2019 India – New Delhi
9th January 2019
It was difficult this year deciding where to go on our annual travels, but it seemed natural that after enjoying India so much last year, we should return, as there was so much more to see.
Standing in the check-in queue at Gatwick, it occurred to me how on earth we survived before they started putting wheels on suitcases? My suitcase had a double wheel on all four corners so I could wheel it along vertically with virtually no effort. How did we carry two 23-kilo suitcases without wheels? I read that there were now suitcases with GPS tracking, so I was sure it wouldn’t be long before suitcases were motorised and would follow our phones without needing to be pushed. We could even pay for extras like a voice that tells people to bugger off when they get in your way.
At check-in, disaster struck when we were told we couldn’t fly unless we could show them a valid visa. I had visas, but hadn’t printed them out because all I was given was an approval of the visa and not a printable document. I assumed, like the year before, it was all on their computer, and so we didn’t need them. Without explanation, the man disappeared, and after 20 minutes, we were starting to get concerned when he appeared with a printout of our visas. Apparently, I should have followed a non-existent link in the confirmation email.
We decided to fly with Emirates, and as we took our seats, it hit me how much better they were than British Airways. We flew with British Airways the year before, and apart from the video screens not much bigger than a mobile phone, mine was so knackered that I took a photo of it and complained in the hope I would get a free flight or at least an upgrade to first class (one can always dream). They replied with a short message and a few air miles. The screen on the Emirates plane filled the back of the seat in front and was full of options that make long-haul flying far more bearable. The only problem with Emirates was that it didn’t matter where the destination was, you nearly always had to change planes in Dubai. The relative time in Dubai for us was 4 a.m., so it was very hard going, but we were soon back on a plane and landing in New Delhi late afternoon. It was amazing how empty the border control was for those like us who had electronic visas.
Our taxi driver had trouble finding our hotel as he didn’t seem to have the hang of GPS. At one point, we turned off a roundabout onto a long straight road. Knowing that we were going in the wrong direction, instead of resigning himself to going to the end of the road and returning, he reversed back into the roundabout against the horrendous traffic with everything honking at him. He persevered, and after finding a safe haven he called the hotel manager to come and rescue us.
We were shattered, but we wanted to delay going to sleep until as late as possible so we could adjust to the time difference. It was no problem for me, as unlike Federika, I had no problem sleeping on planes. Federika was not only suffering from sleep deprivation, but she also had a cold. Our hotel was pleasant enough, but the area around it was very run-down. The owner warned us against going out at night because of stray dogs. It seemed like a weird warning, but we were happy to stay in our room, and the owner ordered a pizza for us, which really hit the spot. There was plenty of time for traditional Indian food. One strange thing was that despite it being quite cool, our bed only had a bottom sheet. When I asked for a top sheet, I was told it was in the cupboard, and if we wanted it, we had to do it ourselves. It was not a big deal, but I couldn’t ever remember being told to make my own bed when entering a hotel room on the first day.
Next morning we took a walk to the local hot spot, Connaught Place. It was a pleasant walk except for the constant hassling of tuk-tuk drivers demanding to take us somewhere. Connaught Place didn’t look very welcoming, and a few people told us it wasn’t safe in that area, so we should go to the shopping mall instead. We ignored them as we didn’t feel at all threatened. Someone told us there was no police patrolling in that area and insisted we go to the tourist office for a map, which did seem a good idea. We followed him, and it turned out to be a standard tour agency that I expect would have given him a commission. By that time, our defences were worn down and we agreed to book a driver for a tour that afternoon.
First stop on the tour was a Sikh temple, which seemed to differ from the numerous other temples we have been to in that, apart from our shoes, we also had to take off our socks. We had to wade through a little moat to get to the entrance of the temple. The temperature was quite cold, so I found walking on bare feet on the stone floors quite uncomfortable. Inside the temple, the tiled floor was heated, which was a relief.
When we were last in New Delhi, we wanted to go to the highly recommended Water and Light Show at Akshardham, but it was closed on the only day we could visit. Although we were not too keen on New Delhi, we decided to stay an extra day so we could visit the show. It was a large temple with lots of things to see before the light show at night. It was very busy and easy to see when the show was about to start as a great crowd of people started making their way to the projection area. The show was amazing. In the centre was a pool with spectacular effects as waterspouts shot up in different patterns with lights changing colour constantly. At times, the water looked like it was on fire while scenes were projected onto the wall of a large building, and a voice told the bloody history of the temple. At one point, the building burst into flames and collapsed, only to be rebuilt a few minutes later. It was a great night and well worth the extra day in New Delhi.
2019 India
