Delhi ... India another world that has to be seen to believe

From the Sydney airport we flew with Emirates airlines to Bangkok for an overnight stay before making the final leg of the journey to Delhi. We’ve decided that Emirates is our new favourite airline. The service is great, there is tons of leg room and the entertainment is amazing. Very many movies, tv shows, music and games to choose from. The 9 hour flight melted away and we were in Bangkok before we knew it.
Our quick layover in Bangkok was just long enough to remind us of how much we enjoyed Thailand. The people and the culture is so warm and welcoming. The air has a particular scent and the food is great! We both agreed that Thailand is a country that we will definitely visit in the future. The one thing we forgot about was the departure tax of $25 US per person, which must be paid in cash. It’s really one more chance to rip off foreigners one last time before the lave the country, especially if you only have a lay-over and don’t have any Thai Baht handy. We started the trip to India with a quick introduction to Indian culture. We went to the gate to check in for our flight and were bombarded with a rush of 20+ Indian men raging to check in and get their goods on the plane. All of the passengers were men and they apparently came to Bangkok to buy big screen TV’s, remote controlled helicopters and other similar toys. As we tried to stay in line, we were elbowed and bowled over by trolleys. It took us about 5 seconds to figure out that there really was no line at all. All of the men were checking-in in groups, so if one person was ahead of us in line, it turned out to be really 8 people, it was extremely frustrating. Luckily the Bangkok ground agent saw Ewas frustration and ushered her to a separate check in counter. The flight had the most demanding passengers we have ever seen. The sound of the attendant call button being pushed was non stop. Everyone on the plane wanted something and they wanted it NOW. For example, there was a man already seated and he simply took off his jacket and held it into the aisle. When the attendant came close he looked at her, said thank-you and forced the jacket into her hands, expecting without question, please or thank-you to deal with the jacket.

When we landed in Delhi we were greeted by our Compass (our tour company) representative who was waiting for us along with our driver. He told us that Delhi had their Independence Day on January 26th; we were 3 days late to make it 6/6 with all of the other national holidays we’ve hit in other countries (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Australia). It was already after 10pm and we went straight to the hotel making a stop at an ATM. We are normally cautious and careful at ATM’s, but this time we were more nervous than usual. Our guide and driver both escorted us to the ATM, which was also guarded by two security officers with guns. We’ve since learned that this is not normal for other ATM’s, but it was an intimidating beginning to the trip. The hotel we checked into was decked out in marble and had one of the most comfortable beds we have stayed in since Singapore. Going to sleep that night we were thinking that this leg of the trip was going to be a strange blend of poverty outside our hotel doors and the comfort we would enjoy each evening.

The next morning we were up early for the buffet breakfast, which was an amazing spread of American and Indian food and drinks before meeting our guide for the day. We started in New Delhi, which reflects the legacy the British left behind and marks a division between New and Old Delhi, between the capitals of the British and the Mughals. We first visited the Qutub Minar, the tallest stone tower in India. Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak. The topmost story of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firuz Shah Tughluq. The Qutb Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutb complex.

Next, we drove past the imposing India Gate, the Parliament building and the Rastrapathi Bhawan, the President’s residence. The parliament buildings are a monumental structure built by the British and now occupied by the Indian government. Security is tight and we were not allowed to enter. The India gate is the Indian version of the Arc d’triumph in France. Only, just like the parliament buildings, the gate was built by the British. It is inscribed with the names of 90,000 soldiers who died in the war of the British Indian Army and lost their lives fighting for the British Indian Empire, or more correctly the British Empire in India British Raj in World War I and the Afghan Wars.

Our guide then strayed from our planned itinerary and took us to a Hindu temple the Birla temple. The temple was our first Hindu temple and we saw that it shares many of the same traditions and beliefs with the Buddhist temples we visited in Asia. The Hindu’s actually say that the Buddha was the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In all Mosques and Hindu temples your shoes must be removed and often your socks as well, to show respect. We weren’t allowed to photograph inside the temple, and we will have to rely on our memories for all of the intricate temples, ornamentation and carvings.

We stopped for lunch at what was to be our first of many ‘tourist’ Indian restaurants. The front door is armed by guards and inside there were many servers and no locals. The meal was great, but at the end, our waiter tried to enforce an ‘extra service charge’. Ewa, using her now fully matured and keen backpacker senses saw through the scam and told the waiter that if it is a required charge as he was implying, to put the charge on our bill. After a minute or so of arguing, our guide came to check on us. A few curt exchanges between our guide and the server in Hindi, and we were on our way without paying the added charge.

We visited the Raj Ghat, where Muhammed Ghandi was cremated and then we drove into old Delhi for a rickshaw ride through the small streets of the market. Our guide told us that we would have to tip the rickshaw driver at the end of the ride. Chad gave him 100 rupees, but the driver was forceful enough to demand that this was not enough, and unwittingly Chad gave in and tipped 100 more, which was probably in the end about 150 rupees too much as the driver had already been paid for the trip by our guide. At the end of the Rickshaw ride we stopped at the Jama Masjid, one of India’s largest Mosques. Normally tourists, or any non-Muslims are not allowed to enter, however we arrived a few minutes after one of the prayer sessions and were allowed to go in, for a small charge of course. Our first visit to a mosque was surreal. Although the large dome and courtyard were nearly empty when we visited, the idea of thousands of devotees praying in the square was inspiring. The Mosque has been in constant use since its construction in the early 1600’s. Outside the mosque is a huge ‘soup kitchen’. The mosque provides meals for free to thousands of people every day. They have a space ~80’ x 80’ which they fill with people, sitting cross legged on the floor. Each person is provided a meal of soup, or lentils with naan bread. Once the meal is done, they clear the space, clean it and prepare another meal to be immediately served again. When we were there, hundreds of people of all religions were waiting to get their free meal. That night we relaxed in the hotel chatting about our Indian experience over a bottle of Australian Duty-free wine and headed to bed. On our way to breakfast, we could see from our 5th story window the locals just outside of the gate of our hotel, sitting around a small fire cooking their breakfast. It certainly puts perspective into your life as you are eating your gourmet buffet, knowing how people are living only 100 meters away. After breakfast we were off early on our flight to Varanasi, one of the oldest and most spiritual cities in India.

Taking off cover that Ewa had to wear to be in the Mosque

Delhi ... India another world that has to be seen to believe

Delhi, India