Incredible India – Delhi

“Incredible India” is a catchphrase used by an international tourism campaign in 2002.  It is still recognised throughout the travelling world.

India has always been on our list of countries to visit so when an opportunity arose to go we thought ‘why not’.

Intrepid Travel

We have already travelled with Intrepid Travel for our first visit to Vietnam back in 2014.

Their tours appeal to us as they specialise in ‘small groups’ and their itineraries are varied.  You can choose as posh as you like, or as basic as you like.  The main difference between the standard of a tour is the accommodation, mode of transport and the number of inclusions as opposed to options.

North India Revealed

We didn’t need to stress about choosing which tour to do.  Another reason for us going to India was to surprise a  friend from Australia whom we had met on our Vietnam tour in 2014. 

When she messaged to tell us what she was doing, we secretly booked on the same tour.  We then proceeded to keep it a secret for the next few months.  Very few people knew we were heading that way after our housesit finished in Italy.

Our itinerary was ‘North India Revealed’ and is a 22-day tour starting and finishing in Delhi.  It’s a ‘basics’ itinerary which pretty much means ‘no bells or whistles’.  

Cost

The cost was $3,873nz for two (excluding airfares).  It included an extra night’s accommodation in Delhi and an airport pick-up.

Prices do depend on when you travel.  Our particular tour was slightly more expensive because of Diwali and also because we were lucky enough to be arriving in time for the famous Pushkar Camel Fair.  Accommodation is at a premium during both these festivals so therefore we paid a higher tour price.

We were well prepared for what we might be faced with a ‘basics’ itinerary and expected to have to rough it in places.  It is well stated in their Trip Notes what to expect and what not to expect.

We met up with our Intrepid Tour group the night before our tour was to start.  There were 16 of us in our group – x2 England, x2 Belgium, x2 kiwis (us) and the rest were Australians.

It would be fair to say that our friend Robyn from Townsville was suitably surprised when we made a ‘later than everyone else’ entrance into the meeting room.  The look on her face was priceless and there were a lot of hugs after our 4-year separation.

Exploring Delhi

We arrived in India during their Diwali celebrations so it was extremely full on with fireworks all night.  Just what we needed after a long sleepless flight.

Diwali is a five-day festival of lights which is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all over the world.  The festival coincides with the Hindu New Year and it is a time to spend with family and friends (a bit like our Christmas celebration festivities).  It also means holiday time for many across India so there were more local travellers than normal.

Air Quality

It is common for EVERYONE to let off fireworks during Diwali.  Despite Delhi authorities trying to limit the number of fireworks, the air quality in the heavily populated city was at an ‘extremely hazardous level’.

Our Intrepid Guide had issued us with a charcoal filter facemask to wear.  You could certainly feel the smog catching you in the back of the throat and it was hard to understand how anyone could live full time in such thick pollution.

The average Air Quality in Delhi is normally ‘Poor’ and causes discomfort to most people with prolonged exposure.  It is the worst of any major city in the world and kills 1.5 million people every year. Breathing it in is the equivalent of smoking 45 to 50 cigarettes a day.

Delhi-by-Bike

As we had arrived in Delhi a day early, we looked into our options on how best to fill in our day.

We love to cycle so decided to book a tour with Delhi-by-Bike (seemed like a good idea at the time!) and chose their Old Delhi Tour.  It cost us 1850INR/$28USD/$38NZD each (includes all food/snacks)

It was an early start to beat some of the chaotic traffic (6 am).  We were picked up from our hotel by car and taken to the starting point (armed with our masks!).  We had a French family joining us for our trip around Old Delhi streets which can be described as a sensory overload and was at times, a near death experience!

Old Delhi vs New Delhi

A lot of people think that New Delhi is Delhi but it isn’t.  There is a difference between the two.  New Delhi is India’s capital and is where the government of India is located.

Old Delhi was a walled city built back in the mid-1600s.  We weaved our way in and out of alleys, laneways and tackled some of the busier roads.  Negotiating our way around rickshaws, motorbikes, cars and pedestrians required some slalom skills equal to an Olympian skier!!  We had a guide at the front of the pack as well as the rear but at times the line of site was not always possible so it was every man and woman for themselves!

All this aside, it was an opportunity to experience this densely populated city.  Shaped like a quarter circle with the Red Fort as the focal point.  It is 6 km square in area and had 14 gates.

Today the total population of Delhi is 25 million people.  This is the 2nd most populated city after Mumbai.  It does, however, have the highest density of people per square hectare.

Our tour lasted 5 hours.   We visited The Red Fort, Spice Market, Delhi Gate, Chawri Bazaar, Sikh Temples and Mosques.  There was also time stop and try Butter Coffee, tasted some local treats specific to Delhi and enjoyed a traditional Stuffed Paratha breakfast at a locally run eatery.

Day One – Intrepid

It was officially our first day with our tour group.

We were once again out and about heading back towards Old Delhi, retracing some of the routes that we rode the day before.

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib (Sikh Temple)

This time we headed to the prominent Sikh Temple called Gurudwara Bangla Sahib.  Although the temple itself is impressive, what was even more amazing was the dining hall and kitchen facilities.

Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world.  They volunteer their time to fulfil their religious obligations.  The kitchen and dining hall welcomes thousands of people every day and feeds them a free meal (Langar).  This is all regardless of caste, creed, religion or race.

Temple Protocols

All visitors must cover their hair with a scarf and walk barefoot through a water bath.  After slowly wandering around the beautifully decorated temple we walked down the flight of stairs towards the temple kitchen where all the action (and magic) happens.

The size of this facility is amazing.  There are giant cookers for the dahl, rice, lentils and vegetables.  There was a massive dough mixer working a huge amount of raw mixture for thousands of chapattis.  

It is usual for the kitchen to feed 10,000 people a day (2 meals a day, every day).  The process is overseen by one chef and staffed 100% by volunteers.

Participants sit crosslegged on the marble floor of the dining room.  They are all served an amazing sized meal.  Sharing the food experience with thousands of other people.

Jama Masjid Mosque 

The Jama Masjid of Delhi is one of the largest mosques in India.  It has the capacity to hold 25,000 worshipers.

Building the mosque started in 1644.  The materials are mainly red sandstone and white marble.  It took over 5,000 workers 6 years to complete.

It was free entry but they charge 200INR ($4nz) to take in a camera or mobile phone.  Needless to say, we only have exterior shots of the building.

The mosque has been the scene of carnage with two bombs detonated in 2016.  There was a shooting outside the gates in 2010 and a thwarted car bombing in 2011. We didn’t notice any beefed up security measures while we were there.  This was in comparison to some of the high-risk areas we’d visited in Italy and France. 

Coming up…….how we coped with 3rd Class Sleeper Train on Indian Railways.

Click on the link below to see some highlights of Delhi.