Discovering Delhi!
Trip Start
Jan 18, 2008
1
11
Trip End
Feb 02, 2008
Where I stayed
Namaskar Hotel, New Delhi
Delhi, India
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The arrival...
After a pleasant flight from Perth - (Singapore) - Delhi, (10 hrs of air travel) and finally away from Perth's hot weather (40 degrees C), I arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport to a wintry 11 degrees C at 7:50 pm.!
I had pre-booked a taxi (on-line) from Namaskar Hotel (our recommended budget accommodation whilst in Delhi, also pre-booked on-line) to pick me up from the airport at a cost of 300 rupees ($9. AUD), which turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it saved me bartering for a fare and all the hassles of finding a driver who'd know where the Namaskar was and charge a fair price.
Sanjeev (who'd be our driver for 11 days), a Punjabi family man with a big smile, was waiting - my name handwritten on his sign, and led me to the car - a fairly new 'Tata' (Indian manufactured) sedan with all the main comforts. This would be our main mode of transport while in India and was certainly reliable.
It took us nearly an hour to get thru the traffic, (you are supposed to drive on the left side of the road, like in Aus, though it doesn't seem to matter in some parts of Delhi!) particularly closer to Paharganj (New Delhi), where the hotel is - a maze of bikes, motor bikes, carts, pedestrians, tuk-tuks, cars, buses, trucks, donkeys, cattle going in all directions! Surprisingly they all seem to get to where they're going without an incident!
After our greetings and introductions at the Namaskar Hotel, situated in a narrow lane way in the Main Bazaar (markets), in the little lobby, and after viewing and choosing the slightly bigger room out of 2 possibilities, I headed up 4 flights of steps to the room. It was very basic, with a curtained window, simple furnishings and furniture, clean sheets, a 'western' toilet (no shower/hot water, but we were allowed to use the Manager's bathroom with hot water and a shower!) and the door did lock. Good value, as it was reasonably comfortable and only cost $12 AUD for the room per night. The staff were friendly and helpful as well.
Janice was arriving at around 4:00 am, from her long flight, so lights off and some sleep was in order!
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Day 2...
The next morning, we met up with Sanjeev, and after a breakfast of banana pancakes and Masala tea at Malhotra Restaurant, he drove us to the impressive world heritage listed 15th Century built Humayun's Tomb (Mughal architecture) in old Delhi (after we had visited the house of Syed, a henna and natural beauty products supplier as I wanted to source out importers for my henna supplies, as I am also a henna artist). We also visited another larger importer/supplier and factory (Classic Creations) in Noida, as the New Delhi office was closed (after back and forth phone calls with Sanjeev being the interpretor) and I received complimentary samples of henna products to 'try out' back in Aus.
Our late lunch was delicious (Indian Vegetarian) at the Shiv Dhaba, New Delhi and then we visited the tranquil Baha'i Lotus Temple - a remarkable white marble, symmetrical building of worship with ponds in shapes of petals surrounding the temple, which is surrounded by beautiful gardens.
After a drive past the the Government buildings, the Fort and the India Gate (a WW1 memorial), and a look at a 'Tourist' textile shop (BIG mark-up price wise), we headed back to the Namaskar Hotel.
I had a look, bartered a little and bought a few clothing bargains at the Main Bazaar (markets for the locals, so the prices were very reasonable) and definitely worth spending some time there and they're opened from 10 am - 9:30 pm. Also, just a couple of shops away from the hotel was a little shop that made excellent masala tea (ginger, cardamon, black pepper and tea leaves boiled together in a pot/saucepan) and chai (cloves, cinamon, cardamon, a little black pepper and milk) teas.
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Ready to hit the road...
After a reasonable night's sleep, we said our good-byes to the staff, 'Namaste' (which also can be a greeting) and left the Namaskar Hotel. We visited, again in old Delhi, the Jama Masjid Mosque, which was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, before heading south/eastwards to Agra.
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Comments:
Delhi, when it's dry, often has a blanket of smog or haze covering the city up to the late hours of the morning (just like in Cairo, Egypt) mostly due to the polution and dust. Campfires on the sidewalks are common (one way to keep warm in winter for the poorer folk) and rubbish is often banked up (swept with small twigged brooms) near the edge of the sidewalks, so the paths and streets remain clean (particularly near shops/stalls and busy walkways). There was certainly a variety of housing - from brand new multi story apartments to double story flat roofed houses with elaborate gates, to the ramshackle squallers or 'tents' made of plastic bags, tarps, paper, and cloth where the poor families lived beside busy streets and on unused land (some with old water pumps utilised for washing and drinking) - quite a mixture! The new freeway is also being constructed and roads and monuments being repaired and repainted in readiness for the Commonwealth games there, which will be held in October 2010. Despite this side of Delhi, there are many trees and beautiful landscaped gardens and reserves and it's certainly worth having a good look at this interesting city (and it's historic buildings) and staying for a couple of nights to do so.
Tips & Advice:
You need a 3 round pin (with the 2 smaller round pins at the top) adapter to plug in electrical appliances and for charger units for cameras, phones, etc; so if you buy one while in Delhi or other cities in India (hardware shops or supermarkets) it will only cost around 30 rupees (INR) or $1. AUD.
Beware of the scams, the touts (who can over charge you 300% + for the same or similar item you can buy at the markets or local shops), and the 'guides' who just come up to you and talk to you about the monument or building you happen to be taking an interest in and then demand that you pay them for their time and knowledge!
If someone (usually men) approaches you with intent to tell you all about what you are viewing without asking if you'd like a guide, just be courteous, and a firm "I don't need a guide" and "No thanks" (Ney Shukria!) and turn and walk away. Hopefully he won't be too persistent.
There will be more tips and advice about traveling in and around Delhi near the end of my blog (From the Mountains, back to the City entry), as I returned to Delhi on my own before my flight back to Perth, and you do need to have your wits about you and your common sense!
Price Guide:
* Accommodation at the Namaskar Hotel - from 300 INR ($9. AUD)
* 11 days Taxi hire, including all sightseeing, the fuel and associated expenses, tolls, and driver's accommodation and his meals along the way (booked at Namaskar Hotel and paid on first day of travel) traveling from Delhi - Mathura - Agra - Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur - Ajmer - Pushkar - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Ranakpur - Udaipur (and included expenses and fuel for the driver to return to Delhi) - approx. 24,150 INR ($700. AUD and between 2 of us was just $350. each for traveling nearly 1600 kms! + 690 km for driver's return to Delhi). The more of you sharing the taxi, the cheaper the costs! Hiring a taxi also meant we didn't have to carry a 65 ltr backpack/luggage and shopping bags/parcels - just put them in the lockable boot, and you can visit those palaces/forts, points of interest that public transport doesn't stop readily at, and at a time that suits you!, PLUS your driver knows the areas, some good places to eat, customs/culture etc...and usually can speak quite good English and will help you and advise you where and when he can (and translate)!
* Average cost of a hearty or fill-you-up meal including drinks - 100-250 INR ($3.20-$8.00 AUD) depending on whether you eat at a cafe (Dhaba) or a touristy restaurant.
* Admission to: Humayun's Tomb - $7.50 AUD, Jama Masjid - $6. AUD. Some places will charge a camera/video cam fee.
Useful links:
http://namaskarhotel.com/ For info, tariffs and various tour packages of Namaskar Hotel
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293860-India-Vacations.html Lots of info on travel in India
http://www.xe.com/ucc/ A simple to use currency converter
Comments
hi lady!!!
hi i read ur blog entry , which is exactly the way delhi is . U must be wondering how i know about Delhi. Actually i am a delhite (Indian). ur blog reaaly nice . i m sunil if u happen to visit India again u can mail me at sunil_bansal86@yahoo.com
bye.