We left New York Friday night and arrived in Delhi just after 3 PM on Saturday at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Once we cleared customs and gathered our luggage, the first item on our list was to change money and get a SIM card for the old iPhone 4S we brought to use while in India. If you’re traveling to other states, inform the store clerk so you can get a SIM card to give you proper coverage. All you’ll have to do is add more money to it, if needed. When changing money, make sure you get a lot of 10 rupees for tipping. You will need a taxi, so stop at the Government-run taxi counter. The hotel offered to pick up us for 1,600 rupees, but we paid only 450. Once you get out of the airport, be prepared for intense traffic. You will find every mode of transportation on your way to the city and will be amazed to see, for example, up to three adults and a baby on a scooter, weaving in and out of traffic without helmets.
As you approach Delhi, you will come across donkey carts and animals (cattle, goats, chickens and dogs) walking boldly through the streets amidst BMWs, Lexus and SUVs. All we can say is that the initial experience upon arriving into Delhi is in a single word “awesome”! We have traveled throughout the world, but nothing could prepare us for the full on assault of the senses you get upon arriving in Delhi. The city has over 16 million people, so you see thousands upon thousands of people everywhere. We were told by our taxi driver that the white shroud over the city was fog. Don’t be fooled, the white haze you see is not fog, it is smog – pollution. Delhi has the worst air pollution of any city in the world today.
When we visited Egypt, we thought Cairo was one of the most populated and air polluted metropolis we had ever visited, but it cannot compare to Delhi. (Look for a future post for our trip to Egypt.)
Hotel: After months of research and TripAdvisor reviews, we chose to stay at the Shangri La-Eros Hotel in Connaught Place. It is conveniently located to most of the sites we had on our itinerary. This excellent hotel is renowned for its international breakfast buffet served at the Tamra Restaurant. We would go as far as to say, the famous breakfast buffet at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai where we also stayed, could not compare to that of the Shangri La- Eros. The one-bedroom suite had all the amenities of a five-star hotel. You cannot get into this hotel without passing the security check points. All modes of transportation are inspected and all bags go through the electronic screening (just like the airports) before you are given clearance. We believe the more upscale hotels in India implemented these security checks because of the bombing incident that took place at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in 2008. We highly recommend this hotel when visiting Delhi.
The flight, ride from the airport to hotel, and the check-in left us exhausted, but we freshened up, left our suitcases unpacked and ventured out into the warm Delhi evening. We exited the hotel, made a left and just started walking. Along the way, a tuk-tuk driver approached us and after a bit of negotiation, we hired him to take us on a small excursion around the area of Connaught Place. Delhi is truly a city that never sleeps. Here, we need to caution all travelers; Delhi is full of hustlers, con-men and others of that type. It almost seems like it’s not criminal, but just part of how the city functions. However, please understand, this is not a value judgment of India as a whole, just an observation; much like our experiences in other countries we’ve visited throughout the world. This said, our tuk-tuk driver was among the hustlers. He was well-spoken, polite, and seemingly helpful. Perhaps, we should have been a bit more wary, had we observed his well-tailored silk pants and shirt rather than being taken in by his smooth banter.
We told the driver we were hungry and asked him to recommend a good restaurant. He explained that at this time of the evening – around 6 PM – the restaurants were closed so they can be cleaned and would reopen again around 7 PM. We found that hard to believe since this would be one of the busiest times for restaurants. It was our first night, so we believed him. He suggested that we visit a “government-run” bazaar in the meantime and we drove little a distance to get there. We didn’t mind, since we had already settled on a price – it might have been about 500 rupees, as we recall.
On our way to the bazaar, our driver took us past the India Gate, which is beautifully lit at night. The bazaar was in the Connaught Place area and housed in what seemed like a single building with a rather small entrance, so initially, we were not particularly impressed. However, once inside, we found it was not one building, but a multi-building, multi-floor complex that was a shopper’s delight. The bazaar even had an antiques section that was outdoors on the rooftop of one of the buildings that featured mostly things which were hand-carved. Some of the items included massive teak doors, chests, wood carvings and more. There was so much to see and we could have spent hours there, but we were hungry and vowed to all of the shopkeepers that we would return the next day. We didn’t; we had other plans and did not want to do any shopping until exploring the other markets on our list.
It was now after 7 PM and we wanted to eat. The driver said he knew the best places and started naming restaurants at all of the exclusive hotels and some rather pricey restaurants. It was not what we were looking for at all. He took us to a couple of places where there were only tourists and the menu had primarily western dishes, with just a couple of local dishes. He seemed to know all of the people who worked in these places and no doubt would get a commission if we dined at one of these restaurants. After walking out of two restaurants, he finally took us to a neighborhood that we probably would not have found on our own. And furthermore, from looking at the outside of the restaurant as we drove up, we would have passed it by without even a glimpse. It could best be described as “a hole in the wall”. But what a surprise! It was probably some of the best food we had during our entire trip – the food was “finger-lickin’ good”! We gave him a good tip at the end of the night. As unscrupulous as he may have seemed, we did hire him one more where he took us to his friends who had a currency exchange business. They offered a significantly higher rate than what was being offered by the banks, so we walked out and went to the bank across the street. Our driver did not seem very happy.
Back at the hotel, with suitcases still unpacked, we took a hot shower, dove into a most comfortable bed and collapsed! As we closed our eyes, we suddenly realized – WE’RE IN INDIA!
Our sightseeing plans took us to Old Delhi to visit the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid Mosque, and Chandni Chowk. As suggested by our concierge, we hired a taxi for the day that would take us wherever we wanted, up until 7 PM. The traffic was horrendous, however, and it might have been wiser taking the train. The driver explained it was particularly bad that Sunday due to people shopping for Diwali. On our way to the Red Fort, we found ourselves stuck in traffic for nearly an hour. Horns were blowing, people were getting out of their cars and walking ahead along the traffic in front of them to see what was wrong. Delhi doesn’t seem to have a lot of traffic lights and driver courtesy cannot always be expected. However, one must admire the skills of the operators of cars, taxis, tuk-tuks, bicycle-rickshaws, trucks and motor scooters in the handling of their vehicles. The fact that accidents do not occur on every block is amazing. While stuck in traffic, beggars and panhandlers were coming up to the cars, beating on the glass with babies in their arms and they were hard to ignore. We gave until we ran out of small change.
The Red Fort: This is a massive structure made of red sandstone located in Chandni Chowk. Yes, it’s called the Red Fort, but it was not originally built that way. According to Archaeological Survey of India, parts of the building were made of lime stone. When the white stone started chipping off, the building was painted red by the British. The fort was constructed in 1638 by the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, and was home to Mughal emperors until 1857. It is located in the center of Old Delhi and houses a number of museums. Due to its immense size, you really do need a couple of hours to explore the compound within the walls.
The Red Fort has a light show at night which we thought we’d go back to see; however, after a tiring day of sightseeing we never made it back. If you have the time, try to see the show; we understand it is quite entertaining.
Chandni Chowk: After exploring the Red Fort, we had to make our way to the Jama Masjid Mosque. We could see it from the Fort, but getting there by car was out of the question. We told the driver we would walk and that he should wait for us at the entrance to the Fort. He seemed very happy with the plan. Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi and was once the grandest of the markets in India. Even though today Chandni Chowk appears choked with congestion, it retains its historical character. It is located close to Old Delhi Railway Station. We had to pass through the busiest part of Chandni Chowk to get to the mosque, but not only was the traffic bad, it was more crowded than usual because people were shopping for Diwali. The noise of hawkers and car horns was deafening, yet, exciting at the same time.
Miraculously, within the midst of all of the chaos, Hassan, the bicycle rickshaw driver, came to our rescue! We were grateful because this man worked his way through the crowded street like a magician. He yelled, laughed, pushed, and moved through the crowd like a hot knife cutting through butter. He was good at his job and we had a great experience taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Chandni Chowk. This open market sells everything imaginable. You simply cannot go to Delhi and not go to Chandni Chowk; it’s an absolute must!
With Hassan peddling away like a man possessed and on a mission, we filmed him and our journey as we worked our way to the mosque. Check out the video of this trip throughout Chandni Chowk which you can find at the bottom of the post.
We had planned on using Hassan only one way, but knew it would be difficult to make it back on our own, so we asked him to wait while we visited the mosque. Of course, he insisted we visited his friend’s shop to buy souvenirs and other items, but we politely refused and continued to the mosque.
Jama Masjid Mosque: While doing our research, we read that foreigners could not wear their shoes in and around the mosque. Additionally, foreign women must rent a gown to cover their western clothing. We did see a lot of locals in western clothing and they didn’t have to cover their clothes, so you really are made to feel like an outsider. We knew ahead of time that we needed to take our hotel slippers because when you arrive at the mosque, they want to sell footwear to you. Once inside, you will find people praying and sitting in quiet spots meditating. It was very moving to see the love, reverence and pride they showed at the mosque.
After leaving the mosque, we found Hassan waiting by his rickshaw smiling and beckoning us to come to his friend’s store – we politely refused, again. It was time to make our way back to the fort and the short-cuts and side streets Hassan took offered a different perspective of Old Delhi which we really appreciated. Hassan dropped us near the Red Fort where our driver was sitting under a tree waiting for us. Needless to say, Hassan deserved a big tip and to show how grateful he was, he called us the next day offering to take us anywhere we wanted for “a good price”. We had other plans, and thanked him again for his excellent service!
Humayun’s Tomb: We especially enjoyed this UNESCO World Heritage site because of its serene atmosphere. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. Built in 1560s, it was key to the inspiration for the construction of the Taj Mahal. The tranquility of the gardens is a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle outside of the tomb’s gates. And to be frank, after Chandni Chowk, it was the perfect resting place.
Before we headed back to the hotel, we asked our driver if he could suggest a good restaurant for dinner. He drove us to a small shopping area to a vegetarian restaurant where the food was absolutely delicious! It was now 6:30 and we had the car until 7 PM. As we drove back to the hotel, we once again passed by one of the city’s most iconic sights, India Gate, aglow with lights.
Sarojini Nagar Market: This is one market you must visit while in Delhi. It is near the area of Chanakyapuri where there are beautiful tree-lined streets. The market gets its name from the famous woman poet and independence activist, Sarojini Naidu. You will find all kinds of apparel, fabric, shoes, fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, home and personal electronics at very good prices. We took the Delhi NCR Metro train (subway) to the INA station, and then hired a tuk-tuk to drive us to the market. As mentioned previously, train travel in India is fun and inexpensive.
The hotel concierge informed us the market is usually closed on Mondays, but because it was Diwali, it was opened and absolutely jam-packed with thousands of people shopping. Also, due to the holiday, there were people drumming and dancing all through the market. In some small ways, portions of the covered market reminded us the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. The majority of shops and stalls are family-owned and they are quite accommodating. They would roll out carpets, saris, scarves, one after the other enticing you to buy. If you don’t purchase anything, they don’t seem to mind rolling and folding them back and repeating the same display for each customer. After a most enjoyable shopping spree and people watching, we stopped at a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a thali plate which was incredibly tasty! A thali place consists of small bowls and plates of a variety of dishes served on a large, round tray.
We spent the next few days exploring Delhi on our own, off the beaten path, discovering interesting neighborhoods and sites.
We enjoyed Delhi, but it was time to move on to Agra – the second stop in the Golden Triangle.
The owner of the hotel in which we were staying in Agra, arranged for a driver to pick us up in Delhi Tuesday morning at 8 AM. We contracted the driver to complete the tour of the Golden Triangle to include a stop-off at Fatehpur Sikri, a world-heritage site, and then drive to Jaipur.
Overall, our trip to Delhi was exciting and memorable. We encourage you to visit this exciting city!
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Sample a Taste of Delhi, featuring the Red Fort, Jama Masjid Mosque, Humayun’s tomb and scenes around Delhi. Click on this link:
Some photos of Delhi
You must view this video of our hard-working bicycle rickshaw driver, Hassan, whose head you can see in parts of the video He wheeled and weaved through Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, while we were seated in the back. With some devices, you might have to wait for the video to load before you hit play.
Take a ride through Chandni Chowk – view the video:
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Sarojini Nagar Market: We stumbled upon a dancer and musicians and learned the art of skillfully collecting money from the crowd.
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View the video of our one-bedroom suite at the Shangri-La Eros Hotel, Delhi – click on this link:
Photos of the Shangri-La Eros Hotel
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