In December 2019 I finally made it to India. We started in New Delhi, headed over to Agra, moved on to Varanasi, flew cross country to Jaipur, and finished in Jodhpur. In previous posts, I talked about how I feel about India - before and after my trip -, how I prepared myself for this trip, which cities I visited, what I saw and experienced in these places.
Namaste India! It took me a while (read here), but I finally made it.
With my good friend Mine in tow, the first stop was New Delhi. After two super comfortable flights with Qatar Airlines (highly recommended btw, they absolutely deserve the awards they recently received), we arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi in the morning.
Once out of the plane we were ushered towards immigration, where an officer would check our visa and passport. The process went smoothly and the officer did not have any concern with my papers, except he had one question: “Why aren’t you married?” Although this question is not new to me as an over 30-year-old woman, yet I was a bit confused to be asked that in this very official capacity. In the upcoming days, I learned that this would be my very first contact with the new culture: Indians dive into testy and personal topics right away, stranger or friend. Coming back to the immigration officer: I just shrugged as an answer and he luckily let me pass with no further interrogation.
Thanks to my extensive research before our trip online, I found a very helpful blog post from The Wandering Quinn about how to get an Indian SIM card with no big hassle at Delhi airport. We went straight to the shop and five minutes later we had our local phone connection. Despite the warning in Quinn’s post, we totally forgot to ask for the change and the Airtel representative did not give it to us voluntarily. So instead of paying 800 INR, we dropped 1000 INR. Oh well!
Once outside of the airport I was a bit surprised. I read - literally everywhere - that there will be a different kind of smell and loads of people, all coming at you at once, wanting something. No. Not that day. We walked out and, yes, a couple of taxi drivers approached us but not the masses I expected. And regarding the smell. Despite having a highly sensitive nose - I usually pick up smells no one else seems to notice - I did not scent a distinctive odor. Pollution, exhaust, and gasoline yes, but nothing weird or out of the ordinary.
Side note: I know this smell issue is somewhat a strange topic to mention. But since I heard about it so often, I thought I give you my honest opinion.
To get to our hostel, I booked an Uber with no problem and after an hour's drive, we made it to Joey’s hostel. My first impression of our accommodation was “Hmm, modest”. The building looked abandoned from the outside and the entrance was tucked away next to a street vendor, easy to miss. Walking upstairs, accompanied by many curious looks from the gentlemen downstairs, we stepped into the reception area. The interior was basic. After an uncomplicated check-in, we went to our private, clean and spacious room. Now as I mentioned before and will mention in many ways in the future: A good hostel staff can make or break a hostel. And in Joey’s case, it made it. The staff was superb. From Nahil at the reception to Janees and Nishal, they all helped us having a fun time and setting up the transfer to our next destination.
Beware: The air in Delhi is bad.
You may hear about the low quality of air and the problem with air pollution in New Delhi. And unfortunately, I can only second these reports. The air was bad. In fact, it was so unbearable that a face mask was a must-have purchase. While an air quality index from 0-100 is healthy, New Delhi and the North, in general, had an index of 300-400! The exhaust burned my eyes and without a mask my throat.
What we did and saw in Delhi
Humayun’s Tomb: After a very slow first day, which we used for acclimation, we visited this historic site on the morning of our second day. A little background information: Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad, better known by his reign name, Humayun, was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, and Bangladesh from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. He was expelled in 1540 after he lost battles against Afghan soldier Shēr Shah of Sūr. In 1545, years after homeless wandering, he conquered Kandahar and went on to seize Kabul, capture Lahore, and recover Delhi and Agra. Humāyūn did not die in combat. He was fatally injured by falling down the staircase of his library. His tomb (first picture) was commissioned by his first wife, Empress Bega Begum. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
Leading up to Humayun’s Tomb is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi (2nd and 3rd picture), an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against (!) the Mughals. It prominently pre-dates the main tomb itself by twenty years. When in Delhi, I highly recommend checking out the whole complex. Beautiful mausoleums and architecture. While we were there, we witnessed many school classes on a field trip. All dressed in their school uniforms the students were very eager to chat with us and practice their English language skills. They were just darn cute.
Old Delhi: The part of Old Delhi was founded in 1639 when the Mughal emperor at the time decided to move the capital from Agra to Delhi. It was once filled with mansions of nobles and members of the royal court, along with elegant mosques and gardens. After the British took over, New Delhi was created. Today, Old Delhi is still the symbolic heart of metropolitan Delhi. Within its district, Chandni Chowk is a busy shopping area with markets full of spices, dried fruit, silver jewelry, and vivid saris, while the narrow side streets are crowded with tiny shops selling essential oils, stationery, and traditional Indian sweets.
While you could explore this historic part of the city and its surroundings on your own, we booked a tour through our hostel. The guidance by two young students turned out to be a smart decision because Old Delhi is extremely crowded and organized chaos is the way of things here. So cheers to Janees and Nishal, our fantastic guides, and shoutout to our fabulous group - Soi, Michael, and Casey -, who made this tour so much fun.Khari Baoli and Asia’s Largest Spice Market: Khari Baoli is a street known for its wholesale grocery and Asia's largest wholesale spice market selling all kinds of spices, nuts, herbs, and food products like rice and tea.
Walking into the Gadodia Market building, where the majority of the spice market is situated, is an absolute must. Be warned, if you suffer from allergies, before walking into the building: Once in there all kinds of spices fume into the air and burn your eyes and throat. It is a unique experience. Our guides walked us through and up to the magnificent rooftop. The building itself is old and beautiful. From the top, you can look down on the market, the whole city, and the adjacent Fathepuri Masjid.
The silver market “Dariba Kalan”: The name translates to ‘street of the incomparable pearl’ and it is a 17th-century market lane that has silver stores lined up to be noticed. The ‘gems’ here cost at least 25 percent less than what it goes for in main markets. Besides jewelry, you’ll find silver serve-ware, silver ornate boxes, silver décor pieces, trophies, and hookahs among other things. It also is home to the city’s oldest perfumery.
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib: Here the Sikh community serves free food in their langar (kitchen) - mostly a vegetarian dish, incl. roti bread, rice, daal - to everyone regardless of faith, gender, age, or status. In total the Sikh temples give out about six million meals every day across the world. The free kitchen concept started with the first Sikh Guru in 1481 and it was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people and promote a sense of sharing, community, inclusiveness, and oneness of humankind. In the langar, there are no rituals or procedures performed. All the food is vegetarian so that no religious group is offended.
Every day volunteers come by and help out. Mine also jumped into action and helped with the roti-making process while I filmed the whole process, which was very well organized.
Red Fort and Jama Masjid: In full disclosure, we just walked by these two sights when we headed to the markets in Old Delhi. You need time and good weather to really enjoy these buildings. Something to look forward to the next time.
Metro: To get around in New Delhi I can highly recommend - in good conscience - to use the metro. It is modern, clean, safe, and cheap. The first wagon of every subway is reserved for women only. And there will be fierce women, who will put men in their place if they do not comply with the rule. A fair warning though: At rush hour times the metro will be crowded and people will push, literally hard and with no warning. We took the metro to Old Delhi and upon our return around 6-7 pm amid rush hour I had to hold on to that one pole as my life depended on it. Honestly, it was actually such a fun experience!
Akshardam Temple: A relatively young Hindu temple, opened just in 2005. Also know as the Swaminarayan complex, various halls and exhibitions within show the life and work of was Swaminarayan yogi, an ascetic whose life and teachings brought a revival of central Hindu practices of dharma, ahimsa, and brahmacharya. He is believed by followers as a manifestation of God. We took a tuk-tuk to the temple on a very hazy and cold day. On arrival, visitors are asked to leave their cameras and bags behind. Since I had about three cameras, lenses, batteries, passport, and credit cards with me, I decided to skip the going-in and tried to get a glimpse from outside, which was unfortunately impossible due to the weather. Later the hostel staff assured us that the lockers at the temple are safe. But if you do not want to take the risk like me, make sure to leave your valuables at your hostel, hotel, homestay before heading here.
Delhi is a fun city to explore, especially with the right people around you, yet not the prettiest of places tbh. It has beautiful sights and is in general very interesting to observe, especially the people, but the rest of the city looks rather very somber.
Where and what we ate in Delhi
They are many places to explore for food, especially around Old Delhi. From street food to fine dining, here some locales I checked out:
QD's Restaurant: This was our first place on our first day after a much-needed nap. So we asked our hostel staff where we could get a decent cup of coffee and also grab a little bite. This was the closest option. QD’s offers creative variations of traditional Asian food: From spring rolls, Tandoori, Momos, Paneer to Singapore Noodles, Tikka, and many more. The ambiance is more like a diner, but the food came fast and it was delicious. We also got a complimentary dessert: Hot brownie with ice cream - yum! The staff was super friendly. For a quick bite, this was perfect.
Cafe Lota: After some early morning sightseeing, we stopped here to grab lunch. I ordered the Sabudana popcorn with hari mirch thecha: The popcorn dish was crispy on the outside yet spongy on the inside and the paired-up green chutney was a well-added match. Beware: The chutney will burn your mouth, handle cautiously! Additionally, I had the Bajre ka chilla, a brown pancake made out of pearl millet, rolled up with cheese and vegetable filling. Both super delicious and fulfilling.
Jalebi Wala: This shop in Old Delhi, aptly named, 'Old Famous Jalebi Wala', has been around since 1884 and has been in operation for the past four generations of the family now. This Chandni Chowk-based shop is enormously famous for the piping hot, thick and juicy, freshly made Jalebis. Jalebi is a sweet dish, popular all over South Asia and West Asia. It is made by deep-frying maida flour (plain flour or all-purpose flour) batter in pretzel or circular shapes, which are then soaked in sugar syrup. It is served with curd (a dairy product, processed milk). It’s a must-try traditional dish if you want to have the real experience. Share one because it is super sweet and heavy on the oil.
Karim's: A traditional restaurant serving “royal food to the common man”. It is run by the fourth generation of descendants of Haji Karimuddin, son of Mohammed Aziz, who was a cook in the royal court of the Mughal Emperor. I ordered the Chicken Biryani here and, despite the high reputation, my dish was not good. The chicken was dry and the rice stale. But my companions ordered meat from the grill and the smell emitting from their plates was delicious and the noises coming from their mouths confirmed the taste. I guess I just went with the wrong choice…
United Coffee House: On our last morning before taking the train to Agra in the afternoon, we came to this upscale restaurant in new Delhi (there is an old and new Delhi!). The infrastructure and architecture are completely different in new Delhi. Fewer people, more modern buildings. Since I had that bad chicken the night before at Karim’s, I tried to play it safe and ordered Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. And, well, It’s never a good idea to order Western food in foreign countries. It was not bad, but it was not good either. And super overpriced, because it’s Western food. For the rest of my trip, I stuck with Asian food, delicious Asian food.
Goodbye Delhi, it was a pleasure. Thank you for a perfect start to our Indian adventure. Next up: Train ride to Agra.