India: New Delhi & Agra
There are no direct flights to India from Dublin, possibly the easiest is via London with BA, downside is that most if not all flights land in very early morning or around breakfast time, ND is + 4.5 hours GMT and the travel time is about 12 hours from Dublin.
You will need a Visa before you leave and patience for when you land into Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi (DEL).
See 1 under Useful Links.
Despite being in Northern India the area enjoys year-round sunshine, but has a Monsoon season, so probably the best time to travel is winter, Oct-Feb when humidity and bugs are least irritating.
We had booked a Club room in the Taj Mahal Hotel, possibly the best hotel we have enjoyed anywhere abroad. The booking provided for a free transfer from the airport, a very welcome start to the trip as the airport is chaotic and as it was our first time in India, somewhat bewildering with all the crowds. There is a metro and taxi service, but I do not think it would have been a pleasant experience, with luggage and the crowds.
The driver met us at the arrival’s hall, and we travelled the 25Km into Delhi in comfort, passing many on the way in varying degrees of comfort.
The Taj Mahal hotel has an exceptional Club level arrival experience, the driver drops you at the hotel entrance and you are met by your own personal receptionist, who takes you directly to your room, and completes the registration there, the bags are duly delivered and you are invited to afternoon tea in the club lounge. This is without doubt the best club lounge we have enjoyed, better than lounges we have experienced in Penang, Xian, and Bangkok, the staff all turned out impeccably deliver a white glove service, at breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktail hour.
The staff are excellent and start every conversation with “How can I help you “—and they never came up short during our visit.
After Afternoon Tea, we headed out for a quick look around the local area, but ran into the New Delhi welcoming committee, the army of Rickshaw drivers looking to get you on board, before we had even left the hotel grounds.
Figure 1 Rickshaw Man.
The advantage of a prestigious well-appointed hotel is that the drivers are somewhat vetted and with a wink and a nod, a driver was duly selected by a hotel porter, and we headed out trying to negotiate a rate and location. Failing on both we arrived at a group of souvenir shops which must have been relations of the driver, so sticking to our guns we insisted we did not want to buy antiquities and reprogramed him for Lodhi Gardens.
A green oasis in the city, with a monumental octagonal mausoleum containing the grave of the 15th Century Sultan Muhammad Shah Sayyid at one end and the Sikandar Lodhi Tomb at the other separated by the monument Bada Gumbad and a beautiful Rose garden. We spent a lovely afternoon taking in the sights and exiting at the opposite side of the park surprised to be greeted by our new driver, who was not leaving us go!
Our new best friend and driver, took us back to the hotel and told us he would be our tour guide for as long as we wanted, so we agreed he would take us around the city the next day, collecting us from the hotel at 9 am and so the adventure started. He told us to pay him what we thought was appropriate, he had us at this point.
Figure 2 Mausoleum in Lodhi Gardens
Figure 3 Bada Gumbad Monument
Day 2.
So as arranged our un-official tour guide collected us at 9 am sharp, he was allowed into the hotel grounds, which provided us with some more assurance about his pedigree.
He took us in the morning rush hour on a memorable trip, The Indian faith seems to provide them with a sense of invincibility when it comes to road dangers, when we in Europe would apply the brake they use the horn and accelerator to negotiate any perceived peril, a white knuckle ride especially when negotiating a roundabout, where I think the oncoming traffic have the right of way –possibly.
Our first pit stop was Humayun’s Tomb –India seems to enjoy celebrating and housing Mughal emperors in elaborate domed mausoleums.
Figure 4 Humayun’s Tomb
Fabulous gardens surround the tomb, and in the winter sunshine we enjoyed a great morning strolling in the grounds.
Our driver who had negotiated a day rate with us, (about 20 Euro) was at our disposal but in fairness we were in his hands, as he had great local knowledge and a well-versed tourist itinerary mapped out.
Figure 5 Heading next door to more Tombs
Next stop lunch, we cheated somewhat and had a great western style treat in the patisserie and delicatessen at The Oberoi hotel, do not forget to use the toilets, any outside would be an adventure too far.
In the late afternoon, we took a quick look at the Delhi Golf Club, before heading back to the hotel for cocktail hour.
See 3 under Useful Links
That night we ate in the excellent Michelin star Chinese restaurant in the hotel and prepared ourselves for the next day’s adventure
Day 3.
Duly our trusted tour guide was waiting for us at the entrance at 9 am, for the second part of our odyssey, he had already established our holiday plans and quoted for the week’s complete itinerary, including a trip to Agra.
We started of at Indian Gate, where they were setting things up for the New Year celebrations,
Figure 6 India Gate.
The gate sits at the eastern end of Rajpath, a two-mile-long avenue used for parades lined with ornamental canals and fountains leading to the Parliament buildings, and Rashtrapati Bhavan, today the Presidents residence.
Figure 7 Rashtrapati Bhavan
Figure 8 View back towards India gate with Government Buildings on either side.
See 3 under Useful Links
The National Museum together with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, also flank Rajpath, but we decided upon a visit to Mahatma Gandhi’s former home, which has been turned into a fabulous museum.
Figure 9 Gandhi Smriti
Figure 10 World’s Peace Gong
The house where Gandhi died is a must visit, very well done in fabulous grounds, we never thought this part of New Delhi would be like Ballsbridge.
Still not venturing out for dinner we dined once again in the hotel’s superb grill room, with panoramic views.
Figure 11 Views over Delhi.
Day 4.
Out and about early with our confidant, he planned an assault on our senses with a visit to Old Delhi.
This place needs to be experienced and whilst he warned about pick pockets, we did not feel uncomfortable in the crowds. However, it is somewhere you may well be best with a local to fend off any unwelcome attention, plus he knows the area like the back of his hand so you get to experience the history without the hassle of parking.
Figure 12 Old Delhi
We passed by the Red Fort which he did not suggest was worth the entrance fee and left intact to visit calmer attractions.
Figure 13 Red Fort in the distance
He took us back to Connaught place, a mix of shopping and commercial activity, where we were glad to find, the aptly named Connaught bar, which seems to claim Irish pedigree, but did provide a welcome lunch stop.
Figure 14 Connaught Place
In the afternoon we travelled onto Chandni Chowk to see one of the nine Gurdwaras in Delhi, Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib, a place of gathering and worship for Sikhs. We observed local customs to enter and observe a funeral that was taking place.
Figure 15 Becoming Sikhs.
The complex is literally a stone’s throw from the Parliament buildings and caters for large crowds of the city’s homeless and poor, all fed from the donations of worshipers who keep the kitchens cooking
Figure 16 A Food Kitchen in Old Delhi.
Our final religious visit was to Shri Laxmi Narayan Temple a large Hindu sat on 7 acres of gardens and additional shrines.
So it was agreed to head back for cocktail hour and prepare for an early start to visit the Wonder of the World the Taj Mahal in Agra the following day.
Day 5.
A 6am start for the 4-hour trip to Agra, this includes for a pit stop along the way, which is needed.
The road is surprisingly good and the amount of building south of the City is phenomenal.
Agra is an interesting small town on the mighty Yamuna river, with one focal point.
Figure 17 Downtown Agra
The Taj Mahal is as spectacular as you would imagine and has been described far more eloquently that I could possibly give it justice, so I will not try.
Awake Tip: Make sure you have a guide sorted before you arrive unless you will have a real problem getting through the entrance –our minder sorted it all out for us.
Figure 18 Taj Mahal – Truly Magical, Breathtaking!
Of all the places we have visited in the World India was certainly a big highlight particularly visiting the Taj Mahal which was so so special & memorable.
We could definitely see how it is a Wonder of the World !
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