After driving through for a few hours we stopped at a road side motel which was appropriately named Rajasthan Motel. We were almost on the border of Delhi and Rajasthan. By this stage of course we were hungry. Rakesh-ji drove us right into the car park under the shade of a nice big Banyan tree. [...]
Our Delhi sojourn was soon coming to an end. We had survived the 45°C plus heat and now on our 3rd day of the trip. We were acclimatising a little and had realised by this that stage that two litre of water intake was just not enough for the day! Our bags were packed as [...]
India Gate, New Delhi The India Gate is the national monument of India. It is one of the largest war memorials in India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Originally known as All India War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the [...]
The Qutb Minar (also spelled Qutab or Qutub, Urdu: قطب منار), a tower in Delhi, India, is at 72.5 meters (237.8 ft) the world’s tallest brick minaret. Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India’s first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak, and the topmost storey of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firuz Shah [...]
We were now entering Rajghat (राज घाट). Its located on the banks of river Yamuna in Delhi and right on Ring Road which is also known as Mahatma Gandhi Road. It has stone paved footpath with large green lawns all around it. And they were lush in the scorching heat. We did see some gardeners [...]
Humayun’s Tomb was really great and a good break & leisurely walk after a very filling lunch. We then wandered back through Connaught Place and stopped at an Emporium right next to the Deutsche Bank. We went in for a little wander. Of course soon we entered the shop a smily slithery salesmen, dull as [...]
One of my favourites of the Humayun’s Tomb View of Humayun’s tomb up close from the base plinth. The architecture is quite impressive even though its only a tomb. The Moghuls obviously had a huge belief system in afterlife. For a lot of northern India is dotted with their architectural influence and of their cuisines [...]
When we got back in our Toyota Innova after Jama Masjid it felt like going into a baking oven. And the air-conditioning at its full throttle couldn’t handle the heat even after a good half hour. Our tour guide mentioned as we were exiting Old Delhi. We were heading back to the real Delhi, the [...]
After our visit to the Red Fort we got on a cycle rickshaw and headed through the narrow pulsating laneways and thronged bazaars of Old Delhi. This trip through the myriad lanes and colourful sights and smells of old Delhi was fascinating just as much as the rickshaw ride itself. To make matters even more [...]
So there you have it we were in the thick of Old Delhi with our guide for the day Tarun and walking into big Red Fort. It was about ten in the morning but it was scorching near 40°C. We were prepared. Red Fort was constructed in the 17th century which served as the capital [...]
We had a good sleep last night and started off the next day(Day 3) with a visit to Old Delhi. For those not in the know: Old Delhi is not very far from New Delhi but once there it does take getting used to — its not for the faint hearted. To be fair, Old [...]
D found these the next morning in our Delhi local newspaper. Need I say more? We’re drinking lots of water. Its all good.
D had found this amazingly cute place when we were doing our research on India and particularly Delhi, Its called The Delhi Manor. Its looked gorgeous from the website. We tried our level best to stay there when in Delhi but for some reason Intrepid Travel or probably Travel Inn their Indian counterpart wanted us [...]
Our room is on the 3rd floor of the Hotel. The outside temperature was 37°C still close to midnight. Of course we didn’t much feel the heat as we were mostly in air-conditioning, until we got to our room of course. It felt like we had entered a baking room! Luckily the air conditioning cooled [...]
The flight from Sydney to Delhi was great. It really was but I got frisked at the Sydney Airport. Ha Ha! Bambini Trust has a new outlet in the Airport. Our feet naturally wandered that way. Ten in the morning was a bit early for a wine (though I had 4 glasses of red wine [...]
Beyond the fact that the reminiscing of the Taj Mahal was real there perhaps also is a very good reason why this is happening now & if you haven’t figured it out, well in less than 2 sleeps we are off to incredible India. D and I are so wide-eyed about it that I can’t [...]
Its getting cold. Its past midnight. I’m sitting here about ten thousand five hundred kilometers away from the Taj Mahal on a brisk autumn midnight writing from Sydney while I think of the warm sultry temperatures of Northern India. Delhi is sporting a high hazy 37°C with 10% humidity and yes you guessed it… I’m [...]
Old fashioned cooking in India Yes you get to see them a lot in India. Well I don’t fancy them at all as I saw this a lot growing up there, but tell you what they still look fascinating. And in winter they are so nice to have around
I was seated very close to the exit row of the aircraft. Soon it touched down and we’re about to alight. In less than a couple of minutes I was walking past two officers with a live thermal imaging area. They were doing the swine-flu checks and then headed up to the immigration desk. I [...]
After a good week of Christmas and Boxing day jubilations I embarked on a short journey to India. It was on New Years Day. Who’d *ever* want to travel on New Years Day! Yes, well I did — and you’d be surprised the first leg of the flight from Sydney to Singapore was totally booked. [...]
Rudra and I were talking a nostalgic walk through Hill Colony in Dhanbad, Jharkhand the other day when suddenly we decided it might be a good idea to go down to Locotank — a pond in Dhanbad. It was very close to sunset & we happened to spot a lady making ripples in the water. [...]
We toddled off to Dhakhinapan late morning-ish the next day. It has a few shops and a some good local art emporiums. We browsed a bit and bought a few little handicrafts. Surprisingly the market place looked a wee bit quiet. We had to go through a security metal detector to get inside the market… [...]
There is always something charming about going home. About visiting loved ones and spending time walking down the memory lane. Revisiting those smells and tastes of yester-years that are so natural to ones childhood. Its a walk through a mesh of life that is most nostalgic and filled with a labyrinth of beautiful meaning, confronting, [...]
Time flies by way too quick when you’re having fun. And that would precisely explain what I’ve been up to lately. Loads of fun. I also had a great opportunity to visit mum and dad during the Diwali — the festival of light and spend some quality time in India with them. Though it was [...]
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