India

Everyone has their own thoughts on Delhi. “You’ll hate it!” “You’ll love it.” “Avoid this place.” “Its mayhem!” And so on…

We had succumbed to the hearsay about this city and before we even arrived, shortened our stay to just 2 full days. In our heads it was going to be loud, filthy and we had resigned ourself to the possibility of getting the dreaded ‘Delhi Belly’. Though once we arrived we were pleasantly surprised! This might be the capitol of a country bursting at the seams with people, with a major issue regarding waste and pollution, but in all honesty we didn’t think it was that bad.

‘Not that bad’ obviously isn’t the shiny review we’ve praised some locations. But it surprised us because of how much we thought we’d hate it and actually we quite liked parts. The areas which we visited (mostly Central and South Eastern areas) seemed clean enough. There seemed to be a level of organisation on the roads, certainly there is less beeping and less people just run across the road in front of oncoming traffic. The people don’t stare! Actually people here are very modern and quite westernised, you could forgive yourself for thinking you were in London at times. Some things the city is actually outshining the UK on!

Their metro system is fantastic. I know it was built only this century but you can tell a lot of thought went into it. It’s been designed to be easily navigable and too cope with the seriously big population of Delhi. It was very clean and modern with air-con on all trains. They have specific seating areas for elderly or disabled and whole carriages assigned to women. I was very impressed with how easy it all was! When a tourist can get a full day travel card for 200 rupee (get 50 rupee back if you hand the card in when finished) and a 20 minute taxi can cost upwards of that, it’s brilliant value.

We were lucky enough to be accompanied by a friend in Delhi. He took us around many sights on our first day and made everything very easy for us. Maybe another reason why we had a better time than some! We had planned to tackle Old Delhi on the Monday to avoid the Sunday craziness but we woke up to horrid rain which persisted all day. Under our friends advice we did not go. Again, I hear Old Delhi is pretty crazy and maybe us avoiding there meant we remained naive to how bad Delhi can really get. At least in the evening we were welcomed into our friends home for dinner. His family were so lovely and welcoming. It was very warming to be shown such kindness in a place that can be a bit scary at times! It definitely ended our time in Delhi on a high.

Humayan's Tomb

Like most things, this opened at sunrise so sure enough we were there at 6am. Another recurring theme in India is that no venders have any change and expect you to always have the correct change. Tricky when the ATM’s only spit out 2000 rupee notes most of the time. This place was the same.

After entering there are a series of tombs for you to wander around (not just Humayan’s). My personal favourite was his barber. That’s right, he commissioned his hair dresser to have a fancy tomb because they were best buds, cute. You’ll also notice in the grounds a number of other tombs that have become smothered in vines and undergrowth. These are distant relatives to Humayun that have managed to get themselves a spot in the grounds for their own graves.

We spoke to a couple of people who argued this building is better than the Taj Mahal. In some aspects it is! The architecture is actually better thought out considering it follows a symmetry where, actually, the Taj Mahal is built not completely square. But in terms of beauty I don’t think you can top the startling white marble on the Taj Mahal. Even if Humayan’s tomb has more intricacy…

We could see outside the grounds were some excavation sites so it could be sometime in the near future the site is extended. We read a sign that told us during the clean up for the Commonwealth Games they uncovered several more tombs and even ground wells. It goes to show that more secrets could be lying waiting to be found.

Entrance fee: 600 rupee

Safdarjung Tomb

Safdar Jung essentially bought himself into power and over time was gifted further powers by the Mughal Empire. Eventually leading him into a military figure who took part in wars. Finally he became prime minister before dying at the age of 46. What a short life eh!

He was clearly respected well enough to earn himself a decent sized tomb though. We came here for a quick visit before heading over to Lodhi Gardens. More of the same really, nothing too dissimilar to Humayan’s tomb but if you’re interested in the history then it’s probably worth it.

Entrance fee: 200 rupees

Lodhi Gardens

A short walk (15 minutes) from Sarfarjung’s Tomb will lead you to Lodhi Gardens. Essentially this is a park and as we were there early in the morning we saw many Indians walking or jogging, getting their morning exercise in. I saw species of dog I hadn’t seen in India before (since they were pets not wild). It had a sort of resemblance to Hyde Park!

The differentiating feature being that Lodhi Gardens has been built around a number of very old structures. The tombs and structures that are found here are from the Lodhi period of rulership. That means they date back to the 1400’s! And you can freely walk on them and around them. How they have been kept standing and in a good condition for such a long time is a bit of a head scratcher. It’s a pleasant stroll to take if you have woken up early to see the previous sights.

FYI: most shops (not all, but a lot) in India open after 10/10:30am, so if you’re waking up early to head out make sure you are prepared to have a late breakfast!

Entrance: Free

Dilli Haat

A market found in the central area of Delhi is Dilli Haat. It’s an enclosed market so you must pay entrance to get a ticket in order to browse the shops. The great thing about this little market is they have traders selling things from across India. Good for those that aren’t travelling the length of the country like we are! This is particularly great when you find the food stalls. There is a stall representing each state in India, selling the food and drinks that are traditional in those states!

Make sure to haggle and bargain really hard if you’re going to buy anything though. We were walking around the market with our Indian friend and he told us that they charge us white tax. Basically start at around 50% or less than what they’re trying to charge you and see how you get on! The markets are mostly full on handicrafts; paintings, jewellery, pottery, clothes etc.

Tip: Indian traders have a belief about the first customer of the day. It’s bad luck to not sell to them, which means you can basically demand any price and you’re more likely to get a deal!

Entrance: 100 rupees

India Gate

Standing tall and beautifully, India Gate is a huge attraction in Delhi. It was resurrected as a memorial to troops of WW1. There are a total of 90,000 names engraved onto the walls of the memorial (almost half of them are British names). Both Brad and I certainly felt good about the fact we could pay our respects to the fallen men from that time. Underneath the gate you will notice a flame. This burns 24/7 as a tribute to the deceased soldiers.

As we walked away from the memorial I couldn’t help but be slightly annoyed. The memorial has become a huge attraction in India. The crowds visiting the site everyday are huge. How many of those people take a moment to pay their respects? How many know what the memorial is for? How many even know it is a memorial?

All these questions came to mind because no one there was taking their time to take it in. The vendors selling useless crap, making noise, blowing whistles and being generally disturbing. The Indian tourists that have come to get their picture taken in front of it and then about 20 selfies. So many times whilst we were stood reading the names of the soldiers, we had people come up to us and ask for a selfie. This is irritating at the best of times, but at a memorial? I found it so disrespectful to where we were and to us!

It’s a shame that I don’t think this destination has the respect it deserves.

Entrance: free

I’m glad we got to see part of Delhi for the day and I’m glad that we didn’t leave the city with a sour taste in our mouth. (Or a poorly tummy). I know there is way more to explore here but at the same time there are other places in India I would sooner rush back too…

Lar

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