worldtraveller73

New Delhi (continued)
India

Our tour guide negotiated and arranged for us for a 20-minute rickshaw (peddle cab) tour around Chandi Chowk. Chandi Chowk was the local market outside of the Red Fort area. Our guide did make a joke that we might not come back safely to the car and it was a pretty entertaining experience – for us and for him I’d imagine after seeing all the reactions on tourists over the years. It was an excellent experience and the highlight of our visit to New Delhi.

Our ride led us through old Markets, tiny alleyway streets, through various smells and fabrics areas. The work conditions for this poor driver were dreadful; peddling our 350 lbs combined weight around smog and carbon dioxide filled streets that were stop and go and completely clogged with traffic of all kinds. I paid the negotiated rate of 500 Rupees ($8 USD) including a tip and our driver was super satisfied.















Each area of Chandi Chowk had different items for sale. We traveled through the sari area, the food area and even the textiles area. We were in some different territory and off the general tourist trail when people started really paying attention to us. It wasn’t in a dangerous way, moreover in a very curious way. It was especially prominent with the children that seemed to be just getting off of school.













We wandered through the food stalls – New Delhi’s equivalent to the food fair. I wasn’t adventurous enough to eat items right off the street (more on this later) but most items looked relatively clean.











After our ride, we left Chandi Chowk and headed over to the Red Fort for a brief history lesson. The Red Fort interior was closed for extensive renovations so we had to enjoy the view from the outside. The Red Fort was a massive fort that was converted to a barracks by the British. Shah Jahan founded the fortress between 1638 and 1648 to protect the new capital city of Shahjahanabad but later got imprisoned by his son Auragzeb in the Agra Fort.





We were given the opportunities to design the rest of our tour depending on what we wanted to see. We were slightly ahead of schedule so I had a list of things that we would be interested in seeing. Based on a discussion, we headed over to Raj Ghat. It’s the memorial site for where Mahamtra Gandhi was cremated. There are celebrations here during birthday and death of every year. It was a moving spot to see a leader of Indian history and a particularly stoic spot of significance. It was made more significant by us brushing up on Indian history before we left by watching the 1982 film by Richard Attenborough “Ghandi” before our trip. The inscription on the stone is supposed to read “Oh God” which were Ghandi’s last words before he was assassinated.















We headed on to the India Gate. We were not able to stop immediately at the gate thanks to a special event so we went onto the government buildings at Rajpath. The government buildings are quite impressive overall with typical British architecture. We also got the opportunity to take a closer look at some Hindustan Ambassador Classic’s. According to wikipedia, this model has been in production from 1958 to 2014 and is a favorite with Indian politicians and taxi drivers.











At one end of the Raj Path was the Rastrapti Bhavan and the official residence of the president of India and former home to the British viceroy. We couldn’t get close but the gates were impressive. At the other end of the Rajpath’s eastern end was the India gate. It’s a memorial that paid tribute to 90,000 Indian army soldiers who died in World War I.





We returned to the hotel and had dinner at the Cube (international themed) restaurant on the Leela Palace hotel property. We were aiming for the fine dining Indian restaurant but it was completely closed for the night due to a private function celebrating the life of the hotel founder that had recently passed away. He’d probably turn in his grave if he knew that his restaurant would miss out on 20,000 Flyertalk views within this forum (Laughing). Heading back to Cube restaurant, I don’t have any exciting food shots for you tonight – we split a pizza. The interior was pretty interesting with a neat contemporary flair that was much more exciting than the usual general hotel dining restaurant.





After dinner, we settled in with the some television. Prime Minister Modi was in Canada visiting Toronto on this day. Given the media coverage of his international visit, the guy has rock star status in India. The local New Delhi television was also showing this hilarious television commercial that advertised what a wonderful carrier Air India was. It was so cheeky, I couldn't forget to leave it out of this report. Needless to say, MrsWT73 wasn't proudly announcing "I always fly Air India" after this trip.




Overall, it was a pretty spectacular day with the sights that we saw. New Delhi doesn’t quite have a natural beauty or any one great world renowned attraction, but our pedi-cab around Chandi Chowk was the most fun, interesting, and unique thing that we’ve done traveling in quite a long time. It allowed us to get a bit off the Hop on Hop off bus tourist path and get just a bit closer to the locals. I felt the half day tour was enough to get a short feel of what New Delhi was all about.

HMPS

Thank you WT73.Every year when I visit India, I think of doing a TR with only street and people photos. You have captured that.

Wish you had videos of the foods prep in Chnadni Chowk for others to see. Those anxious, curious to see before I do it on my next trip please go to YouTube, seach for steet food in Delhi, Mumbai tec etc. Quite a "mouthfull" !
Waiting your report on eating street food....the key is to eat THAT WHICH IS JUST COMING OFF THE STOVE OR FRYING PAN. You can season your stomach at a good hotel restaurant first.
Even though I had street food for my growing years everyday, today I go to one small restaurant (very busy + fresh all the time) , eat, no tummy trouble for 24 hours, move onto my favourite beach food vendors ( one I have patronosed for r40 years !). No problems ? continue to day of departure EVERYDAY ^

Yes when you talk to the most "common man " he will tell you his son, daughter etc are or were in USA, UK, Germany, Australia etc.
I am next in Mumbai Oct 23. Can't wait.....heck, a life with two servants, a cook and a chauffeur can't be all that bad .

GuyCCU83

Hi worldtraveller73, Really vivid description on Delhi. Thanks for all the street photography. I believe the name of Presidential Palace of is 'Rastrapati Bhaban'. Rastrapati means President in Hindi.

HMPS

May I correct a typo here ?
Rashtrapati BHAVAN means President's Residence office complex. India has a Parliamentary democracy ( largest in the world!).

worldtraveller73

Thanks HMPS - indeed the stomach needs seasoning, as you will soon seen in the next few chapters. The street scenes in India are amazing and you need only to immerse yourself to get some exposure to it.

Thanks GuyCCU83 - more coming up here shortly. I think I have the typos corrected.

worldtraveller73

Agra, India.

India’s Golden Triangle consists of New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. The transport between the three can be somewhat challenging. There isn’t any one solid or regular way of connecting between the cities. Many people take the train between New Delhi and Agra. Given what I had heard through research and talking with friends, the town of Agra was nothing to right home about. Based on that, I ended up booking us a day trip to Agra from New Delhi, returning to New Delhi in the evening to minimize moving around too much. It was an expensive option but probably the best one for our circumstances. It also allowed us to save a day or two of travel getting in between Agra / New Delhi and Jaipur in that we didn’t have to line up with any train schedules.

At the early hour of 7:30 AM, we departed the Leela Palace for the three hour drive to Agra in another nice BMW 525d sedan. There was a bit of traffic leaving, including an accident not involving us almost right outside the hotel. The accident was dealt with by all drivers within view of the accident abandoning their cars and standing around looking at the situation.





We were on the Yamanua Expressway before we knew it and headed out of New Delhi. The Yamanua Expressway was a new toll highway that has shortened the usual drive to Agra. There were some entertaining signs that were along the way. Some of the signs would have been an issue for civil libertarians back at home. The drive was pretty rural, given that agriculture is an Indian industry. It was also pretty flat along the way.











Agra itself is not a pretty town. I had read about it being a less than appealing place and it’s fair to say that aside from the river and the Taj Mahal, it didn’t have many redeeming qualities to it. The one thing that it did provide was an insight into local Indian life outside of the big city of New Delhi. There were families at the cross roads of commerce, people changing transportation and local markets set in a rural environment. Anything goes here and from the windows of our car, we were able to pass by and see some of how the rest of India goes about their daily life.

















As we got to see more and more of Agra, it turns out that we were way beyond the “land of no sidewalks”. Agra isn’t a place where I’d want to be stuck on my own without any money. I could probably make it out of there alive and in one piece, but it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience. Those working in this area, or at least the people out on the street during our visit, appeared to have the harsh reality of heavy manual labor, exceptionally rudimentary infrastructure and an existence that didn’t look all to promising from our western perspectives.

Looking at people on our travels by, I initially thought that they didn’t look all too happy. But after I thought about it, the difference is what makes travel through India all that more interesting. It wasn’t that people weren’t happy, it’s just that everything was different from our western lives. I’ve never traveled anywhere where every part of daily life is out on the streets. I’d never consider carrying around carrying my infant child on a motorcycle riding side-saddle next to a garbage truck but that’s exactly what happens here. It seemed that every aspect of daily existence intersected at Agra. Families ate, people stocked up on food, shopkeepers people fed monkeys. All of this occurred all over, in front of you, as you went on about your daily lives. It’s one of the blessings of travel in India and if you don’t look for it, you’d miss it in a heartbeat.

worldtraveller73

Taj Mahal,
Agra, India

On arrival, we picked up our local guide Ran at the Trident Hotel. We had our introductions and a quick washroom break after the 3 hour drive. We then traveled onward to East gate of the Taj Mahal. We had an airport styled security screening prior to entry.

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. Her death left the emperor so heart broken, he decided to build a memorial and mausoleum in her memory. Construction took about 22 years until his son Aurangzeb over threw him in 1658 and kept him imprisoned in the Agra Fort on the other side of town. He passed away in 1666 and was entombed next to his wife underneath the Taj Mahal.

We viewed the outer area of the entrance of the Taj Mahal. We had a description of the inlaid calligraphy. The Islamic calligraphy was carved out of marble and inlaid in marble. Most interesting, the marble of the calligraphy was enlarged in size the higher up the sides of the arch way so that it would have an even and uniform appearance on the way up- despite the larger distance from the focal point.













We entered in the main Taj Mahal compound area. We were fortunate that we didn’t have a busy day. The Taj Mahal is a beautiful structure to look at. It’s unlike any other building in the world, set among a fabulous love story behind it’s creation. The grounds are set amongst Persian styled gardens. Of interest is that the minarets that grace each of the four corners are slightly angled to fall outwards in the event of an earthquake so that they won’t destroy the Taj Mahal itself. The raised position of the building means that the only backdrop of the Taj Mahal is the sky.

Despite it’s overall awesomeness, I was expecting a little bit more. I’ve been describing our visit as “similar to seeing the Effiel Tower in Paris for the second time”. You recognize it from every postcard and photograph and when you see it- there it is. The best thing to do is to notice the features of the attraction prior to visiting so you can appreciate the attraction’s nuances.











The Taj Mahal is said to feature intricate carvings that contain over 35 different precious and semi precious stones forming marble inlay work. The “peitra dura” is found on the inside and outside of the masoleum walls.







Our tour guide asked that I take this photograph and post it to the Tourism India facebook page. He was frustrated that tourists (and guides) have to undergo an intensive security screening for every visit. Instead, this random dog is able to enter the Taj Mahal, likely unchallenged. He thought that this might embarrass the Indian government into actually providing proper security.



We had a walk around the outside and eventually made it inside through the mausoleum. Photography is prohibited but I did sneak this photograph. The actual mausoleum is a level below so the one pictured here is supposedly a copy.



Another interesting feature of the Taj Mahal is of the red sandstone mosque on the West side of the Taj Mahal property. It’s made interesting as the designers built an identical empty mosque, the jawab that doesn’t face Mecca, on the oppsite side of the Taj Mahal for symmetry purposes.



The identical copy on the East side that is empty.



MrsWT73 continued her popularity streak by posing for more photographs with all whom would ask.





We took a final look at the Taj Mahal adjacent to the courtyards before we left.

worldtraveller73

Agra Fort
Agra, India

The second half of the day was spent across town at the Agra Fort. The Agra Fort was initially built as a military structure, but later converted into a palace and prison for Shah Jahan when he was imprisoned there by his son Aurangzeb. The Amar Singh gate contained a zig zag design designed to foil intruders. It was pretty imposing to say the least.

















There were opulent detailed interiors fit for a king. The Shish Mahal (Mirror Palace) had many walls inlaid with tiny mirrors. Other halls like this one pictured had detailed tiling.





Sadly, the Agra Fort had views of the Taj Mahal across the Yamanua River way where Shah Jahan would have had seen the Taj Mahal when he was imprisoned. He likely had a view from this terrace during many of his days.





The Agra Fort also held several receiving courts where the King could receive his subjects.





After our visit to the Agra Fort, we returned our guide in town and headed back to The Leela Palace. It was another three hour drive with a touch of traffic jam once back inside New Delhi past Guragon.

We traveled around the world to see the Taj Mahal. Overall, it was worth it. It was a travel sight that I’d wanted to see for quite a while and it was a neat experience having checked that sight off life’s list. It was a bit anti – climatic having seen the Taj Mahal. There are details to the Taj Mahal that are best researched in advance that will allow you to appreciate it more when you do visit. I felt satisfied with the day trip there. Some attractions (Macchu Picchu comes to mind) are better after all the crowds have gone home and you have the place all to yourself. While that may have been the case here, I wasn’t yearning for more time. Seeing the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort in a day trip was perfectly fine by us. I also felt that we didn’t miss much staying in Agra either, although I enjoyed the very brief exposure that we had traveling through Agra. Overall, it’s a worthy travel destination that’s worth seeing, and I’d encourage all you adventuruous travels to make it here at least once in your traveling careers.

HMPS

WT73 Again, excellent photos and good writing....
It was common in the Mughal / Muslim dynasties to depose or assasinate / imprision a ruling king to assume the title.

Shah Jahan had reportedly picked a spot to create his own musoleum , all black after his demise.
It is also being researched that the Taj was built over Hindu temple complex. Have seen some pics.

Our history lessons taught us that it took over 20000 craftsmen and 22 years to build.

Your comment on "happiness of the common man" is correct. India is exploding and has become a consumer society much like the West with the proliferation of TV and Internet everyone sees the "good life" and wants it. This has at times made them forget their heritage of "Elders, teachers, guests after Gods" way of life.
Yet if you are able to spend any time with individuals or families, you will be overwhelmed by their hospitality and good nature of sharing everything .

Do let us know of how you enjoyed the cuisines.

worldtraveller73

There is no question that India is expanding at a very rapid rate HMPS. It's made for an interesting travel experience in a unique environment. Between the shift in travel cultures and the upstart of all the modern travel conveniences (like Uber), the travel experience is changing from it's traditional roots into a more progressive environment. The next ten to fifteen years for India will be interesting times. ^

worldtraveller73

Air India Domestic Lounge
Indira Gandhi Domestic Airport – Terminal 3.

Our next day, we checked out of The Leela Palace. We were sorry to leave after a nice stay. We enjoyed a cup of Masala Chai tea in the Royal Club Lounge while the bill was prepared and we completed check out on the ninth floor.

We were transferred to Indira Gandi Airport in a white BMW X5. After forty minutes, we had arrived.







We passed the elephants in the departure hall and checked in with Air India. I had debated purchasing a business class fare, but the price difference for the 40-minute flight didn’t seem to justify the fare difference. Considering it was to be another “dry” experience and that it seemed you could buy your way into the Air India lounges for around $10, it didn’t seem worth the four times the price upcharge. We had only 15 Kg of baggage allowance on the stripper fare but presenting an expired Air Canada Star Gold Card seemed to satisfy Air India enough to waive the baggage charges. It also seemed that the reservation grabbed our Air Canada status at the time of booking our ticket (which was indeed Star Gold). We were also inadvertently issued a hand written lounge invitation for the Air India Lounge.

We were quickly screened in the segregated by sex screening checkpoint (the security checkpoints in India are segrated by sex) and headed over to the Air India lounge. We passed through a very London Heathrow like departure concourse complete with shopping, WH Smith bookstores and other shops.







The Air India Domestic Lounge is immediately above the departure shopping concourse. You just have to look for the dancing maharajah that's about the height of a 4 year old. Once we were admitted inside, we discovered a much more attractive space than the Air India Chennai International Lounge. The lounge appeared to have recently been refurbished with new furnishings, clean fixtures and a comfortable environment. In fact, it was probably one of the nicest, cleanest Star Alliance lounges I’ve been in. Any chances this refurbishment was to come in line with Air India’s joining of Star Alliance?









Again, another dry location, with only pepsi, orange fanta and water to drink. Some Indian food was available on the buffet, although it was nothing too appetizing after a wonderful breakfast and lunch at the Leela.

It was a basic but super clean operation. Would it have been worth $10 a pay visit? Maybe. It’s probably cheaper than purchasing a wifi pass from the airport authority and you’d get a free samosa at the same time. A nice lounge but not a big reason to get to the airport early.

worldtraveller73

Air India
Economy Class
DEL-JAI (Indira Gandhi Domestic Airport – Jaipur International Airport)
AI612 – Economy Class (S)
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
April 17, 2015
Booked: Airbus 319
Flown: Airbus 319

At about T-35, we headed down to the gate. Most of the passengers had been boarded at this point, and we were set for our first “on time” departure. The Indiria Ghandi Airport had some interesting sculpture artwork and wide concourses. We also had a view of a Star Alliance livery Air India Boeing 787 next door to our gate.









We boarded immediately and found a slightly newer but still an orange and red as ever aircraft. This included a monitor screen that worked occasionally, and sometimes not at all. The usual “no collection of the left over newspapers” was ever prevalent since these newspapers were left over in our seats and throughout the plane. After settling in, the scheduled departure time came and went. We pretty much sat idle for a bit wondering what was up.







At about T+10, the captian came on to announce that the airport was “busy” and ATC was holding them back from their departure slot. Approximately 5 minutes later, we headed over to the departure runway, which was completely empty except for one other aircraft holding for take off. It seemed to be another example of India Standard Time- excuses or reasons given except that the excuses didn’t really seem to match the reasons provided.



I killed some time studying the in flight map. Sharp eyed readers will note that Lahore and Karachi are shown in India (not Pakistan). There is a local rule that restricts the type of map that is shown to reflect India being someone larger than it actually is.









A short flight due south west over some very smoggy skies. Not much to see out those windows except for the red red Air India livery. It was Beijing like smoggy!

We received a small snack sandwich and a mango juice on board the flight. A small 200 ml bottle of water was also dropped off.



We arrived after a circuituous descent into Jaipur. I was surprised to see an Oman Air B737-800 parked on the apron here, offering presumably direct flights from Muscat.





We pulled into a non gate position and we were straight out onto the apron in no time. The Air India plane next to us on the apron was unloading massive sacks of rice from the cargo hold.







A quick bus ride to the main terminal and we were dropped off into a very old looking baggage hall. Oh yeah. This was the India that I was expecting. At least the outside was nicely landscaped.





The bottom line was that the Air India flight was a reasonable way of getting between New Delhi and Jaipur. Sure, it wasn't the traditional train method, and probably took just as much time by the time you add the transit to and from the airport and the check ins. However, Air India also offered a jet type service instead of Jet Airways which was a prop service. It also offered a reasonable flight time. Add a flight fare that was about $100 USD round trip (including bags and free seat selection) and we really didn't have anything to complain about.

Bretteee

How did you arrange your trip to the Taj Mahal from Delhi with guide?

An Indian Agency?

SFO777

Can't believe I missed this report. What a spectacular trip and wonderful report.
So many amazing pics but the girl playing with the python is a classic. Simply amazing! ^
Thank you worldraveller73 for posting.

worldtraveller73

Brettee we ended up booking in advance through the concierge at The Leela Palace. It was a seamless affair and completely private. The Leela Palace was able to offer a hotel car and driver, along with an educated local guide in Agra. It wasn't cheap, but it was comparable to world standards when considering the distances involved and the length of the journey (12 hour day and 600+ kilometers travelled).

Thanks SFO777. We've always enjoyed your trip reports. MrsWT73 has commented several times on the good fortunes of Mrs SFO777 and that I need to step up my travel planning and points redemption game a bit.