Day 11: Final day in Delhi - Humayun's Tomb

The taking it slow in India is paying dividends. We are coping better with the heat, the auto-rickshaws, and are less stressed out by Delhi.
Karin did some final shopping at Janpath Market. We found a cool punjab shop and t-shirt shop, and had lunch at pizza hut. Much cheaper than Khan Market.
We then went to Humayun's Tomb, which was further east than Khan Market. Humayun's Tomb was a beautiful complex. There was an exhibition describing the history and restoration and community work. Apparently the word 'paradise' came the Persian words for walled garden. The lattices we see in many of the Mughal structures represent spider webs that offered protection. It was well worth visiting and we were glad we made time for it on the last day. It was a Friday and as we left, there were many other men leaving the mosque in the compound after Friday prayers.

Humayun's Tomb

For once, the starting auto rickshaw quotes we got today were below Rs100 and we only had to negotiate it down a little. I didn't know what made the difference-we were both wearing salwar and therefore could pass as people working here, our attitude or just luck.
There was a YMCA AGM and party at the hostel that afternoon so the place was busier than usual. It must be interesting to run a place like YMCA and have different guests and events.
Karin was leaving for home that night. She remarked that it's a little sad to leave just when she had started to get the hang of this strange place, eg getting to know auto rickshaw prices and treat haggling as a game. She left in a radio Meru cab in the evening for her flight back to Sweden that night.

Day 10: Delhi - Brainy Asian kids; Take it slow

We arrived back in Old Delhi station around 6.30 in the morning. Got a taxi for Rs 300 back to the YMCA.

A group of teenagers had invaded our previously rather sleepy hostel. 2 big buses, 160 young men and women to be exact from 21 countries were in Delhi for the Asian Physics Olympiad and a tour. We wondered if perhaps we were in the presence of a future Nobel prize winning scientist.

They had breakfast, teenage portions and teenage style. We gawped. The kitchen staff was working overtime to make refill after refill of bread, butter, cornflakes. The system of having to collect our meal vouchers before the meals was suspended. Guess the receptionist couldn't write out the vouchers quick enough for 160 hungry teenagers.

The already creaky internet room too was stretched. "Sir, it's not working. Sir, it's not working" was the insistent cry of the young people used to having technology now, at their fingertips. Eventually, all computers except one gave up the ghost and so we all had to wait for the engineer and take turns. We found the young people were exuberant and chatty, but for all that, looked rather serious and well-behaved.

Karin and I made a conscious decision to take it easy today. I made flight and accommodation bookings for the next legs of my trip. The internet worked but the printer didn't so I just had to finish printing in the evening.

We went to Khan Market, had lunch at Latitude cafe, did some shopping, bought more salwar kameez and had muffins at cafe coffee day. Vishnu was more expensive than Janpath Market but we found things we liked here.

Day 9: Shimla sleeper train to Delhi

Final day of wandering around Shimla. Saw the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in the main town square. Karin did more shopping. I tried to book onwards travel but the server at internet cafe was too slow. As with many things we've encountered in India so far, it's best to be patient. As Guddu said, ' Don't worry, chicken curry!'
We carried our backpacks (mine was 12+5 kg) downhill to the station. It was definitely more do-able than uphill. We found our Shivalik Deluxe Express train. It was bigger, roomier, way more comfy than the Himalayan Queen coming up. There were also only 4 other people in the carriage besides us. The view downhill was as stunning as up. But there was something missing. It wasn't as much fun as the Himalayan Queen. I miss the HQ's screaming into the tunnels, the excited chatter, the squeezing into child-sized seats with people we didn't know, the numerous stops at cute, tiny stations.

Shivalik Deluxe Express

Last views from Shimla

We had a 1.5 hour layover in Kalka for our sleeper train. Karin found the train easily. There were again computer printouts with our names on the outside of the relevant carriage. We got 2 AC, which is second class air con. We had 4 berths behind one curtain and one other man was in one of the other berths. An attendant distributed fresh sheets wrapped in brown paper. They and the pillow look quite clean. There was an article in a rail magazine where the writer visited a laundry that cleaned the trains' sheets and she was visibly impressed by the standards. The berth was a little hard but it was a pretty comfortable ride and I managed to sleep to the rocking of the train.

Fresh sheets in the brown paper bag

Day 8: Walks in Shimla

This was my favourite day of the trip so far. We began by buying some walking sticks for scaring away the monkeys on the way to Jakhoo temple, a temple dedicated to the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. You cannot miss seeing the massive red monkey god statue from Shimla. We could have rented the sticks for cheaper higher up on the path.
The way up is a steep 1.5 km climb from a height of 2,205m to 2,455m above sea level. There was a helpful chart at the bottom telling us how fit we are depending on how old and how quickly we get to the top. Beka came up with a more fun measure by counting how many people passed us on the way up. I think the final net tally was less than 40 as we made a final burst pass the monkeys.

Physical fitness chart to Jakhoo Temple

On the way up, we saw snow-capped mountains which were part of the Himalayan range. There was a plateau where a group of boys were playing cricket. We also saw a pack of wild dogs and what looked like their lair. The pine trees were straight and tall, and looked like pictures I've seen of Northern American national parks.

Boys playing cricket on a plateau

Snow-capped Himalayan mountains in the distance

We sat at the hill-top cafe soaking in the atmosphere and chatting. Beka tried some free temple food. Karin saw a monkey grab a man's shoe and ran away with it!

Hanuman statue's feet

Hanuman statue and me

The weather turned quite quickly, and we made our way down at a faster pace than the way up. The way down in the rain was not that treacherous because there were rain shelters along the way and steps along the side of the road most of the way.

We took a lunch break at Baljees and spent time at an internet cafe (with loo roll and clean toilet!) while waiting for the rain to stop. The internet cafe was also frequented by teenage boys in their school uniforms playing PC games before they head home.

Self-explanatory

In the afternoon, we went for a 4.5km walk to the viceregal lodge, now known as the Institute of Advanced Studies, and described as a Harry Potter-ish building. The road was mostly pedestrianised, with only special vehicles permitted to drive along it. It is a rich area with some nice buildings and the 5 star oberoi hotel, and an army presence. It was a tree-shaded and peaceful walk, and reminds me of walks on Hong Kong Island. The harry potter building was unfortunately closed when we got there but the mostly flat walk was still enjoyable.

Walk to Viceregal Lodge

Walk to Viceregal Lodge

Harry Potter-esque building, not Viceregal Lodge

We walked a total of 12km and grew quite fond of our walking sticks. We treated ourselves to a
Dominos pizza dinner, which was a popular hangout with the younger crowd.

 One of the highlights of Shimla for Karin and I was hanging out with Beka. She was fun, feisty and funny. Beka, if you are reading this, hope we've convinced you to give Harry Potter a go, and the Korean drama series is called Jewel in the Palace.

Day 7: Acclimatising in Shimla

After breakfast, we went out to look for another hotel. We changed our hotel to Hotel White at Lakkar Bazaar. This was recommended by the Delhi YMCA receptionist when he heard we were going to Shimla. The rooms were very clean, the bed was comfortable, there was an attached bathroom, a balcony with a view, and an electric heater at no extra charge. It costs Rs2000 per room per night compared to Rs650 at YMCA and well worth every rupee. It was the best place we've stayed at in India.

View from our room's balcony in Hotel White

Lunch Dosa at Ashiana

Shimla's landmark, Christ Church. Not opened for visitors when we were there,

Gandhi statue, town square

Shops in town

Post office and local residents

We met up with Beka in the afternoon and strolled around town with the other tourists who were having pink candy floss and ice cream cones - holiday food. It felt like a Disney toy town. We wandered up to the Kali Bari temple after the brief afternoon shower. Apparently it had been raining almost every day unusually over the last month.

Kali Bari temple

 

Skies threatening rain

We stopped at the Indian Coffee House, a Shimla old boys' institution. They don't serve tea and there is a definite colonial-era vibe. We spoke to a very nice older Shimla gentleman who told us he had been going there every day for the last 30-40 years. He seemed to have a contented life, he's retired but still works as a hotel caretaker to keep active. His wife is still working and his mum who's not very well is living with them. Both his daughter and son have good professional jobs away from Shimla and have produced grandchildren. He had a bunch of friends he used to go to the coffee house with but they had moved on to other places. He seemed accepting of that and contented of life. Most of the men who went there are dressed very smartly. Beka got a Sikh gentleman with a white turban and white moustaches to pose for a great portrait shot.

Somewhat claustrophic interior of chummy Indian Coffee House

The state museum was closed on Monday but there was a miniature painting exhibition in town. Lovely, colourful, intricate paintings of romantic love scenes. We may have bought some if this was our last stop and we have a way of carrying it home safely and conveniently.
After an early dinner of noodles at Ashiana, Beka-spicy, mine-medium, Karin-no spice, we wandered down to the Middle Bazaar. This was a piece of 'real India' in Shimla,though not as in-your-face. The girls tried on various things and Beka bought a blue top with gold trim, perfect for an Indian-themed party. Karin got a toy auto rickshaw and it did make the real auto rickshaws seem like toy vehicles. It's a wonder we didn't see any accidents in Delhi with the auto rickshaws, touch wood.
Back in our hotel, it was warm with our electric heater and we no longer feel like we were camping. We fell asleep watching Will Smith's kid and Jacky Chan in the new Karate Kid. Bliss!

The elusive Indian prince

A running joke between a friend and I is how to meet an Indian prince -tall, dark and handsome. Failing that, we're free to make up fake husbands as we go along and get asked the questions many women travellers get asked by curious locals. "Are you married?" The answer is always "yes", whatever your status.
That question is usually followed by "Where's your husband? What does he do?"

My preferred occupation for my fake hubby is teacher. It's easy to explain. You can then make up whatever reason, e.g. school holidays, to say why he's not there right now but you are meeting the next day or at the next stop. This is not to deliberately mislead the casual, nosy passerby but to be aware of your safety as women travellers.

Day 6: Delhi to Shimla by train via Kalka

Delhi to Kalka 7.20am - 11.45am Shatabdi Express
Navigating the touts at the railway station today was a piece of cake now that we know their game. Train left on time. We got a free bottle of water, newspapers and rail magazine. The newspapers were handy for checking out the cricket scores and oh yes, the cricket scores. I also found out that Lee Chong Wei was in the country because he was playing the badminton India Open final that day.

We kept getting fed by the uniformed train attendants, which was a pleasant surprise. To start with, a snack of crackers and a tea kit to make chai. Followed by elevenses of bread and potato cutlets and another tea kit to make chai.

Breakfast on Shatabdi Express

Indian Railway Tea Kit

_____________________________________
Kalka to Shimla 12.10pm-5.20pm Himalayan Queen Toy Train

Trains at Kalka

We had less than half an hour to catch our connecting train. Unlike Delhi, there were no electronic signboards to see which platform our train was on. We did spot a huge sign saying 'Train to Shimla' and another foreign tourist confirmed it was the right platform. Outside our carriage was a computer printout of seats and passenger names and we saw our names.
As we squeezed onboard the train with our what felt like massive backpacks, I started to register how this train is effectively half the width of the comfy train we just got off. I stuffed my backpack under our seat and Karin got hers on the overhead shelf. We squeezed ourselves onto these 2 seats facing 2 other passengers. The 2 passengers sitting across from us were also foreign tourists,
Beka from America and Tony from Australia. There were also several Indian families in our carriage. Each carriage can hold 30 seated passengers and had 2 toilets each, which was handy as I just got a tummy bug that morning.
The train started an hour late because it had to wait for the delayed Himalayan Express to catch up with us. As the train went through the first of the 103 tunnels, people started screaming into the tunnel for the echo. Beka said they will continue to do this at every tunnel.
It was interesting to speak to other people who had been travelling around India for a while. Beka had been in Sri Lanka for 3 weeks and Rajastan another 3. Tony had been in India 5 months last year and intend to travel for 4 months this year. As a comparative old hand at this, his advice was to 'take it slow'. Tony said he was a teacher in London 10 years ago and we chatted English weather, football and telly.
About an hour into the train journey, the air started getting noticeably fresher. We were still going through towns and villages but we were climbing. Bridge by bridge, tunnel by tunnel. The vegetation changes as we start to see cactuses and pine trees. We also begin to see valleys and hills. We stopped at 9 stations on the way, where you could hop off for a short while, stretched your legs and get a chai. Our neighbours offered us snacks which looked yummy but I couldn't try because of my dodgy tummy. Beka made sure we didn't look rude by trying almost everything they offered :-). The view as we neared Shimla was magnificent mountains view. It was one of those journeys that I wished wouldn't end.

Our toy train, the Himalayan Queen

Chai break at one of the small hillside train stations on the way to Shimla

View on the way to Shimla

 As we got closer to the top, the Indian tourists, ie the well-prepared ones, started putting on their jumpers, jackets, hats and scarves. One boy had on a pair of colourful, checked, flat ear muffs. One of the ladies next to us started laughing and couldn't stop for the next 5 minutes. It was so contagious. We figured out it was due to the ear muffs because she started off again the next time the boy walked past. She started off again one last time and this time she didn't even see him. Her husband only had to indicate that ear muffs boy had stood up and was coming. I guess you had to be there to see it.

Our carriage neighbours

It was nearly 7pm and dark by the time we reached Shimla. Tony was travelling on further north to apples-growing land. Beka, who had decided to join us at YMCA, and I hired a porter to carry our bags to YMCA. Karin carried her own 7kg backpack. The air was thinner, the road sloped all the way up to town and we had to climb some steep steps to YMCA. I was out of breath from the 2km walk carrying my small backpack. I guess not having eaten all day didn't help. It was the best Rs 100 we each spent on the porter.
The room at YMCA was very basic and freezing cold. It reminded me of when we went to Taishan in China in the winter- someone broke a hot water flask (was it Nic or Charley?) and the water froze. We wore what we could to bed and pretended we were camping in the outdoors, telling stories with a flashlight.

Day 5: Taj Mahal, Agra

Weather: Hot, hotter than Delhi
We got up at 4am to get the 5.20am evocatively named Punjab Mail. The trains in India have both a number and a name.
When we got to New Delhi train station, we were approached by 3 touts who told us that the train was cancelled and that we can buy tickets for the Shabtabdi Express from DTTC. They were smartly dressed in tucked in checked shirts and held an official looking pen. The 3 we came across were stationed at the platform concourse, 1st floor near the real ITB and on the platform past security check. We were suspicious of them from the start for various reasons - they don't seem right, we had been stung and knew about the fake DTTC. We found our train ourselves on platform 3 because the arrival board indicated our train will arrive there although the information is not up on the departure board yet. On platform 3, 3 spanish tourists asked us to check they were on the right train. They looked as shell-shocked as we felt a couple of days ago, as they too had been approached by the scammer. They were in India to attend a friend's wedding in Hyderabad and they had travelled to Goa and now to Agra. One of the chattier girls said that when she arrived she trusted everybody and now nobody.
Our seats were sleeper bunks and we sat chatting to a very nice Indian family who were taking the train to Mumbai having visited the dad's sister in Delhi. The dad was a railway engineer and his wife a teacher. They had very cute kids, the stylishly-dressed older 8 year old girl wanted to be a dancer.
The Agra train station had a Uttar Pradesh tourism office. But it was so small and only had a poster and a printout on the door that we were wary it wasn't the real thing, especially after our Delhi experience. We decided to get a prepaid auto rickshaw to the Taj Mahal south gate.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a system in place where the drivers follow the prepaid prices and they all had a number so they had to wait their turn instead of getting passengers individually. We were told by our driver Guddu that the government put this system in place and it seemed to be working. The auto rickshaws also had to use the less polluting CNG and they couldn't go within a certain distance of the Taj Mahal. We agreed to hire Guddu as our driver for the day as he seemed like a sound guy.
Our entrance fee to the Taj Mahal includes shoe coverings and a bottle of water. We could not bring any food into the compound and had to store them in a cloakroom. Entering from the South Gate, we passed through a big red doorway.
Our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal through the doorway in the bright sunlight was not disappointing. Its white exterior glints in the sunlight. Taj Mahal, of course, was built by Shah Jahan as a monument to his beloved 3rd wife, Mumtaz Mahal, after she died giving birth to their 14th child. Along with the other numerous tourists, we took lots of photos and attempted to pose like Princess Di. I was happy to simply drink in the beauty and perfect symmetry of this world-famous monument.

First glimpse of the Taj Mahal

The heat and not having a proper breakfast made me quite ill, and Guddu took us to an air-con restaurant, Maya, to recover. Most other customers there were foreign tourists. I felt better after lunch and we continued with our tour to the other side of Yamuna river. The river was quite dry as it was waiting for the monsoon to fill it up. The roads were dry and dusty and we drove through agricultural land.
We visited the baby Taj Mahal. Pretty with different materials making up the ceiling, wall and floor mosaic. It housed the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal's parents. It was also here where I witnessed an amusing incident. The toilet attendant was lazing around outside collecting 'as you like' money. A matriarch arrived with her younger female family members tagging along. She refused to pay to use the toilets until she has inspected the facilities. She went in, sniffed around and went out and said something to the attendant. I could not have foreseen what happened next. The attendant basically lept out of his chair and rushed into the toilet waving a toilet brush. That, was a mighty impressive lady.

Baby Taj

Back on the other side of the river, we were driven to an obligatory tourist souvenir shop where we listened to a guy play sitar. Another air-con stop at Maya to escape the fierce afternoon heat. And onwards to the Agra Fort. This was even more beautiful than the Red Fort in Delhi. The Indian army had taken over 70% of the fort so we could only see 5 of the palaces. Shah Jahan was kept in these compounds towards the end of his days by his son to prevent him spending lots more money on a black Taj Mahal, so legend says. He could only view the Taj Mahal from the balconies on Agra Fort. If it was a prison, it was a beautiful one. The gardens were lovely. There were stripey-backed squirrels and long-tailed green parakeets.

Shah Jahan's possible view of the Taj Mahal from Agra Fort in his final days

Agra Fort

View of the outside of Agra Fort

 

A garden in Agra Fort

Guddu then drove us back to the station. He has been a courteous and kind guide/driver and he has helped make our visit to Agra much more pleasant. Agra is a much smaller place than Delhi, more rural and slower paced. We may have been wrong to apply our Delhi big city suspicions to Agra. The UP tourism office at the train station may well have been the real thing.
We waited for a couple of hours in the ladies upper class waiting room for the 8.30 pm Shabtabdi Express back to Delhi. The train was a fast 2-hour train with dinner included. Back at the station, we held out for a metered Meru cab and it was cheaper than what we got for the black and yellow cab.
It had been a long day but we still had to pack and organise check out as it'll be another early start tomorrow.

Day 4: Old Delhi & Khan Market

We left for Old Delhi earlier than usual today because we had an early start the next day and needed to get to bed early. Plus, Old Delhi seemed to be where the sightseeing action is.
First stop, Red Fort or Lal Qila. It was built by the Mughal emperors. It was beautiful and magnificent. It also had lovely grounds. Being early also meant it was not so hot or busy. You can wander around and imagine the emperor and his family living there. There was a hall where he heard citizens' grievances and another where he received guests. The halls are built covered with lots of pillars providing shade. There would also have been a stream running through the marble drains providing natural air-con. There was a small museum in the grounds which had a just-right portion of exhibits including arms, letters, costumes.
Karin was approached by groups of local tourists wanting to take a photo with her, as a foreigner. Over here, this is called "one snap please". She happily acquiesced as they seemed rather friendly and giggly.

A pavilion at Red Fort or Lal Qila

Beautiful, intricate designs at Red Fort or Lal Qila

Next stop, Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in Delhi. We walked there from Red Fort and it was major hassle town. We were pestered by rickshaw drivers, the traffic was mad, the road dusty and smelly. When we reached Jama Masjid, in addition to the entrance fee, we were told to put on some robes which we had to pay for. The entrance system was disorganised with inconsistent agreement on what 'extras' tourists should pay for and where they can go. I did not think the visit was worth it for all the hassle we had to endure.

Jama Masjid Foreign Visitors Entrance

Our final stop in Old Delhi was Rajghat, where we paid a visit to where a few Indian luminaries were cremated including Mahatma Gandhi. It was set in a peaceful park. We walked around but didn't stay too long because of the unrelenting heat.

Mahatma Gandhi's cremation memorial, Rajghat

We took a rickshaw back to New Delhi and Khan Market, where 'Delhi's elites hang out', according to the Lonely Planet. I had expected an indoor covered air-con shopping complex and so I wasn't sure initially if we had gone to the right place. All doubts went out the window when we went to the Latitude cafe, on the 2nd floor of the Good Earth homeware shop. It was lovely and chi-chi and totally suited for ladies who lunch. We loved it, loved it.
Khan Market was a serene refuge from the heat and Old Delhi's colour. There were grocery shops, bakeries, pharmacies and clothes shops, basically shops selling anything we might need while in India. I reckon we'll be going back there again.
Karin bought a very nice salwar kameez from a shop called Vishnu run by a cheery 65 year-old man. It looks like a place from where we could get more ready made indian clothes.
Early night tonight as we have a 4am start the next day.

Day 3: New Delhi Sightseeing

We upgraded our room at the YMCA to one with an attached bathroom because there weren't any with shared bathrooms available. The price doubled to Rs 3350 but the room amenities were better with a flat screen TV and a less noisy air-con unit.

We visited the National Museum in the morning. They have an interesting section on the Harrapan / Indus civilisation, one of the earliest civilisations in the world. They had advanced town planning with water reservoirs, drainage system and grid streets. They must have had an extended period of peace because they had created art and script, and carved out weights and games.

Outside the National Museum

We then headed to the India Habitat Centre, a modern architectural complex with pleasant surroundings. It houses several governmental and supranational bodies including the International Labour Organisation.What drew usthere, other than the visual art gallery which wasn't open in any case, was the All American Diner, complete with milkshakes, jukebox and a retro 50s vibe.

India Habitat Centre

An afternoon shower puts paid to the rest of our sightseeing plans for the day. We wandered up to Janpath Market when the rain cleared. We found the real India tourist office on 88 Janpath Road and a sweet little old lady advised us. We also found a place to top up my Airtel SIM card at Shop 15, Alpine Plaza, Janpath Market. I was happy to get the interweb back on my phone. My phone represents my lifeline to the rest of my world for the next few weeks.

We enjoyed the post-rain stroll and were becoming slightly less apprehensive travellers. We commented on how the city seems to be less crowded than we expected. Famous last words, I expect, as we'll be visiting Old Delhi the next day.