Was always embarrassed of the fact that having seen most capital city's of the World, my own country's capital Delhi was still foreign to me. Somehow, whenever i wanted to tour Delhi my trip got "JINXED", a bizarre fact of life.In 2003 during my tour of Rajasthan and Agra i was about to visit Delhi when i received the terrible news of my mothers cancer relapse and hence had to postpone my tour.My mother expired within two months after perfect recovery, the tragic case of a majority of cancer patients.In October 2011 i had intended traveling on 2-10-2011 to Delhi with connecting visits to Nainital,Lucknow,Kathmandu,Pokhra,Chitwan and Varanasi, a real long "Solo-Backpackers tour" lasting almost a month.An error in ticket booking postponed the date to 2-11-2011 and hence i was forced to revise my tour itinerary to Delhi,Lucknow,Varanasi,Kathmandu,Pokhra,Chitwan and Gorakhpur, the same time frame but a month behind!Finally on Wednesday(2-11-2011) i set off from my home at 1430 hrs, caught the local train to Bombay Central station from Dadar and unwittingly had got into the "Handicapped Travelers compartment".Quickly realizing my fault i alighted the train at the next station "Lower Parel" and went into the gleeful hands of the "Railway Police".I explained them my error but they refused to let me off, finally releasing me on a fine of Rs 400.I caught the next train and reached "Bombay Central station" absolutely demoralized by my stupidity and the "DELHI JINX".There is a famous saying in Hindi since the Mughal era,quote,"DILLI BAHOTH DHOOR HAI(Delhi is very far)" , a absolute fact in my case although it pertains more to politics and the seat of political power in India.As for my stupidity, famed fiction detective Inspector Clouseau would have found me a good companion for stumbling into stupid unwanted trouble and being the laughing stock.
The "12951 Mumbai Rajdhani" train arrived on the platform at approx 1600 hrs and i boarded my compartment "B-2 Seat-49", the first time in my life that i was traveling in India's second fastest luxury train.The interior of the train resembled a plane with its well maintained A/c cooling and clean interiors besides a plush passenger list.A Maharashtrian pilgrimage group consisting mostly of women were in my seating berth row along with another solo traveler Mr Ashok.Parikh whom i befriended.The group leader of the Maharashtrian pilgrimage party requested me to shift to another berth in another compartment as they preferred their entire group in one berth. I refused the same and told him i wouldn't mind shifting within the same compartment also explaining them my latest "Bad Luck" with the train police inspectors while arriving to board the Rajdhani Express.Finally we came to some understanding , solving the group problems and we all co-passengers got into normal travelers conversation.
The train departed the station at exactly 1640 hrs and i was happy to be finally at least be traveling to Delhi, a city that somehow seemed jinxed on my personal tour itinerary.All of us finally began a conversation and we were no more strangers on a strange train. The Maharashtrian Pilgrim Group were on a pilgrimage to Vaishnoo Devi temple in Jammu while Mr Ashok.Parikh was on his way to Haridvar.We were served snacks at 1730 hrs and later a soup at approx 1830 hrs reminding me of a plane voyage and akin to a plane this train had a in-train magazine called "Railbandhu".We reached Surat at approx 1930hrs, absolutely on schedule.Ashok and myself transferred ourselves to the next berth and here we came across a Gujarati family from Surat and Ashok got into a warm conversation with them, Gujarati language being the common link.Thanks to my shipping background and personal tours, proud to say that i never find myself out of place or uncomfortable in any community, religion or region of India or the World.I am more scared of Malaria and sicknesses than terrorism or crime, a real bizarre sense of personal safety in the 21st century.
The train reached Surat at 1930 hrs after which dinner was served at approx 2030 hrs and later a good nights sleep in "A/C Comfort".This train has only 4 train stops to Delhi, the train stations being Surat,Vadodra,Ratlam,Kotla and finally New Delhi.As usual i woke up early,brushed my teeth at approx 0500 hrs and again just lay on my bed.Tea was at 0645 hrs and watched the scenery outside the train, passing Mathura station and later approaching the suburbs of Delhi. Breakfast was served at approx 0745 hrs and approaching Delhi viewed a lot of slums with no skyscraper buildings in sight.Viewed the local suburban trains of Delhi which seemed as crowded as Mumbai local trains. Passed the stations of Hazrat Naizamuddin, Pragati Maidan and Tilak bridge before finally entering New Delhi station at approx 0900 hrs, a wonderful ,pleasant and memorable journey .Finally and hopefully successful in breaking my "DELHI TRAVEL JINX" finally reaching Delhi City.
I got of the station and walked straight to Paharganj East locality from the train platform, walking with my luggage into the road besides an overhead road bridge.Booked myself into the "Bridge View Tourist Lodge" situated just a few minutes walk from the exit gate of "New Delhi Train Terminus" along the overhead bridge road.
I was allotted "Room Nos 305" at a daily charge of Rs 400 with 10% extra service charges.This hotel was situated on the main street facing the New Delhi railway station fly-over and hence the name "Bridge View Tourist Lodge".On the opposite side of the hotel, past the overhead road bridge was a theater named "Shiela" screening the costliest Sharukh.Khan film ,"Ra ONE".In other words "PAHARGANJ" is the "ADDA Locality" of Delhi, its seedy underbelly complete with cheap garish budget neon light hotels and crowded gully's.Also booked a package sightseeing tour(Rs 300) of Delhi city with the hotel manager, typical of most hotels. The room was self contained, had a 14" T.v and self-attached bath, very reasonable and definitely cheaper for a World Capital city.
After a quick bucket of hot-water bathe which the hotel provided since there was no geyser facilities i dressed and made my way out into the back-packer street of Paharganj.Paharganj, Delhi's backpackers haunt was absolutely bustling with hawkers, dhabas and people from all facets of life and professions.Since Connought Place was the closest tourist site to Paharganj i decided to walk the distance asking directions from locals and properly guided.Honestly, the media news about the crime rate in Delhi psychologically kept me aware of being a cautious tourist, never being overconfident and hence avoided taxis or rickshaws, preferring walking or public transport.Connought Place is totally European in design, majestic single storey circular group of buildings dating back to the British Era and preserved to date , renamed Rajiv Chowk.Some of the World's best brand names have their retail stores in Connought Place and my first inquiry was for a guide map of Delhi.On inquiry i was directed to "Jain Book Depot", a huge bookstore dealing in all sorts of books, educational, fiction, and trivia.They gave me two guide maps of Delhi free of charge as souvenirs and it really proved a mine of information during my entire solo-backpacking on the streets, buses, trains and tourist sites of Delhi.My advice to tourists visiting Delhi is to make a first stop visit to "Jain Book Depot" to make your holidays or business tour more knowledgeable rather than wandering aimlessly or just hotel to airport if on a business schedule.I strolled around Connaught circus finally entering the famous underground air-conditioned "Palika Bazaar" and purchasing a 2Gb memory card for my camera costing Rs 300.Later i decided to visit the Delhi zoo and on inquiries was guided by a local to the bus-stop and managed to board a bus to the zoo.Reached the Delhi zoo at approx 1230 hrs, entrance fee being Rs 20, cheap for a very well maintained zoo with lots of similarities to the Mysore zoo, definitely one of the best zoo's in India.The Delhi zoo has an open air artificial lake akin to the Ranganathittu bird sanctuary in Mysore and numerous painted storks, lesser Cormorants, variety of ducks breed in this sanctuary within the zoo, something i saw for the first time in my life.Normally most zoos have closed walk-in aviaries and i wonder the reasons for these birds making a zoo their natural home something as unexplainable as the migratory habits of some bird species.The Old Fort(Purana Qilla) is adjacent to this open air bird park in the zoo and i feel that the natural ruins of the Fort amidst this artificial lake makes this a natural habitat for aquatic birds to breed and nest.Saw a lot of painted stork chicks, a few nests had 3 chicks than the usual two and happy that these birds are thriving in the Delhi zoo open air bird park.The zoo had a pair of Indian Rhinoceros with their horns intact, the first time i saw a pair of great Indian Rhinoceros in a zoo, normally they are always kept in solitary confinement in Indian zoos with their horn cut, most famous being the rhino "Shiva" in the Mumbai zoo.Viewed a pair of gibbons, rare in zoo's,besides the zoo had spacious enclosures with moats.Spotted a single giant Malabar hornbill attack and catch a lizard in its enclosure although it did't eat the same.Álso viewed the beautiful leopard cat for the first time in my life,a solitary creature in its enclosure
. Photographed the "Purana Qilla(Old Fort)" overlooking the zoo from the zoo precincts adjacent to the open air birds aviary.One of the entrances to the Old fort is next to the entrance of the Delhi zoo and it is open from sunrise to sunset.Finally departed from the Delhi zoo at approx 1430hrs boarding a 894 bus which was a/c and less crowded.In Delhi all the red coloured buses are A/C buses and the Commonwealth games although steeped in corruption has definitely done wonders in sprucing up the city and leap-frogging it into a first world city with its Metro Railway network.Returned to the hotel at approx 1530 hrs and had some rest later heading towards a local cybercafe.Strangely, the Cybercafes of Paharganj are horrible although its a back-packers haunt, wonder the reasons for the shabbiness of the local cybercafes.Later i realized that majority of backpacker tourists carry their own lap-tops with wi-fi internet connection and hence the demand for cybercafe's minimal amongst the tourist population.Blogged my days experiences as human memory has a tendency to forget, least of all memories of a total of 27 days of solo Inter-city and country touring which began in Mumbai and would end in Mumbai on Wednesday(30-11-2011)! Later went to the local Dhabba aptly called "Apna Dhaba" just at the corner of New Delhi railway station and ate one of the best chicken Biryani's in a very long time, straight Mughlai Stuff. Externally, all the Dhabas of Paharganj resemble the filthiest roadside eateries of Mumbai but are crowded and honestly prepare good stuff. Moral of the Eating-"Don't judge a Dhaba by its external view"!
Watched T.v in my room and slept as usual , a partially insomniac even at home and hence an early riser.My hotel room had no Bed-Bugs nor mosquito's, a real relief considering its average cost and location, a common complaint of tourists residing in cheap "Backpacker lodges or hotels"..
Friday(4-11-2011):- Had a bucket of hot water bath at 0630 hrs and a breakfast consisting of two omelet sandwiches with a cup of tea costing Rs 55.Dressed and got ready for the tour bus which was supposed to pick me up at 0930hrs at the hotel.Observed a unique hilarious scene outside my hotel of young toddler children being collected in a cycle rickshaw to be transported to school, locked up in a cage like box specially installed on the passenger seating accommodation of the cycle rickshaw.There were two such rickshaws, both filled with toddler kids, the first time i witnessed such unique protection and mode of transport for nursery school kids.What was the reason for transporting these young children in locked cages on a cycle-rickshaw like prisoners? Was it because of cheap transportation charges and safety?Bizarre.A small pick-up van with a few other tourists arrived and collected me, having to squeeze inside a packed mini van as the tourist bus had parking restrictions in Paharganj area due to its narrow roads and traffic congestion.We were later transferred into a palatial air-conditioned bus of "Parker Tours",packed to capacity with tourists and its young tourist guide Abhishek having a good sense of humour while conducting the tour, entire discourse in Hindi.
Our first tour stop was at the Laxmi Narayan temple also known as the Birla temple, the temple packed with tourists and Delhi seems to be a very busy tourist destination, lots of them foreigners.The reasons for me traveling "SOLO" whenever possible are two pronged, one being that its difficult to find a travel mate as most packaged tour tourists are either couples or families, very rarely individual tourists.Hotel room accommodation on "Package Tours" is on sharing basis and hence if a person doesn't find a travel partner then extra charges are incurred for the booking of a single hotel room which is prohibitively expensive.The other reason is that being a hobbyist blogger and photographer, traveling alone is more comfortable and effective although definitely more expensive than a "Packaged Tour". "Packaged Tour Company's", especially local city tours although cheap have a habit of just teasing the hard-core traveler tourist with limited time for visiting important tour sites.The short time allotted for visiting every tour site makes a tourist linger for more, never satisfied and sometimes even missing on some tour itineraries due to lack of tour time within the allotted time limit."Package Tours" are appreciated by first-time travelers or aged people requiring safety or couples but i am sure the average professional traveler with a decent bank-balance would definitely prefer managing their own vacations unless its a professional educative tour like the normal "B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History Society)" nature tours and treks that i personally attend in Mumbai as these are nature tours unlike city sight-seeing tours.This is my personal opinion on the average "Package Tour Company" although luck and reputation of the "Package Tour company" also plays an important role in providing a decent tour of important sightseeing itineraries in a city.Every tourist would have their own opinion on travel and this is my personal opinion.In a very hasty tour we managed to sight-see Parliament House,Rashtrapati Bhavan, India gate,Qutub Minar in the first session, with photos of consenting tourists being taken by the tour's official photographer at India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan enclave for memories of the Delhi tour.Lunch was at approx 1230 hrs at "Tamil Nadu House Canteen" in Chanakyapuri.Chanakyapuri is situated in the posh "Lutyens Enclave" of New Delhi and all the World's consulates are based in Chanakyapuri, a diplomatic enclave of New Delhi.After finishing lunch at approx 1330 hrs which for me was a simple Rawa Massala dosa(Rs 90) which proved too large for my appetite we began the post-lunch sightseeing tour of Delhi.Our next stop was at "Dilli Haat", a famous government handicraft shop, a normal itinerary of any city package tour in any country.I purchased a bed-spread that had some innovative manufacturing process and hope my partial insomnia vanishes!We next visited the "Bahaia House of worship" also called the "Lotus Temple" due to its shape like a lotus flower, a beautiful edifice resembling a miniature Taj Mahal.This building is a modern edifice built in 1986 and has won numerous architectural awards besides being open to all religious sects. Viewed the Lotus temple from a distance as lack of time prevented me from entering the same due to a huge crowd of tourists.Our last stop was "Rajghat" and having also visited Mahatma Gandhi's ancestral house in Porbandar it was a strange feeling being at Rajghat.Took a self photograph against the backdrop of the eternal flame at Rajghat, peace in a time of intense economic and political turmoil all over the World, let alone India.This being my first visit to Delhi the guide Abhishek was helpful in showing us the beautiful and simple white coloured Bungalows of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan.Singh,Sonia.Gandhi and other familiar ministers, absolutely no skyscrapers or even 2 storey buildings in the Ministerial residential locality of New Delhi."Lutyens Delhi" was as good or better than most First world city's i visited, absolutely clean and the roads broad and spacious, lined with trees.All the Ministerial bungalows were uniformly single-stories and painted white with wide gardens and a sentry at the gate.There was a crowd of journalists outside the residence of Congress President Sonia.Gandhi. The tour finally wound up at 1715 hrs and i alighted the bus at "Red Fort" , deciding to view the "Light and Sound" show .It was already a bit dark and the fort looked eerily haunted,its 33 meter high Red sandstone walls rising magnificently over Old Delhi city.These historic walls were built in 1638 .The Red Fort has been the the scene of numerous wars, murders and change of dynasties, the proverb echoing in my mind,quote, "DILLI BAHOTH DHOOR HAI(DELHI IS VERY FAR)".Whoever ruled Delhi ruled India in ancient as well as modern India.Booked the English show(Rs 70) which was to start at 1930 hrs and hence spent away my time in this lonely quiet fort precincts sitting near a tree and listening to my cell-phone radio.It was cold and there were few tourists since i was early, the eerie quietness reminding me of the "Rocky and Mayur" haunted ghost episodes on television, titled "INDIA'S MOST HAUNTED".Listened to the local radio on my cell-phone and later entered the fortified wall precincts through the "Lahore Gate", main entrance for tourists. Purchased a painting of a "Courtesan" at the "Mughal Art handicraft" shop situated inside the fort just at the entrance of Lahore gate.Courtesans are as extinct as India's fabled royalty,surviving only in movies and drama,most famous being "Umrao-Jaan", hence memories of a bygone era in ink.The show started exactly at 1930 hrs and was World-class, on par with the best i have seen, especially if a person has read or studied Mughal history.After the show made my way towards Chandni Chowk station, as usual asking for directions from locals, finally reaching the station.There is a important prominent Sikh Gurudwara at Chandni chowk,the Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib built and is one of the nine historical Gurudwaras in Delhi.It is built on the Site on which the 9th Sikh Guru , Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.In modern times , the Hindi movie titled "Chandni Chowk to China", starring local Delhi boy actor Akshay.Kumar definitely derives its inspiration from this locality of delhi.Chandni Chowk was a lively locality akin to Paharganj, crowded and filthy. At the station a young bank executive guided me on the procedure of purchasing a "Travel Card" for the Delhi metro train travel, an identical copy of the "Oyster Card" of the London travel network.My view of the average Delhite was changing and realized that every city had its good and evil,although crime rate of Delhi was extraordinarily high, this young gentleman definitely a model of the helpful Delhite. Purchased a Rs 100 card and boarded the train to New Delhi metro station.Finding my way back to "Bridge View Tourist lodge" at Paharganj from New Delhi Metro was an easy jig-saw puzzle as i am a hard-core "Solo-Backpacker" and in Delhi at least i could speak, understand and read my national language Hindi.I had to cross the main New Delhi railway bridge road filthily maintained ,akin to walking from Dadar(West) to Dadar (East) in Mumbai, finally reaching hotel sweet hotel,a home away from home , absolutely haggard and tired from a hectic day of "Package" as well as solo-touring.
Saturday(5-11-2010):-As usual yours truly, half-insomniac got up early,had tea, a bath and breakfast at the local dabba ,later deciding to go on a solo trek of Delhi, just with the help of a "Jain Tour Guide" map and strangers for direction.Boarded the "Yellow Line Train"
at New Delhi metro station and asked for directions to travel to Gurgaon, a city thats the talk of the town all over India.Just a few decades ago Gurgaon was worthless agricultural land, today converted into mega crores real estate apartments and business offices.Boarded the "Yellow Line Train" and was told to get down at the last stop,"Huda City Center".Boarded the train at approx 0800 hrs , a pleasant journey of approx 50 minutes and had a breath-taking view of the towns at Gurgaon, resembling Mumbai's "Bandra-Kurla Complex" , absolutely clean, spacious and a modern city akin to Lutyens Delhi.Alighted at the last station also re-charging my train travel card by Rs 100 and catching the return train as Gurgaon just consisted of residential buildings, malls and corporate offices, nothing strange for a Mumbaikar from Prabhadevi locality!The worst handicap on traveling on Delhi Metro's is the "Äirport Style Security" check for every passenger and i wonder what would be the chaotic repercussions if the same procedure was enacted on Mumbai's local trains.Guaranteed, Mumbai's overcrowded local rail traffic would come to a screeching halt.Alighted the train at "Qutub Minar Station" at approx 0940 hrs and headed towards the local bus-stop. Caught bus nos 715 which took me directly to "Qutub Minar", familiar with the location as i had visited it the previous day with "Parker Tours". Deposited my hand-luggage at the cloak room and after purchasing the entry ticket made my way into this historical complex,school study's put into practical study, although at the late age of 51!I felt sad for my fellow tour companions and all "Package Tourists" as a unique edifice Qutub Minar just can't be viewed in a few minutes, requiring at least an hour to just get a look at this huge complex let alone study a monument. The Qutub Minar which is 72 meters in height was built in 1193 by Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak from a dynasty known as the Slave Kings.Observed that parakeets and pigeons had made nests in the crevices of the ruins of the surrounding edifices, the Qutub Minar preserved magnificently in its unique solitude.Made a small video film as i always have to repeat that being a history buff,recordings of good or bad memories are a part of my blogging and photo-essays.Was at the Qutub Minar upto approx 1045hrs and boarded the return bus to "Qutub Minar Metro station".Boarded the train at approx 1110 hrs and alighted at "Race-Course Station".Delhi race-course was the only one in India that i didn't visit and decided to inquire about the local race schedule, hoping to view the Delhi races.To my bad-luck, the next races were scheduled for Tuesday(8-11-2011) after my departure from Delhi,but, seeing the race-course premises externally i realized i wasn't missing any great horse-riding or horse-racing.Horse-racing in the tiny South Indian hill-station of Ooty seemed much better to New Delhi horse-racing.No wonder Delhi races have the least "Off-Course attendances" amongst all the other race-courses in India including Ooty.Delhi is more famous for its occasional "POLITICAL HORSE-TRADING" than for its "HORSE-RACING"! Next did a marathon walk of the entire "Lutyens Delhi" absolutely fascinated by the "V.I.P" and Ministerial Bungalows" and understood one of the the reasons for the struggle among political parties for political power in Delhi.Visited the "Indira Gandhi Museum" at 1 Safdarjung Road and got a peep into the life of one of India's most prominent Prime Ministers, including the site of her assassination.Completed my tour of the Indira Gandhi museum by approx 1245 hrs and decided to head towards "Lodhi Road" to see "Humayuns Tomb", a visit favoured by American President Barack.Obama over the Taj Mahal.Normally any "V.V.I.P" or celebrity that visits Delhi never misses the close trip to Agra to view the Taj Mahal, President Barack.Obama being the rare American President to have avoided the routine Taj Mahal visit.It was one of the longest walks of my life and at age 51 i am no Spring Chicken and hence found the walking tough although the Delhi weather was pleasant.Public bus transport in the Ministerial locality of "Lutyens Delhi" is almost non-existent, besides, the bus frequency and routes also differ, taxi's or private transport being the most convenient mode of transport.The only solace was the beautiful rich view of palatial bungalows with their guarded sentry's including one of my favorite hilarious ministers Mr Laloo.Prasad.Yadav who was proud to proclaim that he reached Delhi politics from the back of a buffalo in his native village in Bihar.He is never ever embarrassed of his deep rustic roots although corruption was a prime embarrassment in Bihar .On the way to Humayuns tomb passed through "Lodhi Gardens" taking some rest under a tree, haggard to the point of collapse due to De-hydration.Visited the tomb of Mohammed .Shah inside Lodhi gardens, this beautiful garden being a walkers park for Delhites.Finally, providence saved me and i walked out from Lodhi park and inquired at a nearby shop for the bus stop to Humayun's tomb also having a cold drink.A young man eating noodles at the shop overheard my conversation and told me that he would give me a lift to Humayun's tomb since he was also proceeding in the same direction.Hence i was lucky to get a lift from Mr Babu.Rao who worked as a driver, a name i will never forget since he helped me during a worst phase of my "Solo Back-Packer tour" travels,help from a simple common man.In Delhi i avoided rickshaws or taxi's since i was a bit paranoid about my own safety having read about Delhi's high crime rate and as a "Solo-Tourist" a person becomes an invitation for petty criminals and hooligans and i didn't intend copying film hero toughness if accosted by thieves or hooligans. Most people avoid "Solo Backpacking tours " for the simple reason that besides being dangerous it can also be taxing on one's personal health with no help from anyone in case of a serious illness or injury.This is the main reason for "
Package Tours" being a success all over the World despite most travel companies having their terrible limitations in providing quality vacation or sightseeing to their patrons.Mr Babu.Rao dropped me directly at "Humayuns Tomb",located at Nizamuddin East between the road crossing of Mathura road and Lodhi road.Humayun's tomb, built in 1565A.D is the first garden tomb in the Indian sub-continent and the first example of Mughal architecture, a World class historical monument and well preserved.Had a long rest in the garden of the complex, lots of squirrels bounding around, a relief from the marathon tiring walk.Later visited the main Mausoleum building viewing the main tomb of Humayun and other lesser tombs of other Mughal princes.
The Mausoleum site was chosen on the banks of the Yamuna river due to its proximity to the Nizamuddin Dargah, mausoleum of the sufi saint of Delhi Nizamuddin.Auliya who was revered by the Mughals of Delhi.I had been walking and traveling by public transport like a "Mad Hatter" since my arrival in Delhi on Thursday(3-11-2011),hence absolutely fatigued at the end of the day.
On my return journey boarded the 181 local bus and alighted at New Delhi station.Had some rest in my hotel and later in the evening made my way to the local cyber-cafe, blogging my memoirs as usual, for my own personal reading also hoping to benifit other readers as i myself plan my travels through other travellers blogs on the Internet.What i did at age 15 i couldn't do at age 25 and what i did at age 25 i can't do at age 51! LIFE IS NOTHING BUT MEMORIES IN THE LONG RUN,GOOD OR BAD.
After blogging asked the owner of the cyber-cafe for some directions for asli(good) Paharganj Daba food and he directed me to a "New Adda", fantastic, cheap with a wine-shop in near proximity.Liquor is cheaper in Delhi but liquor shops are invisible unlike Mumbai where liquor is expensive but liquor shops proliferating in every locality.Purchased a Kingfisher beer(Strong) for Rs 70, a pittance compared to Mumbai and after buying "Take-Home food" made my way to the hotel. Saturday night was "Beer night" with Paharganj daba ishtyle dinner and television music.My friend Shanti.Das would find it hilarious to learn that i stayed in the same locality in Delhi where Anurag.Kashyap shot parts of the film "Dev-D", part of the film "LIFTED" from Shanti.Das's colourful life for which he received no royalty!Touche! Topi?
Had a partial insomniac night as usual, a well traveled tour this far.
Sunday(6-11-2011):- As usual, after the normal tea and hot water bathe routine made my way to New Delhi metro station.Boarded the "Yellow Line" train to "Chandni Chowk" and had a road side breakfast of "Puri/Chole(Rs 15)" relishing the Delhi roadside food and hoping not to get the "Delhi Belly" stomach upset. Made my way towards Red Fort, a fort that has been of intense study for school history exams as well as a personal hobby study in history.The entrance ticket was Rs 10 with an extra Rs 5 charges for entry to the museums in the Fort premises.On entering the fort premises made my way towards the museum and revised my historical study of the Indian revolt of 1857 against the British, graphically depicted through photographs and manuscripts. After the museum visit made my way into the main courtyard of the Red Fort making a small video on the "Diwan-I-Khas", the seat of the fabled "Peacock Throne" plundered by Nadir.Shah and hence the term ,"DILLI BAHOTH DHOOR HAIN" as the Mughal rulers of that era were weak and endulged in debauchery.Explored the entire complex at leisure and later visited the "Mumtaz Mahal Museum", photographic exhibition of the last Mogul ruler Bahadur.Shah.Zaffar. On my return to the exit of the Fort Complex visited the "Indian War Memorial Museum". This museum had war weapons on display and i decided to get a photograph of mine taken against the weapons background.I requested a tourist to click my photo and he obliged but later realized that the camera's picture review mode was not functioning.I panicked about the workability of my camera since i had got it repaired twice in Mumbai, aghast that it had let me down on a crucial tour.Was it the mysterious "DELHI JINX" at play again !After a complete detour of the Red Fort complex i made my way towards the "Jama Masjid", the largest mosque in Asia.Chandni Chowk locality is filthy and congested, besides, as it was the eve of "Bakri-Idd" festival there was a huge crowd of worshipers making their way towards the mosque.I was at the right place at the right time and got to witness "Bakri-Idd" festivities in one of the prime places of the Muslim faith in India.The "Meena Bazaar" route leading to the Jama Masjid mosque was filled with goats and humans, absolutely congested and the pathway filthy.After visiting the Pushkar cattle fair in 2003 i next saw the largest herd of goats at the Jama Masjid cattle sheds on Sunday(6-11-2011). Went halfway towards the mosque and then returned back absolutely baffled by the goats awaiting slaughter as well as the worshipers making their way to the mosque.On my return i saw a lonely camel sitting on the side-walk and on inquiry was told that it was a sacrificial camel , the first time in my life that i saw a camel offered as a sacrificial lamb.This custom of offering camels as Ïdd-Sacrifices is common in oil rich Arab country's but never in Mumbai, India's financial capital.
I made my way towards Chandni Chowk station, deciding to visit my paternal cousin and only relative in Delhi.Ronny.Furtado , my cousin rang me up inquiring about my itinerary and i asked him for directions to his house, a suburb of Delhi.Boarded the train at Chandni Chowk at approx 1215 hrs and alighted at "Central Secretariat" station.From " Central Secretariat" changed over to the "Violet Line" of trains, boarding the train heading to Badarpur.In Delhi, the entire "Metro Train Network" is a duplicate copy of the "London Metro Train Network", both using "COLOUR CODES" to distinguish between different train routes.It took me approximately 45 minutes to reach "Govind Puri Station" and from there boarded a rickshaw to cousin Ronny.Furtado's residence.I had last met Ronny in Mumbai in 2007 for my cousin Zubin.Furtado's marriage where i imitated Michael.Jackson , dancing to glory with his daughter Diana at the wedding reception at "Juhu Hotel", one of my favourite haunts for rock and pop music.We had a informal lunch as usual and after lunch i happened to cross-check my camera memory card with Diana's camera.I was shocked when i realized that my memory card was not recording photos on my camera also thankful that i detected the fault.Diana told me that there were a few camera repair shops close to their residence.As it was Sunday most shops in Delhi were closed and hence i decided to look into the matter on Monday.Finally departed from cousin Ronny's residence and at Govindpuri station i consulted a local traveler about camera repair shops in Delhi and he referred me to the famous "Chandni Chowk" electronics locality. Boarded the train at Govind Puri finally returning to New Delhi metro ,a bit sad and also worried about my camera.Visited the local cyber cafe and as usual blogged my days experiences.Although tired didn't get much sleep, the partial insomnia effecting my sleeping habits even on tours.
Monday(7-11-2011):- My last day in Delhi and hence packed up my luggage.Checked out of the hotel at 0900 hrs but kept my luggage at the hotel, informing the manager that i would collect the same at approx 2130 hrs.The adventure of " SOLO-BACKPACKING" is the thrill of the unknown and the advantage of being your own tour proprietor! A "Solo-Tourist" has to plan an entire tour , thankfully made easier through the internet unlike "Packaged Tours" where the tourist is just a passenger.If you are young or young at heart and have a decent bank-balance and time , then, as a hard-core "Solo-Tourist" i would definitely recommend individual or private family tours as the best way to enjoy a private holiday.After checking out of the hotel boarded the metro to Chandni Chowk in absolute hurry to repair or buy a new camera.I was early at 0930 hrs as shops in Delhi open only after 1000hrs and hence whiled away my time roaming around the streets.Breakfast was a local "Aloo-Kachori" with "Delhi Lassi", costing just Rs 20 provided in a classic earthenware pot.I was testing my culinary stamina to the maximum by tasting all the roadside eateries only hoping that i wouldn't wind up with a bout of diarrhea.After breakfast i made my way to the camera repair shops situated in one of the by-lanes of Chandni chowk.The first camera repairman was hesitant to repair my camera as he was afraid the circuit could get damaged and hence he referred me to another technician.The next technician decided to take the risk and opened up the camera casing and setting it right in just a few seconds!It was akin to magic to a non-technician and thankfully i also learned a bit of camera electronics observing this brilliant technician repair my camera. He charged me Rs 300 for a few minutes work which i willingly gave, thankful that at least the camera was in workable condition.From Chandni Chowk i next went to Rajiv Chowk and strolled around Connaught place.The World's best designer sports companies have their shops at Connaught Place and was surprised at the cost of premium sports shoes, some brands costing as much as Rs 8000 to Rs 9000! Purchased a "T-Shirt" with the wordings "BORN FREE TAXED TILL DEATH"! Brushed my knowledge on the cost price of some premium brands and later walked towards "Jantar Mantar".I had previously seen the "Jantar Mantar"at Jaipur and hence a bit familiar with the jig-saw geometric designs that totally confuses modern humans.Made my way back to Rajiv Chowk station and boarded the train to Central Secretariat intending to revisit the Parliament locality since the " Package Tour" just offered us a glimpse from a distance. The road to Rashtrapati Bhavan is unbelievable, akin to a car racing circuit, absolutely paved and leveled.Went upto the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan and took a photograph of myself in front of the gates, a commoners memories of a visit to this hallowed locality in India. India Gate looks magnificient from Rashtrapati Bhavan and in future i would be able to understand the "Republic Day Parade" much better after having personally visited the location.This is an advantage of travel, its the best practical education for any human.I also realized that my bowels were malfunctioning as i walked along, after-effects of reckless food habits, besides i have a weak stomach although physically active. From Central Secretariat station i boarded the train to "Khan Market", just a station ahead.Khan Market was an upper-class shopping locality akin to Connaught place but at a smaller scale.For the first time i saw a veterinarian advertise as a "Dog and Cat Doctor" at " Khan Market" , happy that cats were at last gaining some prominence and hoping that a "Cat Club" formation would be the next itinerary akin to " Dog Clubs".Had lunch at the local "McDonalds Cafetaria" at Khan Market afraid that any more of untested food could be disastrous, especially as a " Solo-Tourist".Later boarded the train from Khan market back to Rajiv Chowk with the idea of visiting the famous Pragati Maidan. At Rajiv Chowk station i went to the railway toilet and relieved myself, feeling much better and hoping that a mild bout of diarrhea wouldn't ruin my holidays.Boarded the train to Pragati Maidan and walked upto the entrance, closed to the public.The "Supreme Court Museum" was just outside Pragati Maidan but couldn't visit the same as it was closed.From Pragati maidan i caught the train back to Rajiv Chowk and strolled around classic Connaught place.This was the last of my sightseeing tour of Delhi finally catching the train back to New Delhi station and over to blogging.Have to board the "12230/Lucknow Mail" train at 2210 hrs for my onward journey to Lucknow.My bowels are still uneasy and hope everything goes well and of all the maladies diarrhea shouldn't ruin my vacation.Went back to my hotel, collected my luggage and headed towards "New Delhi Railway Station" at approx 2030 hrs.From the station it was another long and agonizing walk to platform no16, the last platform on the extreme end of New Delhi terminus.Trudged my way to platform No 16 and waited for the "12230/Lucknow" mail to arrive at the platform, suffering from partial fatigue and partial diarrhea.The train arrived at approx 2130 hrs and i boarded my compartment "S6/0024", the train absolutely crowded and after decades i got the experience of traveling in a overpacked train.Thankfully i had the upper berth and once the train departed i went on top and lay down, sleep eluding me the entire night.As a former marine engineer seafarer i was used to keeping awake for a night or two on manny occasions during my long tenure and hence partly used to insomnia fatigue syndrome.The train arrived at Lucknow at approx 0800 hrs late by approx two hours.Realized that someone in the train tried to snatch my brief-case bag while i was must have snoozed a bit, the bags carry strap being severed from the bag rest buckle.Luckily i had kept the bag under my head as a pillow, besides wrapping the strap round my arm.Providence and a bit of my own solo tour traveling experience saved me from losing my documents as well as cash.This is one of the major handicaps of traveling alone on crowded public transport, hence other solo-travelers beware of the risks.Alighted the train and made my way to the "Railway Rest Room", refreshing myself and also getting the feel of the average long distance train passengers ordeal on "Second Class Travel" in India.After refreshing myself made my way to the "Cloak Room" to deposit my luggage and was told to provide a xerox copy of my identity proof, a latest nuisance due to the "Terrorism Epidemic".Had to walk out of the railway station with my luggage, get my document xeroxed and again re-enter the station and deposit my luggage at the "Cloak-Room".After depositing my luggage went to the common railway toilet and relieved myself, a bit happy that my diarrhea symptoms were vanishing.Later made my way out of "Lucknow Railway Station" into "Lucknow City".Thats another blog by itself.This is the saga of my short and hectic solo tour of this Megalopolis on a shoe-string budget, despite heavy odds against me and almost being robbed of my minuscule travel wealth.
The "12951 Mumbai Rajdhani" train arrived on the platform at approx 1600 hrs and i boarded my compartment "B-2 Seat-49", the first time in my life that i was traveling in India's second fastest luxury train.The interior of the train resembled a plane with its well maintained A/c cooling and clean interiors besides a plush passenger list.A Maharashtrian pilgrimage group consisting mostly of women were in my seating berth row along with another solo traveler Mr Ashok.Parikh whom i befriended.The group leader of the Maharashtrian pilgrimage party requested me to shift to another berth in another compartment as they preferred their entire group in one berth. I refused the same and told him i wouldn't mind shifting within the same compartment also explaining them my latest "Bad Luck" with the train police inspectors while arriving to board the Rajdhani Express.Finally we came to some understanding , solving the group problems and we all co-passengers got into normal travelers conversation.
The train departed the station at exactly 1640 hrs and i was happy to be finally at least be traveling to Delhi, a city that somehow seemed jinxed on my personal tour itinerary.All of us finally began a conversation and we were no more strangers on a strange train. The Maharashtrian Pilgrim Group were on a pilgrimage to Vaishnoo Devi temple in Jammu while Mr Ashok.Parikh was on his way to Haridvar.We were served snacks at 1730 hrs and later a soup at approx 1830 hrs reminding me of a plane voyage and akin to a plane this train had a in-train magazine called "Railbandhu".We reached Surat at approx 1930hrs, absolutely on schedule.Ashok and myself transferred ourselves to the next berth and here we came across a Gujarati family from Surat and Ashok got into a warm conversation with them, Gujarati language being the common link.Thanks to my shipping background and personal tours, proud to say that i never find myself out of place or uncomfortable in any community, religion or region of India or the World.I am more scared of Malaria and sicknesses than terrorism or crime, a real bizarre sense of personal safety in the 21st century.
The train reached Surat at 1930 hrs after which dinner was served at approx 2030 hrs and later a good nights sleep in "A/C Comfort".This train has only 4 train stops to Delhi, the train stations being Surat,Vadodra,Ratlam,Kotla and finally New Delhi.As usual i woke up early,brushed my teeth at approx 0500 hrs and again just lay on my bed.Tea was at 0645 hrs and watched the scenery outside the train, passing Mathura station and later approaching the suburbs of Delhi. Breakfast was served at approx 0745 hrs and approaching Delhi viewed a lot of slums with no skyscraper buildings in sight.Viewed the local suburban trains of Delhi which seemed as crowded as Mumbai local trains. Passed the stations of Hazrat Naizamuddin, Pragati Maidan and Tilak bridge before finally entering New Delhi station at approx 0900 hrs, a wonderful ,pleasant and memorable journey .Finally and hopefully successful in breaking my "DELHI TRAVEL JINX" finally reaching Delhi City.
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| Arrival at "New Delhi Station" on the Paharganj Side, the "Backpackers Haven". |
I got of the station and walked straight to Paharganj East locality from the train platform, walking with my luggage into the road besides an overhead road bridge.Booked myself into the "Bridge View Tourist Lodge" situated just a few minutes walk from the exit gate of "New Delhi Train Terminus" along the overhead bridge road.
I was allotted "Room Nos 305" at a daily charge of Rs 400 with 10% extra service charges.This hotel was situated on the main street facing the New Delhi railway station fly-over and hence the name "Bridge View Tourist Lodge".On the opposite side of the hotel, past the overhead road bridge was a theater named "Shiela" screening the costliest Sharukh.Khan film ,"Ra ONE".In other words "PAHARGANJ" is the "ADDA Locality" of Delhi, its seedy underbelly complete with cheap garish budget neon light hotels and crowded gully's.Also booked a package sightseeing tour(Rs 300) of Delhi city with the hotel manager, typical of most hotels. The room was self contained, had a 14" T.v and self-attached bath, very reasonable and definitely cheaper for a World Capital city.
After a quick bucket of hot-water bathe which the hotel provided since there was no geyser facilities i dressed and made my way out into the back-packer street of Paharganj.Paharganj, Delhi's backpackers haunt was absolutely bustling with hawkers, dhabas and people from all facets of life and professions.Since Connought Place was the closest tourist site to Paharganj i decided to walk the distance asking directions from locals and properly guided.Honestly, the media news about the crime rate in Delhi psychologically kept me aware of being a cautious tourist, never being overconfident and hence avoided taxis or rickshaws, preferring walking or public transport.Connought Place is totally European in design, majestic single storey circular group of buildings dating back to the British Era and preserved to date , renamed Rajiv Chowk.Some of the World's best brand names have their retail stores in Connought Place and my first inquiry was for a guide map of Delhi.On inquiry i was directed to "Jain Book Depot", a huge bookstore dealing in all sorts of books, educational, fiction, and trivia.They gave me two guide maps of Delhi free of charge as souvenirs and it really proved a mine of information during my entire solo-backpacking on the streets, buses, trains and tourist sites of Delhi.My advice to tourists visiting Delhi is to make a first stop visit to "Jain Book Depot" to make your holidays or business tour more knowledgeable rather than wandering aimlessly or just hotel to airport if on a business schedule.I strolled around Connaught circus finally entering the famous underground air-conditioned "Palika Bazaar" and purchasing a 2Gb memory card for my camera costing Rs 300.Later i decided to visit the Delhi zoo and on inquiries was guided by a local to the bus-stop and managed to board a bus to the zoo.Reached the Delhi zoo at approx 1230 hrs, entrance fee being Rs 20, cheap for a very well maintained zoo with lots of similarities to the Mysore zoo, definitely one of the best zoo's in India.The Delhi zoo has an open air artificial lake akin to the Ranganathittu bird sanctuary in Mysore and numerous painted storks, lesser Cormorants, variety of ducks breed in this sanctuary within the zoo, something i saw for the first time in my life.Normally most zoos have closed walk-in aviaries and i wonder the reasons for these birds making a zoo their natural home something as unexplainable as the migratory habits of some bird species.The Old Fort(Purana Qilla) is adjacent to this open air bird park in the zoo and i feel that the natural ruins of the Fort amidst this artificial lake makes this a natural habitat for aquatic birds to breed and nest.Saw a lot of painted stork chicks, a few nests had 3 chicks than the usual two and happy that these birds are thriving in the Delhi zoo open air bird park.The zoo had a pair of Indian Rhinoceros with their horns intact, the first time i saw a pair of great Indian Rhinoceros in a zoo, normally they are always kept in solitary confinement in Indian zoos with their horn cut, most famous being the rhino "Shiva" in the Mumbai zoo.Viewed a pair of gibbons, rare in zoo's,besides the zoo had spacious enclosures with moats.Spotted a single giant Malabar hornbill attack and catch a lizard in its enclosure although it did't eat the same.Álso viewed the beautiful leopard cat for the first time in my life,a solitary creature in its enclosure
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| As a "Nature Conservationist" and "Wild-Life Activist" a visit to the Delhi Zoo was the top of my itinerary. |
Watched T.v in my room and slept as usual , a partially insomniac even at home and hence an early riser.My hotel room had no Bed-Bugs nor mosquito's, a real relief considering its average cost and location, a common complaint of tourists residing in cheap "Backpacker lodges or hotels"..
Friday(4-11-2011):- Had a bucket of hot water bath at 0630 hrs and a breakfast consisting of two omelet sandwiches with a cup of tea costing Rs 55.Dressed and got ready for the tour bus which was supposed to pick me up at 0930hrs at the hotel.Observed a unique hilarious scene outside my hotel of young toddler children being collected in a cycle rickshaw to be transported to school, locked up in a cage like box specially installed on the passenger seating accommodation of the cycle rickshaw.There were two such rickshaws, both filled with toddler kids, the first time i witnessed such unique protection and mode of transport for nursery school kids.What was the reason for transporting these young children in locked cages on a cycle-rickshaw like prisoners? Was it because of cheap transportation charges and safety?Bizarre.A small pick-up van with a few other tourists arrived and collected me, having to squeeze inside a packed mini van as the tourist bus had parking restrictions in Paharganj area due to its narrow roads and traffic congestion.We were later transferred into a palatial air-conditioned bus of "Parker Tours",packed to capacity with tourists and its young tourist guide Abhishek having a good sense of humour while conducting the tour, entire discourse in Hindi.
Our first tour stop was at the Laxmi Narayan temple also known as the Birla temple, the temple packed with tourists and Delhi seems to be a very busy tourist destination, lots of them foreigners.The reasons for me traveling "SOLO" whenever possible are two pronged, one being that its difficult to find a travel mate as most packaged tour tourists are either couples or families, very rarely individual tourists.Hotel room accommodation on "Package Tours" is on sharing basis and hence if a person doesn't find a travel partner then extra charges are incurred for the booking of a single hotel room which is prohibitively expensive.The other reason is that being a hobbyist blogger and photographer, traveling alone is more comfortable and effective although definitely more expensive than a "Packaged Tour". "Packaged Tour Company's", especially local city tours although cheap have a habit of just teasing the hard-core traveler tourist with limited time for visiting important tour sites.The short time allotted for visiting every tour site makes a tourist linger for more, never satisfied and sometimes even missing on some tour itineraries due to lack of tour time within the allotted time limit."Package Tours" are appreciated by first-time travelers or aged people requiring safety or couples but i am sure the average professional traveler with a decent bank-balance would definitely prefer managing their own vacations unless its a professional educative tour like the normal "B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History Society)" nature tours and treks that i personally attend in Mumbai as these are nature tours unlike city sight-seeing tours.This is my personal opinion on the average "Package Tour Company" although luck and reputation of the "Package Tour company" also plays an important role in providing a decent tour of important sightseeing itineraries in a city.Every tourist would have their own opinion on travel and this is my personal opinion.In a very hasty tour we managed to sight-see Parliament House,Rashtrapati Bhavan, India gate,Qutub Minar in the first session, with photos of consenting tourists being taken by the tour's official photographer at India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan enclave for memories of the Delhi tour.Lunch was at approx 1230 hrs at "Tamil Nadu House Canteen" in Chanakyapuri.Chanakyapuri is situated in the posh "Lutyens Enclave" of New Delhi and all the World's consulates are based in Chanakyapuri, a diplomatic enclave of New Delhi.After finishing lunch at approx 1330 hrs which for me was a simple Rawa Massala dosa(Rs 90) which proved too large for my appetite we began the post-lunch sightseeing tour of Delhi.Our next stop was at "Dilli Haat", a famous government handicraft shop, a normal itinerary of any city package tour in any country.I purchased a bed-spread that had some innovative manufacturing process and hope my partial insomnia vanishes!We next visited the "Bahaia House of worship" also called the "Lotus Temple" due to its shape like a lotus flower, a beautiful edifice resembling a miniature Taj Mahal.This building is a modern edifice built in 1986 and has won numerous architectural awards besides being open to all religious sects. Viewed the Lotus temple from a distance as lack of time prevented me from entering the same due to a huge crowd of tourists.Our last stop was "Rajghat" and having also visited Mahatma Gandhi's ancestral house in Porbandar it was a strange feeling being at Rajghat.Took a self photograph against the backdrop of the eternal flame at Rajghat, peace in a time of intense economic and political turmoil all over the World, let alone India.This being my first visit to Delhi the guide Abhishek was helpful in showing us the beautiful and simple white coloured Bungalows of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan.Singh,Sonia.Gandhi and other familiar ministers, absolutely no skyscrapers or even 2 storey buildings in the Ministerial residential locality of New Delhi."Lutyens Delhi" was as good or better than most First world city's i visited, absolutely clean and the roads broad and spacious, lined with trees.All the Ministerial bungalows were uniformly single-stories and painted white with wide gardens and a sentry at the gate.There was a crowd of journalists outside the residence of Congress President Sonia.Gandhi. The tour finally wound up at 1715 hrs and i alighted the bus at "Red Fort" , deciding to view the "Light and Sound" show .It was already a bit dark and the fort looked eerily haunted,its 33 meter high Red sandstone walls rising magnificently over Old Delhi city.These historic walls were built in 1638 .The Red Fort has been the the scene of numerous wars, murders and change of dynasties, the proverb echoing in my mind,quote, "DILLI BAHOTH DHOOR HAI(DELHI IS VERY FAR)".Whoever ruled Delhi ruled India in ancient as well as modern India.Booked the English show(Rs 70) which was to start at 1930 hrs and hence spent away my time in this lonely quiet fort precincts sitting near a tree and listening to my cell-phone radio.It was cold and there were few tourists since i was early, the eerie quietness reminding me of the "Rocky and Mayur" haunted ghost episodes on television, titled "INDIA'S MOST HAUNTED".Listened to the local radio on my cell-phone and later entered the fortified wall precincts through the "Lahore Gate", main entrance for tourists. Purchased a painting of a "Courtesan" at the "Mughal Art handicraft" shop situated inside the fort just at the entrance of Lahore gate.Courtesans are as extinct as India's fabled royalty,surviving only in movies and drama,most famous being "Umrao-Jaan", hence memories of a bygone era in ink.The show started exactly at 1930 hrs and was World-class, on par with the best i have seen, especially if a person has read or studied Mughal history.After the show made my way towards Chandni Chowk station, as usual asking for directions from locals, finally reaching the station.There is a important prominent Sikh Gurudwara at Chandni chowk,the Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib built and is one of the nine historical Gurudwaras in Delhi.It is built on the Site on which the 9th Sikh Guru , Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.In modern times , the Hindi movie titled "Chandni Chowk to China", starring local Delhi boy actor Akshay.Kumar definitely derives its inspiration from this locality of delhi.Chandni Chowk was a lively locality akin to Paharganj, crowded and filthy. At the station a young bank executive guided me on the procedure of purchasing a "Travel Card" for the Delhi metro train travel, an identical copy of the "Oyster Card" of the London travel network.My view of the average Delhite was changing and realized that every city had its good and evil,although crime rate of Delhi was extraordinarily high, this young gentleman definitely a model of the helpful Delhite. Purchased a Rs 100 card and boarded the train to New Delhi metro station.Finding my way back to "Bridge View Tourist lodge" at Paharganj from New Delhi Metro was an easy jig-saw puzzle as i am a hard-core "Solo-Backpacker" and in Delhi at least i could speak, understand and read my national language Hindi.I had to cross the main New Delhi railway bridge road filthily maintained ,akin to walking from Dadar(West) to Dadar (East) in Mumbai, finally reaching hotel sweet hotel,a home away from home , absolutely haggard and tired from a hectic day of "Package" as well as solo-touring.
Saturday(5-11-2010):-As usual yours truly, half-insomniac got up early,had tea, a bath and breakfast at the local dabba ,later deciding to go on a solo trek of Delhi, just with the help of a "Jain Tour Guide" map and strangers for direction.Boarded the "Yellow Line Train"
at New Delhi metro station and asked for directions to travel to Gurgaon, a city thats the talk of the town all over India.Just a few decades ago Gurgaon was worthless agricultural land, today converted into mega crores real estate apartments and business offices.Boarded the "Yellow Line Train" and was told to get down at the last stop,"Huda City Center".Boarded the train at approx 0800 hrs , a pleasant journey of approx 50 minutes and had a breath-taking view of the towns at Gurgaon, resembling Mumbai's "Bandra-Kurla Complex" , absolutely clean, spacious and a modern city akin to Lutyens Delhi.Alighted at the last station also re-charging my train travel card by Rs 100 and catching the return train as Gurgaon just consisted of residential buildings, malls and corporate offices, nothing strange for a Mumbaikar from Prabhadevi locality!The worst handicap on traveling on Delhi Metro's is the "Äirport Style Security" check for every passenger and i wonder what would be the chaotic repercussions if the same procedure was enacted on Mumbai's local trains.Guaranteed, Mumbai's overcrowded local rail traffic would come to a screeching halt.Alighted the train at "Qutub Minar Station" at approx 0940 hrs and headed towards the local bus-stop. Caught bus nos 715 which took me directly to "Qutub Minar", familiar with the location as i had visited it the previous day with "Parker Tours". Deposited my hand-luggage at the cloak room and after purchasing the entry ticket made my way into this historical complex,school study's put into practical study, although at the late age of 51!I felt sad for my fellow tour companions and all "Package Tourists" as a unique edifice Qutub Minar just can't be viewed in a few minutes, requiring at least an hour to just get a look at this huge complex let alone study a monument. The Qutub Minar which is 72 meters in height was built in 1193 by Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak from a dynasty known as the Slave Kings.Observed that parakeets and pigeons had made nests in the crevices of the ruins of the surrounding edifices, the Qutub Minar preserved magnificently in its unique solitude.Made a small video film as i always have to repeat that being a history buff,recordings of good or bad memories are a part of my blogging and photo-essays.Was at the Qutub Minar upto approx 1045hrs and boarded the return bus to "Qutub Minar Metro station".Boarded the train at approx 1110 hrs and alighted at "Race-Course Station".Delhi race-course was the only one in India that i didn't visit and decided to inquire about the local race schedule, hoping to view the Delhi races.To my bad-luck, the next races were scheduled for Tuesday(8-11-2011) after my departure from Delhi,but, seeing the race-course premises externally i realized i wasn't missing any great horse-riding or horse-racing.Horse-racing in the tiny South Indian hill-station of Ooty seemed much better to New Delhi horse-racing.No wonder Delhi races have the least "Off-Course attendances" amongst all the other race-courses in India including Ooty.Delhi is more famous for its occasional "POLITICAL HORSE-TRADING" than for its "HORSE-RACING"! Next did a marathon walk of the entire "Lutyens Delhi" absolutely fascinated by the "V.I.P" and Ministerial Bungalows" and understood one of the the reasons for the struggle among political parties for political power in Delhi.Visited the "Indira Gandhi Museum" at 1 Safdarjung Road and got a peep into the life of one of India's most prominent Prime Ministers, including the site of her assassination.Completed my tour of the Indira Gandhi museum by approx 1245 hrs and decided to head towards "Lodhi Road" to see "Humayuns Tomb", a visit favoured by American President Barack.Obama over the Taj Mahal.Normally any "V.V.I.P" or celebrity that visits Delhi never misses the close trip to Agra to view the Taj Mahal, President Barack.Obama being the rare American President to have avoided the routine Taj Mahal visit.It was one of the longest walks of my life and at age 51 i am no Spring Chicken and hence found the walking tough although the Delhi weather was pleasant.Public bus transport in the Ministerial locality of "Lutyens Delhi" is almost non-existent, besides, the bus frequency and routes also differ, taxi's or private transport being the most convenient mode of transport.The only solace was the beautiful rich view of palatial bungalows with their guarded sentry's including one of my favorite hilarious ministers Mr Laloo.Prasad.Yadav who was proud to proclaim that he reached Delhi politics from the back of a buffalo in his native village in Bihar.He is never ever embarrassed of his deep rustic roots although corruption was a prime embarrassment in Bihar .On the way to Humayuns tomb passed through "Lodhi Gardens" taking some rest under a tree, haggard to the point of collapse due to De-hydration.Visited the tomb of Mohammed .Shah inside Lodhi gardens, this beautiful garden being a walkers park for Delhites.Finally, providence saved me and i walked out from Lodhi park and inquired at a nearby shop for the bus stop to Humayun's tomb also having a cold drink.A young man eating noodles at the shop overheard my conversation and told me that he would give me a lift to Humayun's tomb since he was also proceeding in the same direction.Hence i was lucky to get a lift from Mr Babu.Rao who worked as a driver, a name i will never forget since he helped me during a worst phase of my "Solo Back-Packer tour" travels,help from a simple common man.In Delhi i avoided rickshaws or taxi's since i was a bit paranoid about my own safety having read about Delhi's high crime rate and as a "Solo-Tourist" a person becomes an invitation for petty criminals and hooligans and i didn't intend copying film hero toughness if accosted by thieves or hooligans. Most people avoid "Solo Backpacking tours " for the simple reason that besides being dangerous it can also be taxing on one's personal health with no help from anyone in case of a serious illness or injury.This is the main reason for "
Package Tours" being a success all over the World despite most travel companies having their terrible limitations in providing quality vacation or sightseeing to their patrons.Mr Babu.Rao dropped me directly at "Humayuns Tomb",located at Nizamuddin East between the road crossing of Mathura road and Lodhi road.Humayun's tomb, built in 1565A.D is the first garden tomb in the Indian sub-continent and the first example of Mughal architecture, a World class historical monument and well preserved.Had a long rest in the garden of the complex, lots of squirrels bounding around, a relief from the marathon tiring walk.Later visited the main Mausoleum building viewing the main tomb of Humayun and other lesser tombs of other Mughal princes.
The Mausoleum site was chosen on the banks of the Yamuna river due to its proximity to the Nizamuddin Dargah, mausoleum of the sufi saint of Delhi Nizamuddin.Auliya who was revered by the Mughals of Delhi.I had been walking and traveling by public transport like a "Mad Hatter" since my arrival in Delhi on Thursday(3-11-2011),hence absolutely fatigued at the end of the day.
On my return journey boarded the 181 local bus and alighted at New Delhi station.Had some rest in my hotel and later in the evening made my way to the local cyber-cafe, blogging my memoirs as usual, for my own personal reading also hoping to benifit other readers as i myself plan my travels through other travellers blogs on the Internet.What i did at age 15 i couldn't do at age 25 and what i did at age 25 i can't do at age 51! LIFE IS NOTHING BUT MEMORIES IN THE LONG RUN,GOOD OR BAD.
After blogging asked the owner of the cyber-cafe for some directions for asli(good) Paharganj Daba food and he directed me to a "New Adda", fantastic, cheap with a wine-shop in near proximity.Liquor is cheaper in Delhi but liquor shops are invisible unlike Mumbai where liquor is expensive but liquor shops proliferating in every locality.Purchased a Kingfisher beer(Strong) for Rs 70, a pittance compared to Mumbai and after buying "Take-Home food" made my way to the hotel. Saturday night was "Beer night" with Paharganj daba ishtyle dinner and television music.My friend Shanti.Das would find it hilarious to learn that i stayed in the same locality in Delhi where Anurag.Kashyap shot parts of the film "Dev-D", part of the film "LIFTED" from Shanti.Das's colourful life for which he received no royalty!Touche! Topi?
Had a partial insomniac night as usual, a well traveled tour this far.
Sunday(6-11-2011):- As usual, after the normal tea and hot water bathe routine made my way to New Delhi metro station.Boarded the "Yellow Line" train to "Chandni Chowk" and had a road side breakfast of "Puri/Chole(Rs 15)" relishing the Delhi roadside food and hoping not to get the "Delhi Belly" stomach upset. Made my way towards Red Fort, a fort that has been of intense study for school history exams as well as a personal hobby study in history.The entrance ticket was Rs 10 with an extra Rs 5 charges for entry to the museums in the Fort premises.On entering the fort premises made my way towards the museum and revised my historical study of the Indian revolt of 1857 against the British, graphically depicted through photographs and manuscripts. After the museum visit made my way into the main courtyard of the Red Fort making a small video on the "Diwan-I-Khas", the seat of the fabled "Peacock Throne" plundered by Nadir.Shah and hence the term ,"DILLI BAHOTH DHOOR HAIN" as the Mughal rulers of that era were weak and endulged in debauchery.Explored the entire complex at leisure and later visited the "Mumtaz Mahal Museum", photographic exhibition of the last Mogul ruler Bahadur.Shah.Zaffar. On my return to the exit of the Fort Complex visited the "Indian War Memorial Museum". This museum had war weapons on display and i decided to get a photograph of mine taken against the weapons background.I requested a tourist to click my photo and he obliged but later realized that the camera's picture review mode was not functioning.I panicked about the workability of my camera since i had got it repaired twice in Mumbai, aghast that it had let me down on a crucial tour.Was it the mysterious "DELHI JINX" at play again !After a complete detour of the Red Fort complex i made my way towards the "Jama Masjid", the largest mosque in Asia.Chandni Chowk locality is filthy and congested, besides, as it was the eve of "Bakri-Idd" festival there was a huge crowd of worshipers making their way towards the mosque.I was at the right place at the right time and got to witness "Bakri-Idd" festivities in one of the prime places of the Muslim faith in India.The "Meena Bazaar" route leading to the Jama Masjid mosque was filled with goats and humans, absolutely congested and the pathway filthy.After visiting the Pushkar cattle fair in 2003 i next saw the largest herd of goats at the Jama Masjid cattle sheds on Sunday(6-11-2011). Went halfway towards the mosque and then returned back absolutely baffled by the goats awaiting slaughter as well as the worshipers making their way to the mosque.On my return i saw a lonely camel sitting on the side-walk and on inquiry was told that it was a sacrificial camel , the first time in my life that i saw a camel offered as a sacrificial lamb.This custom of offering camels as Ïdd-Sacrifices is common in oil rich Arab country's but never in Mumbai, India's financial capital.
I made my way towards Chandni Chowk station, deciding to visit my paternal cousin and only relative in Delhi.Ronny.Furtado , my cousin rang me up inquiring about my itinerary and i asked him for directions to his house, a suburb of Delhi.Boarded the train at Chandni Chowk at approx 1215 hrs and alighted at "Central Secretariat" station.From " Central Secretariat" changed over to the "Violet Line" of trains, boarding the train heading to Badarpur.In Delhi, the entire "Metro Train Network" is a duplicate copy of the "London Metro Train Network", both using "COLOUR CODES" to distinguish between different train routes.It took me approximately 45 minutes to reach "Govind Puri Station" and from there boarded a rickshaw to cousin Ronny.Furtado's residence.I had last met Ronny in Mumbai in 2007 for my cousin Zubin.Furtado's marriage where i imitated Michael.Jackson , dancing to glory with his daughter Diana at the wedding reception at "Juhu Hotel", one of my favourite haunts for rock and pop music.We had a informal lunch as usual and after lunch i happened to cross-check my camera memory card with Diana's camera.I was shocked when i realized that my memory card was not recording photos on my camera also thankful that i detected the fault.Diana told me that there were a few camera repair shops close to their residence.As it was Sunday most shops in Delhi were closed and hence i decided to look into the matter on Monday.Finally departed from cousin Ronny's residence and at Govindpuri station i consulted a local traveler about camera repair shops in Delhi and he referred me to the famous "Chandni Chowk" electronics locality. Boarded the train at Govind Puri finally returning to New Delhi metro ,a bit sad and also worried about my camera.Visited the local cyber cafe and as usual blogged my days experiences.Although tired didn't get much sleep, the partial insomnia effecting my sleeping habits even on tours.
Monday(7-11-2011):- My last day in Delhi and hence packed up my luggage.Checked out of the hotel at 0900 hrs but kept my luggage at the hotel, informing the manager that i would collect the same at approx 2130 hrs.The adventure of " SOLO-BACKPACKING" is the thrill of the unknown and the advantage of being your own tour proprietor! A "Solo-Tourist" has to plan an entire tour , thankfully made easier through the internet unlike "Packaged Tours" where the tourist is just a passenger.If you are young or young at heart and have a decent bank-balance and time , then, as a hard-core "Solo-Tourist" i would definitely recommend individual or private family tours as the best way to enjoy a private holiday.After checking out of the hotel boarded the metro to Chandni Chowk in absolute hurry to repair or buy a new camera.I was early at 0930 hrs as shops in Delhi open only after 1000hrs and hence whiled away my time roaming around the streets.Breakfast was a local "Aloo-Kachori" with "Delhi Lassi", costing just Rs 20 provided in a classic earthenware pot.I was testing my culinary stamina to the maximum by tasting all the roadside eateries only hoping that i wouldn't wind up with a bout of diarrhea.After breakfast i made my way to the camera repair shops situated in one of the by-lanes of Chandni chowk.The first camera repairman was hesitant to repair my camera as he was afraid the circuit could get damaged and hence he referred me to another technician.The next technician decided to take the risk and opened up the camera casing and setting it right in just a few seconds!It was akin to magic to a non-technician and thankfully i also learned a bit of camera electronics observing this brilliant technician repair my camera. He charged me Rs 300 for a few minutes work which i willingly gave, thankful that at least the camera was in workable condition.From Chandni Chowk i next went to Rajiv Chowk and strolled around Connaught place.The World's best designer sports companies have their shops at Connaught Place and was surprised at the cost of premium sports shoes, some brands costing as much as Rs 8000 to Rs 9000! Purchased a "T-Shirt" with the wordings "BORN FREE TAXED TILL DEATH"! Brushed my knowledge on the cost price of some premium brands and later walked towards "Jantar Mantar".I had previously seen the "Jantar Mantar"at Jaipur and hence a bit familiar with the jig-saw geometric designs that totally confuses modern humans.Made my way back to Rajiv Chowk station and boarded the train to Central Secretariat intending to revisit the Parliament locality since the " Package Tour" just offered us a glimpse from a distance. The road to Rashtrapati Bhavan is unbelievable, akin to a car racing circuit, absolutely paved and leveled.Went upto the gates of Rashtrapati Bhavan and took a photograph of myself in front of the gates, a commoners memories of a visit to this hallowed locality in India. India Gate looks magnificient from Rashtrapati Bhavan and in future i would be able to understand the "Republic Day Parade" much better after having personally visited the location.This is an advantage of travel, its the best practical education for any human.I also realized that my bowels were malfunctioning as i walked along, after-effects of reckless food habits, besides i have a weak stomach although physically active. From Central Secretariat station i boarded the train to "Khan Market", just a station ahead.Khan Market was an upper-class shopping locality akin to Connaught place but at a smaller scale.For the first time i saw a veterinarian advertise as a "Dog and Cat Doctor" at " Khan Market" , happy that cats were at last gaining some prominence and hoping that a "Cat Club" formation would be the next itinerary akin to " Dog Clubs".Had lunch at the local "McDonalds Cafetaria" at Khan Market afraid that any more of untested food could be disastrous, especially as a " Solo-Tourist".Later boarded the train from Khan market back to Rajiv Chowk with the idea of visiting the famous Pragati Maidan. At Rajiv Chowk station i went to the railway toilet and relieved myself, feeling much better and hoping that a mild bout of diarrhea wouldn't ruin my holidays.Boarded the train to Pragati Maidan and walked upto the entrance, closed to the public.The "Supreme Court Museum" was just outside Pragati Maidan but couldn't visit the same as it was closed.From Pragati maidan i caught the train back to Rajiv Chowk and strolled around classic Connaught place.This was the last of my sightseeing tour of Delhi finally catching the train back to New Delhi station and over to blogging.Have to board the "12230/Lucknow Mail" train at 2210 hrs for my onward journey to Lucknow.My bowels are still uneasy and hope everything goes well and of all the maladies diarrhea shouldn't ruin my vacation.Went back to my hotel, collected my luggage and headed towards "New Delhi Railway Station" at approx 2030 hrs.From the station it was another long and agonizing walk to platform no16, the last platform on the extreme end of New Delhi terminus.Trudged my way to platform No 16 and waited for the "12230/Lucknow" mail to arrive at the platform, suffering from partial fatigue and partial diarrhea.The train arrived at approx 2130 hrs and i boarded my compartment "S6/0024", the train absolutely crowded and after decades i got the experience of traveling in a overpacked train.Thankfully i had the upper berth and once the train departed i went on top and lay down, sleep eluding me the entire night.As a former marine engineer seafarer i was used to keeping awake for a night or two on manny occasions during my long tenure and hence partly used to insomnia fatigue syndrome.The train arrived at Lucknow at approx 0800 hrs late by approx two hours.Realized that someone in the train tried to snatch my brief-case bag while i was must have snoozed a bit, the bags carry strap being severed from the bag rest buckle.Luckily i had kept the bag under my head as a pillow, besides wrapping the strap round my arm.Providence and a bit of my own solo tour traveling experience saved me from losing my documents as well as cash.This is one of the major handicaps of traveling alone on crowded public transport, hence other solo-travelers beware of the risks.Alighted the train and made my way to the "Railway Rest Room", refreshing myself and also getting the feel of the average long distance train passengers ordeal on "Second Class Travel" in India.After refreshing myself made my way to the "Cloak Room" to deposit my luggage and was told to provide a xerox copy of my identity proof, a latest nuisance due to the "Terrorism Epidemic".Had to walk out of the railway station with my luggage, get my document xeroxed and again re-enter the station and deposit my luggage at the "Cloak-Room".After depositing my luggage went to the common railway toilet and relieved myself, a bit happy that my diarrhea symptoms were vanishing.Later made my way out of "Lucknow Railway Station" into "Lucknow City".Thats another blog by itself.This is the saga of my short and hectic solo tour of this Megalopolis on a shoe-string budget, despite heavy odds against me and almost being robbed of my minuscule travel wealth.
