India - pt. 2 - Delhi

Day 1: Arrival in New Delhi

As you step out of the airport doors, you will feel eyes staring at you and people shouting at you to get in their taxis. Head straight to the prepaid taxi booth and ignore everyone else. Tell them the name of your hotel and go straight there, this way it’s trustworthy and safe. You’ll see your first sight of people sleeping on the streets, dogs and cows roaming everywhere, poverty in every direction and traffic like you’ve never seen before. It might seem as though there are no road rules here, but in fact one has to have next level skills to drive these roads. People will try to help you with your bags or give you directions and then expect you to tip them. You do not need to. By the time I got to my hotel, Hotel Metro View in Karol Bagh, I needed some time to take it all in and give my brain some time to relax. There are many market streets in Karol Bagh, with insanely cheap prices on beautiful clothes, bags, jewellery, etc. Walking down these streets, people will stare at you and hassle you to buy their products. You will feel overwhelmed but it’s still safer than you think. Slightly too nervous to leave the room on my own, I spent the rest of the evening indoors, preparing myself for the 8 exciting days to come.

Day 2: New Delhi

Delhi is divided inTo the old town and the new town, which show quite a contrast after you’ve visited them both. Get an auto-rickshaw (or tuk tuk) around the city but make sure to not let them rip you off. You should only pay around 100 rupees for a 10-15 min journey (around a pound) and most of the time the driver will be happy to wait outside for you while you are at a tourist attraction. In New Delhi you can explore places such as Gandhi Smriti, the shrine of which Mahatma Gandhi spent his last 8 years of his life. It even shows his last footsteps and where he got shot and killed in 1948.

Afterwards head to Humayan’s tomb which is nicknamed the mini Taj Mahal, and learn about the ancient history of the Mughal Emperor Humayan. The beautiful red structure was built in 1569-1570 and costs INR500 entry.

You’ll probably be starving by now, get some lunch nearby, then head to the Delhi Stepwell or Agrasen ki Baoli and tell your auto driver to take you past India Gate to get some photos on the way. The stepwell is this beautiful protected monument that burrows deep into the ground. It was built in the 14th century and people used it to reach water. There are over 3ooo ancient stepwells in India but this is one of the deepest. I had never seen anything like it.

Day 3: Old Delhi

Take a walk around the crazy streets of old Delhi. You will be in complete sensory overload. We caught the metro from Karol Bagh which was much more pleasant than you would expect. They even have separate female air conditioned carriages for comfort and safety. When we got out the station at Old Delhi, it was like nothing any of us had ever experienced. We all stood there in awe for about 5 minutes to take in everything around us. The streets were intense, with none stop hooting, cows and goats in between the traffic, barefooted people staring at us like we were celebrities and telephone wires almost covering the sky

Walk about 20 mins to Jama Masjid, the biggest mosque in India made of the same red stone as the Delhi red fort (which you should visit too). Wonder around this beautiful holy structure and take lots of photos before heading off towards the Sikh Temple.

Jama Masjid

Walk through the hustle and bustle of the spice markets and stop for a street chai. It will be the best chai you’ll find as it’s made authentically and all the organic herbs and spices are added while they’re fresh. Make sure you see it boil properly though to avoid getting sick.

Once you’ve reached the Sikh Temple, or Gurudwara Bangla sahib, go inside to experience the volunteer musicians playing beautiful music and people passing through to pay their daily respects. The energy inside this white hall covered in red and gold decoration and flowers is just magical. Each day volunteers cook enough food to feed over 3000 people, anyone who wishes may eat here and spend as much time as they need in the beautiful and well respected area.

Continue to Pt 3 to find out the rest!