Our Delhi Diary

I’m not sure what we were expecting of Delhi – heat, crowds, and the unwanted attention of conmen?  Well yes there were crowds and yes we drew scammers like wasps to a jam pot but Delhi was a much more pleasant experience than expected and we met lots of locals keen to chat and with the aid of our trusty driver we’ve visited many of the major attractions.

We’re staying in Connaught Place and arriving in mid-afternoon we head out to acclimatise.  Personally, we like to acclimatise with a couple of cold refreshments so we were shocked to hear that because of the local elections Sunday was a DRY day – even in hotels.  Undeterred we mingle with the strolling crowds.

Sunday is the day everyone goes for a walk so it was busy and with elections taking place there were demonstrations involving loud drumming and fierce brush waving which made things interesting especially when a bus load of police arrived with batons in hand to chase away the brush wielding protestors.  I cannot believe that within hours of our arrival things are kicking off.  I am starting to think trouble follows us around.

Certainly the scammers follow us around – taxi touts, travel touts and the shoe shiners. The poo on shoe scam is classic – suddenly some dirt appears on your shoe only for a shoe cleaner to miraculously appear and offer to clean it off for a price.  Well it happened to John, how and when we don’t know although for the amount of mess involved I thought we’d have noticed a horse stopping to unload.  Cue appearance of shoe shiner, cue short shrift from John who went into full Seargeant-Major ‘It Ain’t Half Hot' mode and gave the would-be shiner a volley of abuse.  The powerful jet of the bum gun soon cleaned things up.

Our first day centered around graves and shrines – the Brits, Ghandi, Humayun, the Sayyid and Lodi rulers and the Indian war dead. Nicolson Cemetery is a quiet spot away from the hustle and bustle of Old Delhi.  Pushing open the old metal gates we find well-tended graves with headstones that hint of fascinating tales of the days of the Raj.  Many headstones are of servicemen and their families although some are simply marked ‘Deo Notus’.  Not surprisingly, we have the place to ourselves.

Many of the main attractions are closed on a Monday and those that are open appear to be the focus for school trips for thousands of young pupils, most of whom want to say hello and enquire after our health.  Once one pupil plucks up the courage to talk to us the rest of the group follow and we pass by in a chorus of greetings, smiles, waves and handshakes although the teachers aren’t always so pleased to see us as they keep the kids in line.

Raj Ghat has well tended gardens and a simple marble square that marks the spot where Gandhi was cremated.  The school parties pour by as we look around but compared to our next stop, Raj Ghat was relatively quiet.  

Humayun’s Tomb is a World Heritage sight and is dotted with tombs featuring some lovely Mughal architecture with Persian influences that inspired other tombs including the Taj Mahal.  

Apparently the Obamas visited when they were in Delhi although I doubt they rubbed shoulders with the throngs of kids.  There’s a real innocence about the children who are well turned out, chat happily in English and whose smiles are infectious.

Lunch at the Chimneys Restaurant was surprisingly good even if the backdrop was rough round the edges.  We felt quite proud of ourselves for venturing into this tiny café and were rewarded with excellent food. Whilst there, we met a couple from Belgium, the Christians who when they heard of our plans kindly made a generous donation towards MS and our impending rally.

After lunch we went to the Lodi gardens where we walked around these peaceful gardens viewing the monuments and more large tombs.  We have been pleasantly surprised at the extent of the green spaces in Delhi, which are in peaceful contrast to the chaos of the roads.  

Every crossing is a trial and junctions pose a risk from traffic and the big-eyed urchins who sidle up to cars stopped at the lights desperately trying to sell us something or begging for money.

The India Gate commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British in the First World War.  The Gate is 42 metres high and attended by servicemen at attention.  The solemnity is however undermined by the usual assortment of unsavory sorts offering kitsch photos and tourist tat.

On our second full day, we dodge the crowds and make an early morning start to visit the massive Red Fort.  The scale is fantastic and the gardens and elegant buildings of the walled city are well worth the early start although the stand-out part for me is the Lahore Gate and the imposing red sandstone walls.  Afterwards, we head off to the airport for Udaipur and the next leg of our travels.