It was a long-awaited break. We’d been waiting for a holiday for a pretty long time and it didn’t help that the few weeks running up to it were particularly stressful at work. Finally, the day dawned, 14th June.
But, it wasn’t the perfect start to our holiday. We were supposed to take the train to Delhi (wanted to save a few thousand and also wanted the “Rajdhani” experience) in the evening. Two hours before the train was supposed to leave, we came to know that it has been cancelled! So, we ended up taking a flight to Delhi the next day (money and experience- lost!). To be frank, I had started wondering if this will set the tone for the rest of our week. But, thankfully, it didn’t...well not completely at least.
We landed in a rainy Delhi and the rains lasted through the day. Thankfully, we’d booked a cab for the day in advance. We’d planned to tour Delhi through the day and take a bus in the evening to Manali, our actual holiday destination. Our driver for the day was waiting at the airport when we arrived and though he wasn’t very knowledgeable about the sights (he was a Himachali, recently moved to Delhi), we had a pretty good time. We saw most of the sights there while getting thoroughly soaked in the rains. I believe the rains added a nice aura and beauty to the historic monuments. I felt transported to a different, but familiar world.
The roads in Delhi are very wide, clean, and well maintained. Almost all streets are lined with trees on both sides. And being a rainy Sunday morning, there wasn’t much traffic on the roads either. We reached India Gate first. It was still early morning for a Sunday. The grounds and gardens around had been transformed into playing fields. The game? Cricket of course, with a stray football match thrown in. The place was abuzz with activity. Cold-drink stalls, chana and chat sellers, Polaroid photographers, and tourist guide sellers, all added to the mélange. And then there were groups of armed forces, in different uniforms holding various instruments waiting near the Amar Jawan Jyoti under India Gate, presumably waiting for the rains to subside before beginning a rehearsal of some sort (I assume for Independence Day).
From there we took the drive up to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Next, we went to the majestic Red Fort, where the Diwan-e-Aam and Diwan-e-Khaas buildings transport you to a different era. As you cross the vast immaculately maintained grounds, you can almost see emperors and queens walking along the same paths, pondering over the fate of an entire nation. The bazaar street at the entrance gives a nice lively atmosphere to the place.
But, it wasn’t the perfect start to our holiday. We were supposed to take the train to Delhi (wanted to save a few thousand and also wanted the “Rajdhani” experience) in the evening. Two hours before the train was supposed to leave, we came to know that it has been cancelled! So, we ended up taking a flight to Delhi the next day (money and experience- lost!). To be frank, I had started wondering if this will set the tone for the rest of our week. But, thankfully, it didn’t...well not completely at least.
We landed in a rainy Delhi and the rains lasted through the day. Thankfully, we’d booked a cab for the day in advance. We’d planned to tour Delhi through the day and take a bus in the evening to Manali, our actual holiday destination. Our driver for the day was waiting at the airport when we arrived and though he wasn’t very knowledgeable about the sights (he was a Himachali, recently moved to Delhi), we had a pretty good time. We saw most of the sights there while getting thoroughly soaked in the rains. I believe the rains added a nice aura and beauty to the historic monuments. I felt transported to a different, but familiar world.
The roads in Delhi are very wide, clean, and well maintained. Almost all streets are lined with trees on both sides. And being a rainy Sunday morning, there wasn’t much traffic on the roads either. We reached India Gate first. It was still early morning for a Sunday. The grounds and gardens around had been transformed into playing fields. The game? Cricket of course, with a stray football match thrown in. The place was abuzz with activity. Cold-drink stalls, chana and chat sellers, Polaroid photographers, and tourist guide sellers, all added to the mélange. And then there were groups of armed forces, in different uniforms holding various instruments waiting near the Amar Jawan Jyoti under India Gate, presumably waiting for the rains to subside before beginning a rehearsal of some sort (I assume for Independence Day).
From there we took the drive up to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Next, we went to the majestic Red Fort, where the Diwan-e-Aam and Diwan-e-Khaas buildings transport you to a different era. As you cross the vast immaculately maintained grounds, you can almost see emperors and queens walking along the same paths, pondering over the fate of an entire nation. The bazaar street at the entrance gives a nice lively atmosphere to the place.
While we debated where to go next, our driver suggested that we should visit the new Akshardham temple. Akshardham is a huge complex. The security is Z-plus. The temple complex is beautiful and the atmosphere could’ve been serene if not for the teeming, babbling crowds. The main temple is almost an architectural marvel. The detailed carvings, the beautiful idols – it’s difficult to believe that this is actually a modern temple building. We spent quiet some time marveling at the craftsmanship inside and outside the temple. They have a lights and sound show, complete with a boat ride and stuff but, unfortunately, we were running out of time.
On our way back to bus station, we decided to make one last stop at the Bahai temple or Lotus temple as it is more popularly known. The prayer hall was very peaceful, calm, and quiet (they make it compulsory for everyone to keep quiet inside). It managed to mellow down my excitement levels and took away some of the tiredness from the long day’s travel.
All in all it was a long and tiring but enjoyable day. I saw most of the places I’d wanted to see. The only ones we missed were the Kutub Minar, Humayun’s tomb, etc. But those were a bit too far and we had a bus to catch. And well, I didn’t get a chance to visit the shopping havens of Delhi. We did drive by Janpath a number of times, but most shops were closed. :(
Oh, did I mention the other great thing about Delhi? The food! Armed with the Lonely Planet guide to India, we made our way to Parathewali Galli in the afternoon right before we saw Red Fort. The galli is small and hard to miss especially in the rains. But, after asking around a little, we found it. We decided to stop at the first shop (dhaba?). They made the oiliest, crispiest, hottest parathas I’ve ever had. And to say that they were delicious would probably be an understatement! Then, since we were in Delhi, we couldn’t miss Nirula’s. So, we stopped there for a quick bite before ending our whirlwind tour of Delhi and boarding the bus to Manali.
How was Manali? Heavenly! And that’s coming up next!
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