Incredible India

October 29th - November 5th

So, here I am in India, finally... for eight days. So much to say about India here goes...

Monday 29th

Arrive in New Delhi in the morning... first mission find a way to get to the hotel. Paid a pre-paid taxi to the hotel. The taxi, a little black and yellow top mini van, my driver spoke very little english and half way of the trip I realised he didn’t know where my hotel was!!

The ride to the hotel... roads were packed, no lanes on the road everyone was just simply driving - where they could overtake others they would aggressively honk their irritating horns! Roads were also packed with people... walking freely amongst the traffic. As I look around me I see several skinny unhealthy buffalo and dogs roaming the dirty dried paddocks.

My hotel was nice the people at reception were nice too, they spoke english so that was a bonus. Although they overcharge me for my tours and and my room - even though it was still quiet cheap, I didn’t really complain.

The tours I went to were to Agra (Taj Mahal), Jaipur and around New Delhi. All three tours were with Indian people mostly those who came from the North of India wanting to see the South.

Agra tour: Taj Mahal was amazing and beautiful to see. Was like looking at a 3D pop-up card. It was a vision... It’s definitely a must see 7 wonders of the world. It was a long day on the tour to Agra, was at least 5 hour drive by bus from Delhi and it was quiet an adventure... First my bus came late - which I found out that Indian usually are very late and very disorganised, we were meant to leave at 6am but ended leaving at perhaps 9am. Half way down the trip the windscreen smashed! So, the bus driver was driving without a windscreen! and then... the front tyre burst, so there was another 1hr or so changing the tyre. Because we were running so late, my tour was actually quiet rushed! And we had a tour guide that supposedly spoke english but couldn’t understand a word he was saying, his accent was too strong.

On my day off on Wednesday, I went to so Internet cafe... Internet is soo soo slow. India is definitely back in the days, still. People were still using camera’s that required film! and everything is operated by generator like the Internet place. I walked around the block of my hotel, and there just men on the streets literally nothing but men - men do the work and women stay home.

Jaipur tour: Well, this tour once again had a late start! But this time I was sitting in a small van at the back squashed with 8 other people. I lovely family and a couple both from the North of India. Jaipur is a city known for it’s textile and jewellery. Saw a textile and weapons museum for one of he many kings. We also had a english speaking guide, this time I understood what he was saying so it was good. There were alot of camels and elephants on the road in Jaipur which was cool to see.

Thursday, sat on the roof top of my hotel had tandoori chicken and rice some stuffed nan bread, and vegetable pakora (vegetables deep fried in batter) with a bottle of coke. Which cost me a miserly $3! Was great!

Delhi tour: Had a late start to the day once again, also sat on a bus full of Indian orgin tourists. Had a tour guide that spoke english but spent alot of the time on the bus. Saw India Gate, Parliament house, President’s house etc etc.. Whilst I was at India gate, there were several gypsy sitting around trying to sell overpriced souvenirs. Also went to a temple called the Lotus temple (built to look like a Lotus). Actually, during all 3 tours we visited several temples worshipping the Hindi gods. I met a nice Iranian family who, I took many photographs with, using their old wind up Kodak camera!

Sunday was my shopping day! Hire a driver that basically took me wherever i wanted to go for the day for $10! I went to a temple in Delhi that took be four hours to do! It was amazing they temple took 5 years to build because it was all done by 7000 men doing wood carvings!! and every each of the temple was covered in carvings! You were allowed to take photos, it was a shame though it was fantastic! At all these temples too you had to take your shoes off. I wanted to do market shopping but my driver took me too ‘markets’ that were only for foreigners go! so the prices are foreigner prices!

Monday my last day in India. Note everything in Delhi on Mondays, is closed! Accept for the open markets. Karol Bagh market which was a 10min walk from my hotel started at 11am that run all through the night. Even though you could bargain with them they have signs up saying ‘fixed price’. But everywhere you go the sell the same items for pretty much the same price even to locals. During the day, there were only men about but after 6pm, it’s jammed packed with men and women! It was so crowded that you could only see two feet in front of you and there were women! You’ll think it was a festival.

Overall, India is cool. Interesting experience. It’s quiet poor, polluted and populated - with men! But cheap, hot and has amazing monuments. And the food... well, wasn’t too bad but was sick after having two curries in a day!