Alavidā India

Day 9 and 10 were a kind of anti-climax, the dampener of the trip. This was caused by a mixture of our India experience knowingly coming to an end and the fact we were heading back to Delhi. Now I’m sure Delhi is a great city, it must have something to be worthy of its capital status but our first experience there at the start of the trip was not enjoyable and we weren’t holding out high hopes on our return. I tried to knock these feelings to the back of mind putting it down to the fact we were tired and overwhelmed on day one but now we were more accustomed and in tune with the Indian way. But this week in Delhi isn’t like normal Delhi as Obama is in town and so security is high and everything is closed. Spenidng all of day 9 travelling back across the country from a place you could stay for weeks to go somewhere you know is going to be lacking is hardly appealing.

Day 9 washes over me. We drive. We eat. We drive.

Waking in Delhi on day 10 we head out in search of whatever we can get access to. Closed. Road Block. Closed. Police everywhere. The only noteworthy thing is that it is spotless. 10 days ago it was littered with people, animals, cars, rubbish, human waste, beggers but today it’s all gone. The once tired green areas are now well groomed and vibrant flowers brighten every corner. The roads are clean and empty, there isn’t a horn to be heard. There are no animals wondering the street in search of scraps. The driver is pleased, he lives in Delhi and has longed to see it this tidy. It’s an impressive change but compared to what I saw on arrival I feel cheated, I didn’t come to India for neat and tidy, for order, for ordinary. I can’t shake the worrying niggle in my head as to the whereabouts of all the homeless, shanty, street folks. Why does it take something like the arrival of one of the worlds most popular man before you realise there might be a problem. I guess I’ll take the positive view, at least there wont be any hawkers.

We set off to see the memorial of Ghandi, it’s a large park and I’ve heard good things. As we drive down the long stretch of road we see the camera crews and news trucks, an official comes over to the car and explains that Obama has just visited so the site will be closed for the next two days, that seems excessive to me but hey ho onto the next disappointment.

Delhi is a ghost town today and we have full reign of the roads (that are open) so getting about is easy. The driver pulls over and points out a Hindu Temple. Now you will know by now I’m a little tired of temples but seeing as we don’t fly out until 2.30am tomorrow morning we have time to kill. Once I’ve stripped myself of any leather items, taken off my shoes and made my shorts hang below my knee I’m good to venture inside.

Wow. I will take back my meh attitude towards temples, this one is outstanding. It’s not the most beautiful one I’ve seen, it’s not the biggest, or the highest or has the best views but I really like it. It doesn’t feel like a tourist experience it feels like a temple. There isn’t any of the normal pressure to buy this and that because its “respectful”. It is a very honest and peaceful place, we wonder around inside and out for about an hour, read every word of all the signs- these are all made by carving sections of the marble walls and then filling them with precious stones that have been cut to size before sanding the wall down so they are smooth to the touch. One mistake and the whole wall would need to be rebuilt.

We manage to score two in a row, our next destination is Akshardham, another temple, this time it is gargantuan in fact it is notable one of the biggest temples in the world. As one of the only things in Delhi that is open it is rammed. We queue for about an hour before getting in but I don’t mind as we have a lot of time still to kill. When I get inside I mind even less, it’s spell binding. The temple and many outbuilding took 10,000 men (3,000 of which were volunteers) 2 days short of 5 years to complete, but had been in planning since the mid 60’s. It is vast, covering an area of some 90 acres and displays some phenomenal examples of craftsmanship. I didn’t feel the spiritual connection that I felt in the last temple, this one was definitely more of a tourist landmark I enjoyed it all the same.

 

A hat trick came in the shape of the tomb of Humayun, a kind of baby Taj Mahal in beige and surrounded by some ruins and an old wall that you walk along the top off if you don’t mind heights and crumbling brick. It was alright, the gardens were pleasant and it wasn’t mad busy. This was looking like our final option for timewasting so we walked our slowest walk and worked our way around.

 

Puppies! Lots and lots of them, all new and fluffy and cute. Yes, yes I was in some historical landmark of someone I’d never heard of but was expected to be wowed by every brick and blade of grass but I’m sorry sometimes there is a limit to the cultural experience you can embark on in one single week. I needed some light relief, something real, something that you couldn’t get from a guidebook or quick google search. This came in the form of a litter of puppies.

 

They kept me entertained for an age, I petted every one of those fluffy, chirpy little buggers. I was puppy broody and very content. This experience put me in a proper good mood and I had a new pair of eyes on.

 

We found a spot in one of the garden and laid back to enjoy some more of what nature had to offer. Amongst the flower beds were squirrels who were gathering more nuts then they could handle- think Scratch from Ice Age. In the trees the parakeets nattered away to one another, occasionally flying from branch to branch so we could see their brightly coloured bodies. Higher still was a convocation of eagles, I might be more mesmerized than I was with the puppies. They are very dominant in the skies, noisy and fascinating. I found myself bird watching, I expected travelling to change me but this is not the change I was expecting.

 

We exhausted the space for all it had to offer so we set off for the airport, rocked up to the front door where we were met by an armed security guard. He checks, double, triple checks our tickets and passports and then says in less words, “too early, visitors lounge”. We checked the time, 8 hours early for our flight- I hope there is WiFi.

 

The visitors lounge is a soulless space full of people like us, desperate to leave this sleeping city. Inside the holding pen you have to go through routine searches and questioning every time you get up to leave (go to the toilet), after the second frisking we decide to see where else we can go, we work our way into arrivals and nobody stops us, here we have access to food, drink, comfy seats and WiFi. Perfect, we’ll base ourselves here until we can go through to departures. The WiFi is the traditional aiport kind, free for 30 minutes and with a speed of 1m/s not at all worth using so instead I pick up a book. 8 hours fly by and before I know it it’s 2.30am and the plane is sprinting down the runway and out of this place.

 

India has been a rollercoaster and I hope to one day try another ride but for today I am ready to leave, I will never forget or regret my decision to come here its been life changing and I’ve fallen in love with most of it.

 

To round up the India part of my blog I’d like to do a quick “Top 5”

 

Top 5 most common sights on an Indian road

 

1. Motorbikes & Tuk Tuks

2. Cows

3. Tractors and Trucks

4. Camels & Goats

5. Cars

 

Top 5 best things spotted on a single motorbike

 

1. A family of five

2. A live sheep

3. A full sound system, the kind you get in a nightclub

4. Two stacks of garden chairs, 10 in each

5. A ladder

 

Top 5 things to eat/ drink

 

1. Thali- the cheapest way to eat half the menu

2. Sweet Lassi- a kind of milkshake that is not only delicious but good for you

3. Gajar Halwa- the single most delicious thing on this planet (if you have a sweet tooth)

4. Himalayan Kava- a tea which contains cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and saffron  

5. Chapatti, Naan, Paratha & Roti. Bread, knead I say anymore? (I couldn’t resist).

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

Up next, Hong Kong.