In the morning my girlfriend and I awoke early, grabbed a quick breakfast then headed down to the local bus stand for our onward journey to Bharatpur, home of a tranquil little bird sanctuary. The bus we caught was a Agra->Jaipur bus so we had to have cat like reflexes and jump off when our stop came close. Thankfully the driver saw we were tourists with big bags and stopped the bus to let us out. If he hadn't stopped we would have had to employ the tuck and roll strategy that so many Indians apply when involuntarily exiting overcrowded trains. We stayed at Hotel Spoonbill (http://www.hotelspoonbill.com/), which is closer to a bed and breakfast than a hotel. You get a nice self contained room inside what looks like the owners house. It is a large place though, with about 4 or 5 guest rooms plus area for the owners family. It has a very cosy feel and the family is very friendly. Any food ordered there is home cooked and prepared fresh by the lady running the place. I think her husband runs the place down the road Hotel NEW Spoonbill, or vice versa I can't remember which is which now.
The hotel was a short walk from the bus stop which was nice, we were due to head onward to Jaipur the next day so only had that evening to check out the bird sanctuary (http://www.indianwildlifeportal.com/wildlife-sanctuaries/bharatpur-wildlife-sanctuary.html). So after dropping off bags my girlfriend and I headed back out, the sanctuary wasn't too far from the hotel. It was so nice to be going to look at some natural beauty instead of more buildings, trees and lakes and a bit of peace and quiet were the perfect change after all the tourist spots and touts of Delhi and Agra. While walking there we came across a cycle rickshaw-wallah who offered to ride us around through the bird park, he was also very knowledgeable in bird species so was willing to act as our guide as well. We took him up on the offer and hopped in his cycle rickshaw. The bird park was a beautiful mix of marshy swampland and large open plains, thousands of birds were flocking around us. I don't remember all the names now, but the rickshaw driver had very keen eyes and pointed out several species of birds as we rode through the park. It was getting late in the day and we had the pleasure of relaxing and enjoying the sunset there. He cycled us around for about 3 hours and then dropped us back at the entry gate. According to his official rate which was around Rs150 per hour the fare should have been Rs450, I decided to give him a Rs200 tip. The cheeky guy asked for another 100 on top, how could I refuse. While we were sitting comfortable he was sweating it out in the heat. On top of that, there weren’t that many tourists in the park, I doubt he would get a fare every day. The extra 100 gave him a great smile which was worth it, the whole outing cost around $20, which wasn't too bad.
I finally got hold of a mobile phone that night. It was a really cheap no frills phone which cost around $30 brand new, the Indian sim card I had worked perfectly in it. I was finally able to call my parents and grandparents and let them know how things were going. On the way back from buying the phone I lost my way a little and spent about 1/2 an hour walking up and down the wrong street looking for the hotel. Somehow even though I look Indian the locals knew I was from out of town and were watching me closely. I backtracked to the main road and was finally able to retrace my steps back to the hotel.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
India 5, Agra
Day 1
The next day we caught the train to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, our hotel was Hotel Sheela (http://www.hotelsheelaagra.com/) and we had a nice little room with A/C for RS800 per night there. After resting up it was off to see the jewel of India, the Taj Mahal, we went lateish so as to be able to see the Taj by day as well as at dusk. The Taj Mahal is the one building I saw that really does live up to, and exceed the hype surrounding it. It is truly an awe inspiring structure, the white marble shining brightly in the afternoon sun. As you get closer to it the level of detail becomes apparent, every square inch of it is hand carved with intricate designs. Above the arches, massive Arabic letters are inlaid into the walls in contrasting black marble. We spent the evening wandering around it and sitting there relaxing until they kicked us out just as darkness fell.
Day 2
Next morning we awoke early to get down to Agra fort, I decided to hire a guide for this one, he spoke the fastest most unintelligible English I've ever heard. I still manage to pick up a few facts about the place most notably, he pointed out the room where Shaha Jhan was imprisoned by his son, only able to gaze upon his creation the Taj Mahal through the window. Next on the agenda was a trip out to Fatehpur Sikri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatehpur_Sikri) about 1.5 hours out from Agra, which meant first heading to the state bus stand. By now we were quite good at figuring out and catching busses, between us we could even almost read the destinations printed in Hindi. After a bit of searching and using an obscenely dirty open toilet, we found the bus, boarded and got tickets. The dusk masks we had with us had taken a severe battering in our bags and were now a health hazard in themselves. To put them on would be to inhale several days worth of dusk and several species of mutated bacteria, thankfully we decided to retire the masks from active service.
The most apparent thing upon arrival was the heat, that day was blistering hot and there wasn't much shade around. This combined with us being tired from the trip out there and having already seen so many building type structures through Delhi and Agra put us in a less than enthusiastic mode. The touts at Fethpur Sikri were relentless too, prodding and poking at us to buy things from the moment we set foot on the ground. Our first move was to retreat to a little restaurant and grab lunch. After lunch we ventured into Fathpur Sikri, the free area starting at the Mosque, immediately we were grabbed by an official looking helper who had a name tag stating he was a 'Bolunteer Guide' (Volunteer) and so no money would be required. Despite our attempts to shake him off, he stuck to us like glue, after assuring us he wasn't going to ask for any money we reluctantly agreed to let him show us around. He seemed nice enough taking us around the courtyard pointing out interesting features, we began to believe he might actually be a volunteer. We stopped at the first vendor, he was selling a few stone carvings and trinkets, after politely declining, our guide became insistent on us buying something. It was now clear, he was running the commission scam. This was probably the only time I lost my cool, I was almost yelling at him for lying to us about being a volunteer and trying to scam us into buying things by pretending to be friendly then using that friendship to pressure us. He backed off and continued the tour, the next stop was at a flower vendor where our guide insisted we needed to buy flowers and offer them to proceed around the mosque. It was clear he was just trying to make a commission off a sale so I told him to leave us alone and after a bit of arguing he finally left. To get an idea of the kind of commission he was getting we wandered over to another vendor and asked the prices on a few items we had seen earlier, with the guide tailing us the vendors were asking in the range of Rs800-1200, without him they were asking Rs100-150, obviously a bit of bargaining is possible in both cases but most of that difference would go to the guide. I don't mind paying a guide for guide services, but the dodgy way they try to take advantage of tourists isn't cool. The funny thing was, the guide saw us speaking to vendors and came running back to us yelling 'I saw you buy something from him but you didn't buy when I show you!!', we actually didn't buy anything but the guide thought we did and he was MAD. A small victory for the stupid tourists(us).
After the whole guide episode we weren’t in the best mood so the rest of Fathpur Sikri was done in a rush, hurrying around checking out structures and trying to stay out of the sun. On the way out we saw a man was waiting offering camel and cart rides, that's like a horse and cart, but with a camel. A spirited round of bargaining had us agree on a RS30 fare to take us all the way down to the bus stand. Riding in a camel cart is great fun, the cart bobs up and down with every step and the camel looks happy to be doing a bit of walking. The camel cart guy seemed nice so we gave him a generous tip, I think it was around RS100 or so, he was happy with that, in return he let us take a few pictures with the camel.
That evening while having dinner a majestic wedding party strode past the restaurant. Weddings in India are a town affair, a marching band is hired along with a mobile speaker and amplifier system that is then pulled(often by a donkey) through the streets blaring the loudest Indian music you've ever heard. As the band/wedding party travels down the street locals jump in and join in the frenetic dancing. Noise pollution laws are non-existent and conveniently no special permission is needed to block off entire streets for hours at a time. To get closer to the action we quickly paid our bill and went down to join the party, it's great to lose yourself in the celebrations, no one cares you don't know the bride or groom. We grooved some way down the street with them after which they entered an invite only function hall. My girlfriend then went to check her emails at a local internet cafe and I headed back to the hotel to catch some winks.
The next day we caught the train to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, our hotel was Hotel Sheela (http://www.hotelsheelaagra.com/) and we had a nice little room with A/C for RS800 per night there. After resting up it was off to see the jewel of India, the Taj Mahal, we went lateish so as to be able to see the Taj by day as well as at dusk. The Taj Mahal is the one building I saw that really does live up to, and exceed the hype surrounding it. It is truly an awe inspiring structure, the white marble shining brightly in the afternoon sun. As you get closer to it the level of detail becomes apparent, every square inch of it is hand carved with intricate designs. Above the arches, massive Arabic letters are inlaid into the walls in contrasting black marble. We spent the evening wandering around it and sitting there relaxing until they kicked us out just as darkness fell.
Day 2
Next morning we awoke early to get down to Agra fort, I decided to hire a guide for this one, he spoke the fastest most unintelligible English I've ever heard. I still manage to pick up a few facts about the place most notably, he pointed out the room where Shaha Jhan was imprisoned by his son, only able to gaze upon his creation the Taj Mahal through the window. Next on the agenda was a trip out to Fatehpur Sikri (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatehpur_Sikri) about 1.5 hours out from Agra, which meant first heading to the state bus stand. By now we were quite good at figuring out and catching busses, between us we could even almost read the destinations printed in Hindi. After a bit of searching and using an obscenely dirty open toilet, we found the bus, boarded and got tickets. The dusk masks we had with us had taken a severe battering in our bags and were now a health hazard in themselves. To put them on would be to inhale several days worth of dusk and several species of mutated bacteria, thankfully we decided to retire the masks from active service.
The most apparent thing upon arrival was the heat, that day was blistering hot and there wasn't much shade around. This combined with us being tired from the trip out there and having already seen so many building type structures through Delhi and Agra put us in a less than enthusiastic mode. The touts at Fethpur Sikri were relentless too, prodding and poking at us to buy things from the moment we set foot on the ground. Our first move was to retreat to a little restaurant and grab lunch. After lunch we ventured into Fathpur Sikri, the free area starting at the Mosque, immediately we were grabbed by an official looking helper who had a name tag stating he was a 'Bolunteer Guide' (Volunteer) and so no money would be required. Despite our attempts to shake him off, he stuck to us like glue, after assuring us he wasn't going to ask for any money we reluctantly agreed to let him show us around. He seemed nice enough taking us around the courtyard pointing out interesting features, we began to believe he might actually be a volunteer. We stopped at the first vendor, he was selling a few stone carvings and trinkets, after politely declining, our guide became insistent on us buying something. It was now clear, he was running the commission scam. This was probably the only time I lost my cool, I was almost yelling at him for lying to us about being a volunteer and trying to scam us into buying things by pretending to be friendly then using that friendship to pressure us. He backed off and continued the tour, the next stop was at a flower vendor where our guide insisted we needed to buy flowers and offer them to proceed around the mosque. It was clear he was just trying to make a commission off a sale so I told him to leave us alone and after a bit of arguing he finally left. To get an idea of the kind of commission he was getting we wandered over to another vendor and asked the prices on a few items we had seen earlier, with the guide tailing us the vendors were asking in the range of Rs800-1200, without him they were asking Rs100-150, obviously a bit of bargaining is possible in both cases but most of that difference would go to the guide. I don't mind paying a guide for guide services, but the dodgy way they try to take advantage of tourists isn't cool. The funny thing was, the guide saw us speaking to vendors and came running back to us yelling 'I saw you buy something from him but you didn't buy when I show you!!', we actually didn't buy anything but the guide thought we did and he was MAD. A small victory for the stupid tourists(us).
After the whole guide episode we weren’t in the best mood so the rest of Fathpur Sikri was done in a rush, hurrying around checking out structures and trying to stay out of the sun. On the way out we saw a man was waiting offering camel and cart rides, that's like a horse and cart, but with a camel. A spirited round of bargaining had us agree on a RS30 fare to take us all the way down to the bus stand. Riding in a camel cart is great fun, the cart bobs up and down with every step and the camel looks happy to be doing a bit of walking. The camel cart guy seemed nice so we gave him a generous tip, I think it was around RS100 or so, he was happy with that, in return he let us take a few pictures with the camel.
That evening while having dinner a majestic wedding party strode past the restaurant. Weddings in India are a town affair, a marching band is hired along with a mobile speaker and amplifier system that is then pulled(often by a donkey) through the streets blaring the loudest Indian music you've ever heard. As the band/wedding party travels down the street locals jump in and join in the frenetic dancing. Noise pollution laws are non-existent and conveniently no special permission is needed to block off entire streets for hours at a time. To get closer to the action we quickly paid our bill and went down to join the party, it's great to lose yourself in the celebrations, no one cares you don't know the bride or groom. We grooved some way down the street with them after which they entered an invite only function hall. My girlfriend then went to check her emails at a local internet cafe and I headed back to the hotel to catch some winks.
India 4, Delhi
Day 1
The bus let us off at the interstate bus stand a little way out from our hotel Crest Inn located in Karol Bagh http://www.crestinn.com/ . We caught a very pricy taxi which after a bit of searching took us to our destination. The hotel was nice enough, decent room, the manager seemed a little snobbish, but as we learned that was pretty common for the people in Delhi. The room attendant was extremely nice setting us up in the balcony with drinks and whatever we wanted. I'm sure we were ripped off by the laundry boy though, when I asked him how much for the laundry I think he just made up the highest number he thought he could get away with, and stupidly I paid. It's important to keep track of how much things like laundry are going to cost by checking against the price list before handing over any money. Otherwise you're just asking to be taken for a ride.
We made a trip out to the Red Fort (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort) after settling in and resting in the room for a while. This is truly a magnificent structure, the size and length of the walls is a sight to behold, inside are the typically brilliant Mughal stonework and carvings seen on the other great monuments. We wandered around and saw the various halls of public/private audience and other monuments. Afterwards we went for a stroll in the Chandani Chowk (http://www.exploredelhi.com/places-to-visit/chandni-chowk.html) market located just outside the main gate. One of my priorities at the time was to get a mobile phone working. My girlfriend and I both had Australian phones which were extremely expensive to use in India. We had some local sim cards but they wouldn't work without the phones being 'unlocked'. In my quest to unlock the phone I stupidly dropped it off at one of the tiny phone repair shops on the side of the road after he assured me he could do the job. It was only after I left that I realised I had left my phone to a stranger in possibly one of the most unsafe cities in India. Luckily not everyone in Delhi is as bad as they say because he gave me my phone back but was unable to get it unlocked and working with the Indian sim card. Wandering around the market we saw several Indian street food specialities, samosa's, stuffed puri's and various other dumpling like things that make my mouth water to think about now. At the time we were not brave enough to try them, the risk of getting sick so early on in the trip put us off.
That evening my girlfriend did end up getting sick, though it probably wasn't from the food but rather just tiredness from the overnight bus trip and possibly a bit of dehydration. It was extremely hot while walking around the Red Fort which was a bit of a shock after the cool of McLeod Gange. I ordered room service for myself while she slept, Navratan Kourma and a few naans, cost about Rs100 ($2.5) and was absolutely delicious, the Navratan Kourma had a fantastic Smokey flavour from the Tandoor oven I presume - or possibly just from some other food that was burning at the time.
Day 2
The next day had us out to the Jamma Masjid (http://www.bharatonline.com/delhi/religious-places/mosques/jama-masjid.html) which is a nice old and still operational mosque, for a small fee we were allowed to climb one of the minaretts. It's several hundred steps up in a tight cramped and very dark stairway before reaching the top, the walk up really takes you back to how things must've been in times gone by. It's a hard stuffy climb but well worth it as at the top you're rewarded with great views of old Delhi and the Red Fort. Wandering around the courtyard we came across a group of foreigners with a guide and thought we might eves drop to find out a bit more, as luck would have it was a French group and the guide was of course speaking French which was no good for us!
The afternoon of that day had us out to Connaught Place (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connaught_Place,_New_Delhi) to try to book our travel arrangements for the next part of the trip. The day happened to be a public holiday so most of the shops were closed and relatively few people walking the streets. This area proved to be a nightmare for us, we couldn't stop for even 1 minute without a horde of people approaching and trying to befriend us. We were still fairly naive at that point and would politely decline offers of help, though the constant attention was wearing us down. Eventually we gave in and were led to a 'government approved' travel agency. Our goal was to book some train tickets between Delhi-> Agra and then onwards through Rajasthan. The seemingly nice man showed us that no trains were available and then attempted to sell us a rental car+driver for the next 3 weeks at about RS20000, after listening politely for a long time we took some brochures and to his dismay left without buying anything. By this point we were very wary of people trying to lead us off. The goal for us was to reach the foreign tourist reservation office at New Delhi station (http://www.indianrail.gov.in/intert.html) this is a place where foreigners can book tickets on trains that are otherwise full for Indians, they have separate quotas for foreigners. Because the office is government run the locals won't tell you about it, they don't get any commission from the it. We were now battle hardened and put our game faces on, we were like gladiators running the gauntlet, fending off opponents along the way, making a bee-line right for our target at New Delhi station. The office was tricky to find as no one would tell us exactly where it was, always pointing us in the wrong direction back to smaller non-government agencies. Eventually after asking a police officer we found the place, and what a relief! My girlfriend and I spent a few minutes high fiving and rejoicing as if we'd just won the Olympic marathon. Unfortunately for us the office needed originals of passports to book tickets, we left them in the hotel room! On the plus side they assured us there were plenty of seats available for all the destinations we wanted, a small victory at least! We left the office disappointed but not defeated, resolved to come back early next morning with the required passports and book the tickets.
In the evening we went for a walk around the Karol Bagh area outside the hotel and witnessed a classic and rife crime in India, credit card theft. Two guys who had between them about 10-15 credit cards and ATM cards were at an ATM withdrawing the maximum allowed on each card. We happened to be waiting to use the ATM, after about 15 minutes of watching them withdraw what must've been RS100,000 or more we decided dodgy dealings were in place and took off. I decided to try my hand at bargaining in the market, finding a pair of sunglasses that looked quite stylish I bargained the guy down to Rs150 which I thought was a good deal considering he started at Rs500. My mistake became obvious over the next few days though as the paint and eventually the glasses themselves proceeded to flake off and break. I asked one of the locals for kicks how much he thought the glasses were worth and he said not more than Rs25, oh well at least I was helping the local economy.
My girlfriend being white and me being Indian originally had been drawing a lot of attention from the locals, rickshaw wallas would constantly pull up, vendors would harass us to buy stuff and locals would come up and chat with us . As an experiment I decided to go for a walk myself and see what would happen. It was bliss, I blended right in, no one bothered me, no one even looked twice at me I could browse the shops without being pressured to buy, and I didn't constantly feel like I was the centre of attention. Indians travelling in India and foreigners travelling in India have a vastly different experience. Standing out can be good because waiting in queues or to buy tickets, people tend to serve you first, but quite often all the unwanted attention can be a bit unnerving.
Day 3
The last full day in Delhi we decided to hire a taxi for the day because there were quite a few things left to see. First on the agenda was to do battle once again with the ticket reservation office, armed with our passports, plenty of money and a direct taxi to the station we were feeling confident that today, finally, victory would be ours. As we exited the cab and headed towards the station we were immediately stopped by a nice looking gentleman. He told us there was a platform ticket and we should pay him Rs150 for the privilege of entering the station. Sensing an ambush I went into high gear and pulled out my footy 'Goose Step' to bamboozle past him. He was skilful though and blocked me with an authoritative command to the tune of 'Respect my Authoratah!'. Not so sure of myself I was left standing in front of him, the verbal battle had begun. I pointed out no one else was buying tickets and he countered with a smoke screen of words. I informed him I wasn't going to the platform but rather the foreign tourist office he pulled out his secret weapon 'I'm sorry sir, the office is closed today I'll show you where you can buy tickets' I knew I had him. Before the mission general Lonely Planet had briefed me on this weapon and I knew it was a dud, also, on our reconnaissance mission to the office the previous day we asked specifically if they were open today and they had given us the affirmative. Armed with this knowledge I instructed him out of our way, sensing the battle was lost he finally stepped aside and let us pass. Lo and behold the office was exactly where it had been yesterday and was in fact open. Telling the lady at the office about the guy downstairs trying to stop people coming up she laughed it off with a 'Yep, they'll do that'. The safest thing to do is assume the office exists and is always open unless you verify it for yourself! Thankfully once we made it in we were able to book all our onwards train journeys to Agra, Rajasthan and back to Mumbai.
The taxi then took us around to all the obligatory Delhi sights, Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, Humayum's Tomb. I won't go into them as googling them will give adequate details about each. I will mention a couple of things however, at Qutub minar we saw a lady perpetrating the 'photo' scam, standing out of sight of authorities she would ask to take a picture of you using your camera. After the picture is taken she asks for a large amount of money as payment for this service. My girlfriend and I were wise to this type of thing now, so we weren’t taken in, but we did watch as she got quite a bit out of some other unsuspecting foreigners. The other thing worth mentioning is the outstanding Italian lunch we had, in Delhi, that day. The restaurant was listed in Lonely Planet, and after eating Indian for so long the flavours of tomato and Basil were a welcome change! The four fourths pizza (each quarter has a different topping) and pasta were outstanding, possibly the best Italian I’ve ever had!!(though our sense of taste was probably skewed after so much Indian food). Humayum's tomb was also amazing, it's basically the Taj Mahal but not made of Marble. The enclosure has a lot of areas to explore which is good fun, lets you live as an archaeologist for a few hours.
The bus let us off at the interstate bus stand a little way out from our hotel Crest Inn located in Karol Bagh http://www.crestinn.com/ . We caught a very pricy taxi which after a bit of searching took us to our destination. The hotel was nice enough, decent room, the manager seemed a little snobbish, but as we learned that was pretty common for the people in Delhi. The room attendant was extremely nice setting us up in the balcony with drinks and whatever we wanted. I'm sure we were ripped off by the laundry boy though, when I asked him how much for the laundry I think he just made up the highest number he thought he could get away with, and stupidly I paid. It's important to keep track of how much things like laundry are going to cost by checking against the price list before handing over any money. Otherwise you're just asking to be taken for a ride.
We made a trip out to the Red Fort (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort) after settling in and resting in the room for a while. This is truly a magnificent structure, the size and length of the walls is a sight to behold, inside are the typically brilliant Mughal stonework and carvings seen on the other great monuments. We wandered around and saw the various halls of public/private audience and other monuments. Afterwards we went for a stroll in the Chandani Chowk (http://www.exploredelhi.com/places-to-visit/chandni-chowk.html) market located just outside the main gate. One of my priorities at the time was to get a mobile phone working. My girlfriend and I both had Australian phones which were extremely expensive to use in India. We had some local sim cards but they wouldn't work without the phones being 'unlocked'. In my quest to unlock the phone I stupidly dropped it off at one of the tiny phone repair shops on the side of the road after he assured me he could do the job. It was only after I left that I realised I had left my phone to a stranger in possibly one of the most unsafe cities in India. Luckily not everyone in Delhi is as bad as they say because he gave me my phone back but was unable to get it unlocked and working with the Indian sim card. Wandering around the market we saw several Indian street food specialities, samosa's, stuffed puri's and various other dumpling like things that make my mouth water to think about now. At the time we were not brave enough to try them, the risk of getting sick so early on in the trip put us off.
That evening my girlfriend did end up getting sick, though it probably wasn't from the food but rather just tiredness from the overnight bus trip and possibly a bit of dehydration. It was extremely hot while walking around the Red Fort which was a bit of a shock after the cool of McLeod Gange. I ordered room service for myself while she slept, Navratan Kourma and a few naans, cost about Rs100 ($2.5) and was absolutely delicious, the Navratan Kourma had a fantastic Smokey flavour from the Tandoor oven I presume - or possibly just from some other food that was burning at the time.
Day 2
The next day had us out to the Jamma Masjid (http://www.bharatonline.com/delhi/religious-places/mosques/jama-masjid.html) which is a nice old and still operational mosque, for a small fee we were allowed to climb one of the minaretts. It's several hundred steps up in a tight cramped and very dark stairway before reaching the top, the walk up really takes you back to how things must've been in times gone by. It's a hard stuffy climb but well worth it as at the top you're rewarded with great views of old Delhi and the Red Fort. Wandering around the courtyard we came across a group of foreigners with a guide and thought we might eves drop to find out a bit more, as luck would have it was a French group and the guide was of course speaking French which was no good for us!
The afternoon of that day had us out to Connaught Place (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connaught_Place,_New_Delhi) to try to book our travel arrangements for the next part of the trip. The day happened to be a public holiday so most of the shops were closed and relatively few people walking the streets. This area proved to be a nightmare for us, we couldn't stop for even 1 minute without a horde of people approaching and trying to befriend us. We were still fairly naive at that point and would politely decline offers of help, though the constant attention was wearing us down. Eventually we gave in and were led to a 'government approved' travel agency. Our goal was to book some train tickets between Delhi-> Agra and then onwards through Rajasthan. The seemingly nice man showed us that no trains were available and then attempted to sell us a rental car+driver for the next 3 weeks at about RS20000, after listening politely for a long time we took some brochures and to his dismay left without buying anything. By this point we were very wary of people trying to lead us off. The goal for us was to reach the foreign tourist reservation office at New Delhi station (http://www.indianrail.gov.in/intert.html) this is a place where foreigners can book tickets on trains that are otherwise full for Indians, they have separate quotas for foreigners. Because the office is government run the locals won't tell you about it, they don't get any commission from the it. We were now battle hardened and put our game faces on, we were like gladiators running the gauntlet, fending off opponents along the way, making a bee-line right for our target at New Delhi station. The office was tricky to find as no one would tell us exactly where it was, always pointing us in the wrong direction back to smaller non-government agencies. Eventually after asking a police officer we found the place, and what a relief! My girlfriend and I spent a few minutes high fiving and rejoicing as if we'd just won the Olympic marathon. Unfortunately for us the office needed originals of passports to book tickets, we left them in the hotel room! On the plus side they assured us there were plenty of seats available for all the destinations we wanted, a small victory at least! We left the office disappointed but not defeated, resolved to come back early next morning with the required passports and book the tickets.
In the evening we went for a walk around the Karol Bagh area outside the hotel and witnessed a classic and rife crime in India, credit card theft. Two guys who had between them about 10-15 credit cards and ATM cards were at an ATM withdrawing the maximum allowed on each card. We happened to be waiting to use the ATM, after about 15 minutes of watching them withdraw what must've been RS100,000 or more we decided dodgy dealings were in place and took off. I decided to try my hand at bargaining in the market, finding a pair of sunglasses that looked quite stylish I bargained the guy down to Rs150 which I thought was a good deal considering he started at Rs500. My mistake became obvious over the next few days though as the paint and eventually the glasses themselves proceeded to flake off and break. I asked one of the locals for kicks how much he thought the glasses were worth and he said not more than Rs25, oh well at least I was helping the local economy.
My girlfriend being white and me being Indian originally had been drawing a lot of attention from the locals, rickshaw wallas would constantly pull up, vendors would harass us to buy stuff and locals would come up and chat with us . As an experiment I decided to go for a walk myself and see what would happen. It was bliss, I blended right in, no one bothered me, no one even looked twice at me I could browse the shops without being pressured to buy, and I didn't constantly feel like I was the centre of attention. Indians travelling in India and foreigners travelling in India have a vastly different experience. Standing out can be good because waiting in queues or to buy tickets, people tend to serve you first, but quite often all the unwanted attention can be a bit unnerving.
Day 3
The last full day in Delhi we decided to hire a taxi for the day because there were quite a few things left to see. First on the agenda was to do battle once again with the ticket reservation office, armed with our passports, plenty of money and a direct taxi to the station we were feeling confident that today, finally, victory would be ours. As we exited the cab and headed towards the station we were immediately stopped by a nice looking gentleman. He told us there was a platform ticket and we should pay him Rs150 for the privilege of entering the station. Sensing an ambush I went into high gear and pulled out my footy 'Goose Step' to bamboozle past him. He was skilful though and blocked me with an authoritative command to the tune of 'Respect my Authoratah!'. Not so sure of myself I was left standing in front of him, the verbal battle had begun. I pointed out no one else was buying tickets and he countered with a smoke screen of words. I informed him I wasn't going to the platform but rather the foreign tourist office he pulled out his secret weapon 'I'm sorry sir, the office is closed today I'll show you where you can buy tickets' I knew I had him. Before the mission general Lonely Planet had briefed me on this weapon and I knew it was a dud, also, on our reconnaissance mission to the office the previous day we asked specifically if they were open today and they had given us the affirmative. Armed with this knowledge I instructed him out of our way, sensing the battle was lost he finally stepped aside and let us pass. Lo and behold the office was exactly where it had been yesterday and was in fact open. Telling the lady at the office about the guy downstairs trying to stop people coming up she laughed it off with a 'Yep, they'll do that'. The safest thing to do is assume the office exists and is always open unless you verify it for yourself! Thankfully once we made it in we were able to book all our onwards train journeys to Agra, Rajasthan and back to Mumbai.
The taxi then took us around to all the obligatory Delhi sights, Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, Humayum's Tomb. I won't go into them as googling them will give adequate details about each. I will mention a couple of things however, at Qutub minar we saw a lady perpetrating the 'photo' scam, standing out of sight of authorities she would ask to take a picture of you using your camera. After the picture is taken she asks for a large amount of money as payment for this service. My girlfriend and I were wise to this type of thing now, so we weren’t taken in, but we did watch as she got quite a bit out of some other unsuspecting foreigners. The other thing worth mentioning is the outstanding Italian lunch we had, in Delhi, that day. The restaurant was listed in Lonely Planet, and after eating Indian for so long the flavours of tomato and Basil were a welcome change! The four fourths pizza (each quarter has a different topping) and pasta were outstanding, possibly the best Italian I’ve ever had!!(though our sense of taste was probably skewed after so much Indian food). Humayum's tomb was also amazing, it's basically the Taj Mahal but not made of Marble. The enclosure has a lot of areas to explore which is good fun, lets you live as an archaeologist for a few hours.
India 3, Mcleod Gange
After about 6 long hours on the bus from Pathankot we arrived in Dharamsala and caught a rickshaw up to our final destination McLeod Gange - the current residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After a bit of searching and a short walk we arrived at our hotel, Kareri Lodge http://123himachal.com/karerilodge/karerilodge.htm The room was supposed to cost us Rs1000 per night but for some reason the very nice owner decided to charge us Rs660. What a fantastic room too! It had the most amazing view right over the valley and surrounding plains.
After arriving in India only a few days prior, it seemed like we'd left and stepped into some kind of Tibetan heaven. Mcleod gange is a small town sitting right on the mountain side, with tiny twisting lanes that are shared between cars, pedestrians and street vendors. A truly amazing place with fresh, cool air, amazing views and an atmosphere of calmness rarely found anywhere in India. We spent our time visiting the Dalai Lama's monastery, shopping and eating. The steamed momo's available there are absolutely fantastic, and cost about Rs10 for a plate of 5. My first taste of Indian street food was, ironically Tibetan momos.
There are plenty of trekking options around Mcleod gange too, on one of the clear days we walked up to Dharamkot and towards Triund and back. I was feeling adventurous one day and set off to find a new route to the Dalai Lama's temple in shorts and thongs, the weather did not look kindly on this transgression of mine and decided to dump an unholy amount of water on me. At the same time my new route did not work out as planned, all those little roads that appear to join up on the map actually never do. I had to spend a good half an hour trekking through mud and slush in the pouring rain, getting stung several times by some crazy thorny plant before finally making it back in one piece to the hotel .
At one of the restaurants for dinner my girlfriend and I witnessed an angry manager and his waiter in a yelling match that resulted in a mini fist fight. Being the pigs that we were instead of leaving we proceeded to finish our delicious meal, no sense wasting all that food right?
After 4 nights of rest food and absorbing the views we were fully recovered from the chaos of Amritsar, and ready to proceed on to the chaos of Delhi. We had booked a private overnight bus from McLeod Gange to Delhi and were fully prepared for the ride this time. Upon boarding the bus I shut my eyes, said a prayer(even though I'm not overly religious) and tried to sleep. I could feel myself being thrown up against the side of the bus and then the other way but tried to put it out of my mind. Thankfully the bus made a couple of scheduled stops along the way allowing me to get off and stretch my legs. Almost as soon as we crossed the Himachal Pradesh state border and into Hariyana the roads flattened out, straightened out and improved dramatically. As the sun rose we were on the outskirts of Delhi heading in.
India 2, Amritsar To Dharamsala
The train station wasn't too far from our hotel, the very friendly room attendant had ordered a cycle rickshaw for us, however the thought of an hour on a cycle rickshaw followed by about 8 hours of train and bus travel didn't sound appealing so we grabbed an auto rickshaw instead.We arrived relatively early this was our first big travel the destination was Dharamsala. Amritsar is a small station so there wasn't much rush.
Our trip on the train was nice, since we were going to Dharamsala we had to get off th
e train at Pathankot and grab a 5 hour public bus the rest of the way. I was famished at Pathankot and we decided to grab a meal just outside the train station at an authentic Punjabi dhaba. It was a small dark dingy restaurant with a big wok and tandoor roaring on the footpath outside. I suspect it was frequented by taxi and truck drivers rather than foreign tourists, the patrons all seemed to be eyeing us as we walked in. I am glad for eating there though as for about RS60 - less than $2 we had roti, naan, dhal and veggie curry. It was absolutely delicious, possibly because we were hungry, food always tastes better when you're hungry!With our bellies satiated we trekked back out into the sweltering heat, it was about 2pm by now. We were hunting for the bus stand and my only weapon was a little broken Hindi. 'Bus stand kaha heyy' I would blurt to anyone who'd listen - 'where is the bus stand', eventually someone informed us it was about 1/2 a kilometre away and instead of walking in the heat with our heavy packs we decided to grab a cycle rickshaw. Bargaining as a foreigner is fun, there’s no way to get a fair price so it's best just to do your best and enjoy it. He started at RS50 and we bargained him down to RS20(still way too much) and hopped on. Along the short journey we noticed he was working quite hard to lug us and our luggage along in the burning sun. We decided to give him RS50 anyway, when we stopped at the bus station he looked tired so we gave him 100, the smile on his face alone was worth it. One of the men at the station saw this and said something to him along the lines of 'This is your lucky day!'. The thing is to us that is about $2.50 while to him that's a day’s wage, it might allow him to enjoy something he normally could never afford such as a movie ticket or a nice meal. We never felt too bad getting ripped off and it was quite common for us to give double the fare to cycle rickshaw drivers. We were suckers, I know, but their job is a long day of hard labour for little money and no respect so it hardly seems fair to screw them out of 5 or 10 Rupees, an amount of money we wouldn't even pick up off the ground if we found it in Australia.
The Pathankot public bus stand wasn't quite as chaotic as I'd imagined, a rather large dustbowl surrounded by ticket vendors and food stalls. It was reasonably busy with people milling around and busses roaring in and out. Upon finding the correct booth for busses going to Dharamsala I discovered the attendant was fast asleep at his post. Rousing him took a few subtle ahems and after a leisurely round of stretches he finally asked me what I wanted. After a brief discussion I was able to buy 2 tickets to Dharamsala and also find out which bus to board, it was already waiting with people already boarding. We boarded the bus and grabbed two seats near the middle. Waiting for the bus to leave was like waiting for the previews to end in a movie theatre, there was a parade of street vendors who would each take turns standing inside near the front of the bus putting on an elaborate marketing campaign to sell their wares. I had expected them to hop off as the bus started moving however this only seemed to make them more determined to make a sale. A good 5 minutes after we had started the last of them bailed out, of course the driver didn't slow down to let them off.
This being the first long distance bus journey of the trip in my infinite wisdom I had brought a pair of dust masks for my girlfriend and I. They served a few important functions, one was to keep the dust - and there was a lot of it, out of our lungs, the second was to make us look like scary aliens, the last was to broadcast my girlfriend and I as newbie foreign travellers ripe to be laughed at and mocked in languages unfamiliar to us, the dust masks performed this function brilliantly.The bus was full of a mix of foreigners and Indians, the foreigners were all heading to Dharamsala while
the Indians would hop on and off at the various 'stops' along the way. They are only really stops by name though as the bus rarely came to a complete stop, rather men and women would run and jump on clinging to the bus for dear life. Only for the very elderly did the bus wheels actually stop turning. Along the way the bus emptied out and filled up several times, the Indian's view of personal space is very different to yours or mine. To them, the space you physically occupy is your personal space, everything else is fair game. Frequently people would lean on or over me, press up against me and just in general be too close for comfort. Too close for my comfort that is, because it occurred to me they were very comfortable.
Along the way I witnessed some of the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever seen, enjoyed at similarly breathtaking speed. Dharamsala is at an altitude, climbing the mountain would force most people to slow down despite the busted up look of the bus it seemed to climb the mountain and take corners like a race car. That driver should have been driving in the Indianapolis 500 rather than wasting his time shuttling people up a mountain! After about 6 long hours we arrived in Dharamsala and caught a rickshaw up to our final destination McLeod Gange
India 1, Amritsar
Well I finally managed to get a chance to travel around India (with my girlfriend) and it was great! I had no idea there were so many varied activities available and each city we visited had something special about it. We split the trip up into a few parts, the first month - Oct 1st to 25th or so travelling the North. Diwali in Mumbai with my family then 3 short trips to Aurangabad, Goa and Nagpur. My girlfriend returned to Australia after Nagpur on the 12th of November. After a 2 week break in Nagpur with my grandparents I continued on to South India alone for a whirlwind 7 day trip. On the itinerary were Chennai, Allepy Munnar and Kochi followed by a flight back to Mumbai!
Amritsar
We touched down from Australia directly in Amritsar late at night and left the airport to find our taxi-wallah standing there with my name on a piece of paper. After he realized neither of us could speak Hindi he gestured wildly for us to follow him to his very comfortable AC cab. The ride to the hotel was a nice soft introduction to the craziness of India, being late and a smaller city there weren’t too many people around and the darkness prevented us from seeing too much outside.
Arrival
Arrival and check in at 'Hotel Airlines' went smoothly, a quaint little place with a dusty outdoor garden. Room was clean, large and had air-conditioning, a must as we discovered for the scorching October heat. As with most of the places we visited safety is not a high priority for Indians, this was strikingly obvious to us from the way the air conditioners were positioned. The condensed water dripped directly onto the only walkway to the rooms. The tiles there were polished smooth and thanks to the air conditioners, constantly soaking wet creating a deadly game of Russian roulette for guests entering and exiting the rooms. The room attendant there was extremely nice and friendly, as we later discovered his shift started at 8am and went to 10pm, every single day. I can't imagine he got paid very much so we made sure to tip him very well.
The next day started with a recon mission on foot around the hotel. Stepping out from the oasis of the hotel we were blasted for the first time by the full force of India. Rickshaws, cars, busses, goats, dogs, scooters, beggars, hawkers and a baffling supply of errant cows rushed along the road outside the hotel. I being Indian by birth was able to blend in, but my girlfriend being Australian was like a magnet for touts and rickshaw wallahs. They would constantly pull up right in front of us, blocking out path and ask if we require a rickshaw. Upon rejecting one a second would pull up, then a third and so on. The stream is never ending and almost drives you insane! After a brisk 'stroll' which required a catlike sixth sense to avoid being hit by a wayward scooter and the agility of an Olympic hurdler to dodge the rickshaws pulling up in our path, we returned drenched in sweat to the hotel.
Wagah Border
That evening we went to see the Wagah border ceremony where Indian and Pakistani border security try out stomp each other. The crush of people was unbelievable, all sweaty and smelly but remarkably peaceful in their jostling for a good view. A grandstand had been erected to allow more people to see the ceremony and the battle to climb the narrow staircase to the top was furious. The crowd itself was almost as interesting as the ceremony, shouts and cheers were going up constantly trying to drown out the Pakistani cheers on the other side of the border. The ceremony itself seemed like some kind of crazy theatre show.
Larger than life lanky characters wearing outrageous costumes stomping and yelling their way up and down the narrow road to the gate. Scowling across at their counterparts on the Pakistani side and despite the turbulent history between the two countries it never seemed like there was any hostility. As the sun came down the border gate was closed and I made a swift escape before the majority, down the rickety stairs that lined the grandstand. Pickpockets are a major problem at busy locations and thankfully both my girlfriend and I came out with all our possessions intact.
Having a nice hotel to retreat to is priceless. After an outing it feels like returning to heaven after a battle with the devil in hell. We slept soundly that night.
Golden Temple
Next morning was a trip to the Golden Temple, we were still not used to the heat and it was scorching! The main drawcard is that some parts of it are made out of gold however the structure itself is not particularly intricate or impressive in its construction. There were as usual thousands of people in the temple complex, the line to enter the temple itself stretched for about 100m and was moving painfully slow. We decided not to go inside the temple but rather to walk around the courtyard and temple complex. As with most of the holy places in India, a strange sense of peace descended on me as I entered the temple complex, this in itself made the visit worthwhile. We sat in the shade for sometime enjoying the crazy calmness of the place before moving off in search of lunch.
Just outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar we stopped for lunch at a small Punjabi dhabba and enjoyed a fantastic meal of Roti, Naan, Paratha and vegetable curry which cost for the two of us less than $3.
After our delicious lunch we headed back to the hotel, which now seemed almost like a 5 star luxury resort to us compared to the chaos on the street. It was time to get some rest as the next day was to be the first experience of the Indian public transport system!
Amritsar
We touched down from Australia directly in Amritsar late at night and left the airport to find our taxi-wallah standing there with my name on a piece of paper. After he realized neither of us could speak Hindi he gestured wildly for us to follow him to his very comfortable AC cab. The ride to the hotel was a nice soft introduction to the craziness of India, being late and a smaller city there weren’t too many people around and the darkness prevented us from seeing too much outside.
Arrival
Arrival and check in at 'Hotel Airlines' went smoothly, a quaint little place with a dusty outdoor garden. Room was clean, large and had air-conditioning, a must as we discovered for the scorching October heat. As with most of the places we visited safety is not a high priority for Indians, this was strikingly obvious to us from the way the air conditioners were positioned. The condensed water dripped directly onto the only walkway to the rooms. The tiles there were polished smooth and thanks to the air conditioners, constantly soaking wet creating a deadly game of Russian roulette for guests entering and exiting the rooms. The room attendant there was extremely nice and friendly, as we later discovered his shift started at 8am and went to 10pm, every single day. I can't imagine he got paid very much so we made sure to tip him very well.The next day started with a recon mission on foot around the hotel. Stepping out from the oasis of the hotel we were blasted for the first time by the full force of India. Rickshaws, cars, busses, goats, dogs, scooters, beggars, hawkers and a baffling supply of errant cows rushed along the road outside the hotel. I being Indian by birth was able to blend in, but my girlfriend being Australian was like a magnet for touts and rickshaw wallahs. They would constantly pull up right in front of us, blocking out path and ask if we require a rickshaw. Upon rejecting one a second would pull up, then a third and so on. The stream is never ending and almost drives you insane! After a brisk 'stroll' which required a catlike sixth sense to avoid being hit by a wayward scooter and the agility of an Olympic hurdler to dodge the rickshaws pulling up in our path, we returned drenched in sweat to the hotel.
Wagah Border
That evening we went to see the Wagah border ceremony where Indian and Pakistani border security try out stomp each other. The crush of people was unbelievable, all sweaty and smelly but remarkably peaceful in their jostling for a good view. A grandstand had been erected to allow more people to see the ceremony and the battle to climb the narrow staircase to the top was furious. The crowd itself was almost as interesting as the ceremony, shouts and cheers were going up constantly trying to drown out the Pakistani cheers on the other side of the border. The ceremony itself seemed like some kind of crazy theatre show.
Larger than life lanky characters wearing outrageous costumes stomping and yelling their way up and down the narrow road to the gate. Scowling across at their counterparts on the Pakistani side and despite the turbulent history between the two countries it never seemed like there was any hostility. As the sun came down the border gate was closed and I made a swift escape before the majority, down the rickety stairs that lined the grandstand. Pickpockets are a major problem at busy locations and thankfully both my girlfriend and I came out with all our possessions intact.Having a nice hotel to retreat to is priceless. After an outing it feels like returning to heaven after a battle with the devil in hell. We slept soundly that night.
Golden Temple
Next morning was a trip to the Golden Temple, we were still not used to the heat and it was scorching! The main drawcard is that some parts of it are made out of gold however the structure itself is not particularly intricate or impressive in its construction. There were as usual thousands of people in the temple complex, the line to enter the temple itself stretched for about 100m and was moving painfully slow. We decided not to go inside the temple but rather to walk around the courtyard and temple complex. As with most of the holy places in India, a strange sense of peace descended on me as I entered the temple complex, this in itself made the visit worthwhile. We sat in the shade for sometime enjoying the crazy calmness of the place before moving off in search of lunch.
Just outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar we stopped for lunch at a small Punjabi dhabba and enjoyed a fantastic meal of Roti, Naan, Paratha and vegetable curry which cost for the two of us less than $3.After our delicious lunch we headed back to the hotel, which now seemed almost like a 5 star luxury resort to us compared to the chaos on the street. It was time to get some rest as the next day was to be the first experience of the Indian public transport system!
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