I boarded Air India flight 102 on December 13, 2011 out of JFK International Airport, nervous energy thrumming in my veins. Here's when I admit my big indulgence: flying business class. After traveling throughout South American by bus for a year, the idea of restrictive spaces for 16 hours makes me twitch. Plus I woke up at 4am, flew JetBlue to New York and had a five hour layover. I was ready for all that Air India luxury to be heaped on me.
I have packed pretty ambitiously for this trip, carrying only one 20" hardside Samsonite and a day bag. I'm more than a little nervous about choosing a roller suitcase over a backpack, but I feel like I'm too old and too sophisticated for those big packs. My luggage includes:
My traveling companions chose the B&B we reserved, based on a third-party recommendation. The nightly rate is reasonable, though I was miffed when told my airport pickup would cost 1100 rupees, or $20. I know that is highway robbery, but maybe like my business class ticket, I should have put up and shut up so I had a secure first ride into Delhi.
Delhi, of course, is the capital of India, and home to more than 22 million Indians. The US is home to 307 million people total, with big cities averaging 2 to 8 million. So when you're told to expect a crush of people, well the average American has no idea what to really expect. I think the premise alone was enough to make me nervous, and I was grateful to see a driver waiting with my name on a card.
B&B G-49 is located in Nizamuddin West, near Jangpura Metro station, and with easy access to Khan Market and some public gardens. My room was decent and I was glad to just stay in my room rocking back and forth the first night. Perhaps a touch dramatic, but for someone who loves to travel and does so rather boldly, I'm a homebody who gets nervous about big changes to my routine. Plus with the prospect of a whole day to myself before my friend arrived, I had seen just enough Delhi for my first day.
I thought I had beaten my jet lag when I awoke on the 15th at 6am, got ready for the day and breakfasted. Armed with no map and sketchy directions from the hotel owner on how to get to the metro, I set off at 9am. Somehow I did make it to Jangpura and purchased a 150 INR tourist 1-day card, which turned out to be a great value. I headed to Rajiv Chowk/Connaught Place first, and bumbled my way through the streets to find the Tourist office, where I picked up a map. Back on the metro I made my way to Khan Market stop and on to the market itself for a very emotionally healing shopping session. It's a curiously designed shopping zone but is easy to navigate and meander through. A friend recommended eating at The Big Chill, so I did, but honestly, I came to India to eat Indian food, so my mushroom risotto didn't really hit the spot.
Out of Khan Market to Lodi Gardens; I felt transported back to Seville's Parque Maria Luisa with it's shady greenery and open space. After a wander through and around the park's mosques and shrines I began my long trek the length of Lodi Road to Humayun's Tomb. Crowds and crowds of children on school trips filled the entry park of the tomb, surrounding me in waves, shouting "hi!" and "bye!"
Humayun's Tomb was ordered up in 1562 by one of the Emperor's wives, Hamida Banu Begum, and serves as an eternal resting place for not only Emperor Humayun, but also Hamida and her children, a Hindu wife and her children, as well as one of Shah Jahan's children, Dara Shikoh. The tomb was the first of it's kind in a number of respects, including the tomb's garden grounds, and a number of architectural details that became signatures of Mughal design. Due to some renovations happening right now on the main edifice, you can really only peek into the auxilary tomb rooms, but Humayun's central room is beautifully open and symmetrical, with afternoon light pouring in through lattice-covered windows (jaalis). Once the children were poured back into their school buses, the experience was quiet peaceful.
The next day my traveling companions were scheduled to arrive, and I woke up bright and early at 1am in anticipation, or because I had, in fact, not beat jet lag. Spent the whole day not sleeping but very tired, greeted my friends with an exhausted smile and accompanied them to their spa appointments at Asian Roots. Lizzie and I departed to Dilli Haat for veg thalis at a food stall and quite contentedly headed back to G-49 to sleep.
Our last day in Delhi flew by pleasantly, if a bit chilly. First we stopped by the President's Palace, which was large and heavily guarded, so we moved on to the much more welcoming Laxmi Narayan Birla Mandir, a Hindu Temple opened in 1939 by Mahatma Gandhi, which pays homage to the Goddess of Wealth Lakshmi as well as a number of other important figures. As a westerner, you never quite get used to seeing swastikas all over religious temples, but obviously the meaning is ancient and more peaceful than it's more famous appropriation. We asked Ganesha to look over us and help us overcome any obstacles we encounter, then said hello to Lakshmi before continuing on our way.
Next we went to the Red Fort, which is imposing and surprisingly spacious behind those walls. That's also where the photo requests started; Indians coming up to ask (or not) if they could have a photo of or with a giant white person. Sometimes it's endearing if a whole family wants a photo with you, but less so when shifty teenage boys take camera phone photos of you without asking. We decided to return to Dilli Haat for a bit more shopping and significantly more eating in the afternoon, which made for a perfect finish to our Delhi experience.
Now south, to Agra.
I have packed pretty ambitiously for this trip, carrying only one 20" hardside Samsonite and a day bag. I'm more than a little nervous about choosing a roller suitcase over a backpack, but I feel like I'm too old and too sophisticated for those big packs. My luggage includes:
- 3 lightweight shirts with varying sleeve lengths
- 1 pair lightweight trousers
- 5 pairs of socks, ditto on 'pants'
- 1 one-piece bathing suit
- 1 convertible dress/skirt
- 1 pair flats, ditto to flip flops
- 1 moisture-wicking, bug repelling sleep sack liner
- 1 quick-dry towel
- 1 technology bag full of cords and adapters
- 1 makeup bag, so I don't look like a hobo all the time
- 2 tyvek bags for carrying anticipated shopping finds (once suitcase is full...)
- 1 enormous medical bag with everything from dried cherries, bumblebars, bandaids, peptobismol tablets and q-tips to cipro, anti-chafing bar, anti-malarials, deet and antacid
My traveling companions chose the B&B we reserved, based on a third-party recommendation. The nightly rate is reasonable, though I was miffed when told my airport pickup would cost 1100 rupees, or $20. I know that is highway robbery, but maybe like my business class ticket, I should have put up and shut up so I had a secure first ride into Delhi.
Delhi, of course, is the capital of India, and home to more than 22 million Indians. The US is home to 307 million people total, with big cities averaging 2 to 8 million. So when you're told to expect a crush of people, well the average American has no idea what to really expect. I think the premise alone was enough to make me nervous, and I was grateful to see a driver waiting with my name on a card.
B&B G-49 is located in Nizamuddin West, near Jangpura Metro station, and with easy access to Khan Market and some public gardens. My room was decent and I was glad to just stay in my room rocking back and forth the first night. Perhaps a touch dramatic, but for someone who loves to travel and does so rather boldly, I'm a homebody who gets nervous about big changes to my routine. Plus with the prospect of a whole day to myself before my friend arrived, I had seen just enough Delhi for my first day.
I thought I had beaten my jet lag when I awoke on the 15th at 6am, got ready for the day and breakfasted. Armed with no map and sketchy directions from the hotel owner on how to get to the metro, I set off at 9am. Somehow I did make it to Jangpura and purchased a 150 INR tourist 1-day card, which turned out to be a great value. I headed to Rajiv Chowk/Connaught Place first, and bumbled my way through the streets to find the Tourist office, where I picked up a map. Back on the metro I made my way to Khan Market stop and on to the market itself for a very emotionally healing shopping session. It's a curiously designed shopping zone but is easy to navigate and meander through. A friend recommended eating at The Big Chill, so I did, but honestly, I came to India to eat Indian food, so my mushroom risotto didn't really hit the spot.
Out of Khan Market to Lodi Gardens; I felt transported back to Seville's Parque Maria Luisa with it's shady greenery and open space. After a wander through and around the park's mosques and shrines I began my long trek the length of Lodi Road to Humayun's Tomb. Crowds and crowds of children on school trips filled the entry park of the tomb, surrounding me in waves, shouting "hi!" and "bye!"
Humayun's Tomb was ordered up in 1562 by one of the Emperor's wives, Hamida Banu Begum, and serves as an eternal resting place for not only Emperor Humayun, but also Hamida and her children, a Hindu wife and her children, as well as one of Shah Jahan's children, Dara Shikoh. The tomb was the first of it's kind in a number of respects, including the tomb's garden grounds, and a number of architectural details that became signatures of Mughal design. Due to some renovations happening right now on the main edifice, you can really only peek into the auxilary tomb rooms, but Humayun's central room is beautifully open and symmetrical, with afternoon light pouring in through lattice-covered windows (jaalis). Once the children were poured back into their school buses, the experience was quiet peaceful.
The next day my traveling companions were scheduled to arrive, and I woke up bright and early at 1am in anticipation, or because I had, in fact, not beat jet lag. Spent the whole day not sleeping but very tired, greeted my friends with an exhausted smile and accompanied them to their spa appointments at Asian Roots. Lizzie and I departed to Dilli Haat for veg thalis at a food stall and quite contentedly headed back to G-49 to sleep.
Our last day in Delhi flew by pleasantly, if a bit chilly. First we stopped by the President's Palace, which was large and heavily guarded, so we moved on to the much more welcoming Laxmi Narayan Birla Mandir, a Hindu Temple opened in 1939 by Mahatma Gandhi, which pays homage to the Goddess of Wealth Lakshmi as well as a number of other important figures. As a westerner, you never quite get used to seeing swastikas all over religious temples, but obviously the meaning is ancient and more peaceful than it's more famous appropriation. We asked Ganesha to look over us and help us overcome any obstacles we encounter, then said hello to Lakshmi before continuing on our way.
Next we went to the Red Fort, which is imposing and surprisingly spacious behind those walls. That's also where the photo requests started; Indians coming up to ask (or not) if they could have a photo of or with a giant white person. Sometimes it's endearing if a whole family wants a photo with you, but less so when shifty teenage boys take camera phone photos of you without asking. We decided to return to Dilli Haat for a bit more shopping and significantly more eating in the afternoon, which made for a perfect finish to our Delhi experience.
Now south, to Agra.
