleep under a palm tree
feel the rush of the ocean
get onboard a fast train
travel on a jet plane, far away ♫
Hello India!
The first glimpse we got of India was in New Delhi. Delhi has recently gotten a great means of transport from the airport to the central railway station. So that part is deceptively smooth and normal. When we finally stepped out of the train station with our backpacks into the middle of the chaos of the 22 million people city, it took a minute to get our cool back. Our hostel was supposed to be 500 m from the train station, yet it was absolutely impossible to find it. In the end we had to give up and take a rickchaw. When you need one, there are always 11 drivers to offer you a ride. At that point, none of them had know idea where the hostel is, even when they looked at a printout address of it, so it took a while and a lot of us giving pointers to the driver, which was also quite theatrical, as he did not speak a word of english, and I'm not exaggerating, not a word! It happened rarely, as english is very commonly spoken in India, but when it did happen, then of course with worst timing.
Usual casual traffic, actually that portrays it very mild and polite. When needed, to this wide road at least 3 more cars, 4 rickshaws and 5 motorbikes would fit easily next to the ones already there. Add to the mix some cows, bulls, donkeys..
Our journey was a bit longer than expected. (Altho I am not complaining as some of our friends from the wedding travelled for 3 days straight from Colombia to Goa.) Anyway, there was a snowstorm in Tallinn and in Helsinki. We were a couple hours delayed to Helsinki and then around 5 more until we could start to Delhi. It was so slippery and snowy around the plane that for a longest time they were unable to get the previous cargo off. When we finally got to Delhi, a lot of flights came at the same time and the entry through customs took quite many hours, the bureaucracy in India in any possible place (airports, train stations, hostels, hotels, tourist attractions, you name it..), is horribly time consuming and often utterly ridiculous, but I'll get to that later.
At the airport none of the atm-s wanted to give out money, the third we tried at least had a sign that there is a limitation how much money one can take out: 10 000 rupies (124EUR) is the limit everywhere! When we finally got to the hostel in the late afternoon, we were exhausted but had to buy train tickets if we wanted to continue our travels in two days, so went out again. Everybody on the street were weirdly friendly (which you never know how to take in India, as some of them are actually trying to be kind, whereas a lot are trying to get you to do something that will benefit them). We ended up at a local travel agency, where a guy turned all our plans upside down. Apparently all the trains we needed were sold out (yes we know India is huge and very overpopulated, but I guess we were naively hoping they do not travel aaalllll the time).
So, in the end we ended up leaving Delhi before dawn the next day and headed to Agra, after which to Jaipur and took a train from there to Mumbai. So, we ended up exploring and seeing more, just in a bit shorter time-frame, which was actually great in many ways, but did not go without incidents as should be expected in the incredible India! :)
When we finally got food that day, it was a good 16 hours since we last had any food, as the dinner in the plane was straight after we took off and the breakfast we should've got before landing was already given to us before the dinner while we were waiting stuck in the snowstorm. It was worth waiting for, Indian food is absolutely amazing!
View from our first hostels rooftop.
That is also why our time in New Delhi is in two stretches, half a day in the beginning and two and a half days in the end of the trip.
While coming back, we flew from Goa to Delhi. To enter an airport in India you have to physically show them your ticket, if you do not have it they do not let you in. If you still insist on having it, they send you to the door closest to your correct gate and in there they dig out a paperback copy of all the names who have a right to be inside the airport that day and you have to find your name from there. If that matches with the passport, you get in. Fun!
We were doing check in at the counter to give our backpack away and get a physical ticket, when the guys stop us and asks if we already did the x-ray, like it's the most typical thing. They then sent us to the farthest corner of the terminal where there indeed was a machine where you had to put your bag into, if it successfully comes out the other end you'll get a sticker. Only then can you proceed to the check in counter and proudly present the sticker.
Landing to Delhi was beautiful, we got a great view over the enormous city, until we were almost landed and then went up again. Apparently it was not advised to land on that runway at that time. When on the ground safe and sound we stopped to help an older german lady figure out her new smartphone and call her contact in the city. When we finally were on the way to the metro, a guy (well many) tried to offer us a taxi, we refused politely, one of them ran after us and announced that it's already 9.30 the metro is closed for the day. We told him we'd check. Of course it was running. Similar schemes are tried everywhere, so basically, trust no one.
Located right in the heart of New Delhi, Connaught Place is a bustling hive of activity. As well as being one of the city’s key financial and business centers, the area is also filled with all things cultural, from antique cinemas and toy shops to leading contemporary art galleries. Also, it has many restaurants, bars and cafes. We were doing some sort of bar hopping and also found this lovely and local food place 'Saravana Bhavan', it serves South Indian food and is opposite to a bar "Lord of the drinks" which is pretty good as well.
Akshardham temple complex - without a doubt one of the most beautiful buildings I've been to. We were walking around in awe. Getting there is a hustle tho. It's a bit far from the city centre. When trying to ask around, first we were told tuk tuks can't go there because they have no permit. Then we saw the map and a metro line, they replied the metro doesn't go there either, the map is wrong. So how do people get there? "By car, only. And if they do not have a car, their friend's car. So hire a car". For a ridiculous amount of money of course. In reality of course metro goes there, and tuk tuks too. As we wanted to visit a couple more places around town, we ended up hiring a tuk tuk for the day for the price we wanted - 800 rupies, we even paid him extra in the end because he was a really cool guy.
'Akshardham' means the divine abode of God. It is hailed as an eternal place of devotion, purity and peace. Swaminarayan Akshardham at New Delhi is a Mandir – an abode of God, a Hindu house of worship, and a spiritual and cultural campus dedicated to devotion, learning and harmony.
The following pictures of the Akshardham temple are from Google, as one can not take any photos inside the temple, no matter what!! No bags are allowed inside, the way they guarantee your stuff is safe: you have to take everything valuable out and they take a photo of you with your bag and your stuff, then put it in a shelf. Later, they check if the number matches with the photo and yourself and then you get your stuff back.
All the nonsense aside, it is amazing, way worth the hustle and a place I will remember for a long time. (As an extra, the food court has really good, cheap Samosas too!)
Lotus temple - The Bahai House of Worship.
Temple is a rather unique place of worship. It is known for its beautiful flower-like architecture and marvelous ambiance that make it a popular tourist attraction for people of all faiths.
It is in line with the teachings of the Bahai faith believing in the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religions, and the Oneness of Mankind. As such, people of all religions and races are welcome in the temple as it is a place to worship the creator of the universe and not one particular deity. There is no idol to be worshipped and people of any faith, case, creed are welcome inside. Even though everyone is welcome, no ritualistic ceremonies can be performed inside the Lotus Temple.
The temple is visited by more than four million people every year with an average of more than 10,000 visitors daily. It's one of seven such houses of worship. The other six are at Sydney in Australia, Panama City in Panama, Apia in Western Samoa, Kampala in Uganda, Frankfurt in Germany and Wilmette in USA.
Not the Gateway to India that is in Mumbai but the India Gate, originally called the All India War Memorial. It is a memorial, formerly called Kingsway, to 82,000 soldiers of the undivided Indian Army who died in the period 1914-1921 in the First World War.
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib - the Sikh House of Worship.
Our guide for the day said he wants to take us to a place special to him. He goes to this temple for a prayer every day. He explained us about Sikh religion, showed us all the corners of the temple, truly, even the kitchen and grain storage, and the place the holy book was being read. We washed our faces with the holy water and even tried the sweet oaty porridge everyone got when exiting.
The Sikh religion began in the 15th century in the Punjab state of India. It was founded by Guru Nanak Dev, and Sikhs rejected the caste system of Hindus. They believe that there is one god, and that all people are equal: men, women, different races and religions - everyone.
Every day in Sikh temples, volunteers and workers cook free vegetarian meals for anyone who wants to eat, regardless of their background. Because equality is so important in the Sikh religion, everyone who comes in eats at the same level in the dining hall.
It's a peaceful place and visiting it was a beautiful experience.
The promenade from the Parliament houses to the India Gate. Next to it are many lovely parks filled with families having picnics in the summer.
In front of the parliament.
I fell in love with riding auto-rickshaws everywhere, they are so convenient, cheap, always there and they fit everywhere. I even miss the honking of the horn that accompanies you everywhere in India.
This sign is the biggest joke, as the vehicles really do not care a bit if you get hit or not.
Mughal gardens. Regularly the garden is not opened for public viewing. Only during February and March, when the garden is in full bloom people are allowed inside. For us it is a beautiful, but quite regular botanical garden, but for Indian people it really was a miracle, everybody wanted to see the gardens, when inside they took selfies and selfie videos with every plant. We got a surprised and even a bit offended mark form a guy who introduced us to these gardens, when we seemed a bit too disinterested at first: "You are lucky, why you don't want to see this".
Red fort.
Chandni Chowk.
Old Delhi's backbone is an iconic shopping strip, dotted by temples, snarled by traffic and crammed with stores selling everything from street food to saris. Tiny bazaars lead off the main drag, so you can dive off and explore these small lanes, which glitter with jewellery, decorations, paper goods and more.
Chandni Chowk - the biggest market of Asia, is teeming with people at all hours. It is quite an experience. They really sell everything, but when looking for souvenirs, there are some really nice markets near Connaught place as well, like the Janpath market.
Our last proper Indian dinner, this time food from Kashmir at a Khan Market area. Khan Market is a favourite of the expat and diplomatic community. It was originally allocated as seed land to immigrants from the North-West Frontier Province after the partition of India. Today, it is a popular shopping destination. It is a large U-shaped market with two parallel ‘U’s and some extensions. The food and drinks are also more expensive than in most places. For our last night in the country it was perfect.
A week after the henna was done at the beautiful Mehendi party in the wedding. At first we were a bit confused when strangers in Delhi kept asking us how was the wedding, then we found out by customs this kind of henna is really only done at weddings.
To be continued.
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