“From Delhi, with love”
-Part 1 of a lone traveler’s journey through Northern Hindustan
22/3/2023
While consuming my third Negroni in the British Airways Lounge at JFK International, I contemplated the effects of ‘change’. My life had just been forcibly changed when, two weeks before, I had been unceremoniously sacked from my job. Fortunately, it had not been a hostile separation, but it was still a major upending of my life.
The hardest part of losing one’s job is learning to ‘let it go’. The rejection of a job loss is no different than a breakup: you feel utterly alone and desire to be near that person again, but in this case that person is a floundering corporation that can no longer pay its bills.
Don Draper from ‘Mad Men’ said, “Change is neither good nor bad, it just is”. I believe that it’s how we react to change that determines if it shall be a positive or a negative in our lives. For that reason, when I probably should have been redoing my resume, I instead booked a holiday to India.
Why India? For one, it is far away. Yes, I admit it, I was disappearing to get over my problems. Second, I had the advantage that had been forced upon me in that I had nowhere to be on Monday morning. Third, “The Darjeeling Limited” is one of my favourite films and if that idiot Owen Wilson can have a spiritual journey in India, perhaps I can too?
23/3/2023
I landed at New Delhi International Airport at about 9.30 in the evening, Indian time. The flight was actually quite pleasant as I had secured a Business Class seat. The equipment I flew on was a Boeing 777-300ER with American Airlines. I was surprised, and impressed, that they served Indian dishes on the flight.
Although I had the required Visa for entry to India, for some reason I was nervous as hell and sweating bullets going through Customs. In spite of the fact that every country on Earth hires the most miserable of its population to be immigration officials, entry to India was efficient and straight forward.
Once safely through immigration, it was time to get a cab to my hotel in Delhi. The moment I exited the terminal, India hit me square in the face: almost instantly men started accosting me, asking if I needed a cab. This wasn't so bad, as I did need a cab. However, I quickly realized that taxis in India are cash only. No problem, I thought, I will just go to an ATM. After three failed attempts to get the machine to spit out money, it dawned on me that I had made a classic rookie error: I had not alerted my bank that I was traveling overseas. Fuck.
Fortunately, I had some American currency on me. The end result was I got completely screwed by paying $40 for a cab to my hotel. This was also when I got my first taste of Indian traffic... Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like a Grand Prix, at 10 o'clock at night!!! Also, the amount of horn honking going on would get you shot to death in America. I would learn that, in India, a car’s horn is used to communicate that you are passing another vehicle (or trying to). Trucks have “Please Use Horn” written on the back of them.
I would be staying at the Hyatt Regency New Delhi. The hotel sits on a compound and, on arrival, security guards looked in the boot, under the bonnet, and used a mirror to check underneath the taxi for explosives. This was the moment I fully appreciated that I was in the developing world.
My suite was excellent. I showered and immediately went to bed.
24/3/2023
On my first full day in New Delhi, I decided to hire a tour guide from the hotel. What a fucking error! The first place he took me was to the Red Fort and almost immediately I realized I had fallen into a con. As soon as I got out of the car, my “tour guide” introduced me to a rickshaw driver, who just happened to be there, who said that I didn’t need to go into the Red Fort (as there was nothing in there), and that instead he would take me to viewing points around the fort and into the local market.
For some reason I went with it, but I quickly realized what it was all about. The only spots he would stop at were shops he insisted I went in to. I tried to explain that I wasn’t interested in shopping, but he just ignored me. Eventually I got so fucked off I told him to take me back to the taxi.
I then told the tour guide I wanted to go to the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple. He instead took me somewhere else, which of course had shopping. I explained this was not where I wanted to go and he replied that Akshardham was “too far”. Thanks to Google Maps, I knew this was bollocks and immediately lost my temper. My “tour guide” then realized the mistake he made and took me, sheepishly, to Akshardham Temple.
The raising of my blood pressure was worth it, as Swaminarayan Akshardham is a sight to behold. It’s a massive Hindu temple made entirely out of pink carved stone and marble from Rajasthan. The pictures would have been incredible, however my phone, shoes, watch, leather belt, AND camera were all confiscated before I could enter. This security apparatus also had separate lines and facilities for women, something I found would be very common in India. I thought the fact that they took my things was for religious reasons (my leather belt for example), but it was also security. In September, 2002, two terrorists attacked the temple and murdered over 30 Hindus.
At this point, I had had enough of my tour guide (aka Shopping Centre Promoter), so I had him take me back to the hotel and got a regular taxi instead. This gentleman was a vast improvement simply because he took me where I wanted to go. On a side note, what sort of mentally feeble wanker flies over 7,000 miles just to go to a GAP store in India? Many must do it or the bloody tour guides wouldn’t be trying to take you there but, fuck me what a tragedy!
Anyways, my new best mate the taxi driver took me to Agrasen Ki Baori first. A “baori” is a stepwell, which is a large hole lined with stone and stairs leading to the ground water. Very impressive, the Agrasen Ki Baori is right in New Delhi and is frequented by school kids, tourists, and girls taking Instagram selfies. Nobody knows who originally built the stepwell, but it is believed that it was rebuilt in the 14th century during the Delhi Sultanate period.
The final stop of the day was to the India Gate. Completed in 1931, India Gate is a large triumphal arch in the heart of New Delhi. Built by the British, it stands to commemorate the members of the British Indian Army who died in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War.
In the evening I had my first meal in India which was chicken tikka and lamb kabobs. Not unexpectedly, Indian food in India tastes vastly superior to what we have in America. It is much more flavourful, I assume because of a lack of preservatives. When I was finished the waiter, Kailish Singh, asked me where I was from. I told him I lived in America and he said, “Okay, but you’re not American”. I asked how he knew, and he said, “Because you don’t complain about the spices!”.
25/3/2023
The jet lag hit me brutally that Saturday morning and I didn’t manage to get up till 10am. Vowing never to employ a tour guide for the remainder of my life, I instead went to the hotel’s taxi stand. I requested a driver, and within 5 minutes a black and green Tata pulled up. First thing I noticed was that there were no seatbelts in the rear: this is India.
It was at this point of my South Asian adventure that I made my first friend: Mr. Pritam Chand. Pritam was 34 years old and from a village 2 hours outside of Delhi. He is a charming young man who speaks excellent English. The only thing about him that gave me pause was that he was married at 17...I couldn’t help but wonder how old his bride must have been! He and his wife have 4 children, and from how remote his village sounded, it must be all very National-Geographic. He would work in Delhi for 3 months as a taxi driver, then he would go back to his village for a month to see his family.
First place I had him take me was Rajon Ki Baoli, a step well within a large archeological park. It was fantastic as it was completely deserted, which is always better for taking photos. Places like this in India tend to get a bit “Indiana Jones” because, as it’s not religious, one has free reign to explore. You can climb any ledge you like and take any hidden passage you want with absolutely no concern for archeological preservation or health & safety.
Pritam was minding the cab, and I had to hike my way back to him through a very impoverished area. The poverty, filth, and lack of basic human services is truly quite astonishing. Having said that, I never felt threatened and everyone there was very friendly.
Because it was so close, next I had Pritam take me to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Qutb Minar. The minar itself is a massive tower darting into the sky, but it sits on an expansive complex of tombs and other ruins from the Delhi Sultunate period (1200-1500 AD). I really enjoyed myself here because the place was full of locals having a lovely day out. The people of India are very beautiful as they tend to dress in vibrant colours and always seem to be smiling and laughing.
The final stop of the day was Humayun’s Tomb. Built in the mid 1500s for the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, the area also contains the tomb and mosque of Isa Khan Niazi who had originally resisted Mughal rule. My favourite building was Nai Ka Gumbad, which is a three story high tomb that sits next to Humayun’s and was.... for his barber! I intend to do something similar for my hair-dresser, Aimee, one day.
For dinner that evening my good friend Kallish at the Polo Lounge prepared me a tawa fish kabab with rice. It was utterly delicious.
26/3/2023
For my last day in New Delhi I had Pritam take me to Lodi Garden. Lodi Garden is a 90 acre park created by the British during the Raj (the British Empire in India). It is very popular with locals in the mornings.
What made this park so special for me was that the entire area was filled with tombs and ruins built in the 1400s and 1500s of the Mughal Empire. It was quite a thing as I am running around photographing these stunning remnants of history while local Indians are having picnics and playing cricket, completely unaffected by it all!
After leaving the park, Pritam took me back to the Red Fort so I could actually go inside. As it was a Sunday, the place was swimming with Indian tourists. It is a hell of a long walk to the magnificent gate of the fort, but once inside you realize there is really nothing there. Turns out that rickshaw driver was right!
After dinner that evening I packed my bags and prepared for the journey onwards to Agra.
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