India –
February, 2016 – Delhi to Delhi
Off to India, one of
my favorite countries in the world!!!
Left out of orange county which was very convenient and arrived at 2:00
a.m. the next morning in Delhi!!! Am staying again at the delightful Shanti
Home and had a car pick me up as it was sooo late. Took a hot shower and slept until 9:00
a.m. Delicious breakfast on the terrace
(one of the reasons I love Shanti Home) was all made to order: hard cooked eggs, crepes filled with sugar
and an Indian dish. Shanti Home is a bit
far from the center but there is a metro a 10 minute walk away. A hotel worker walked me to the metro, got me
organized and off I went to the Craft
Museum.
I had been to the Craft Museum
a few years ago but didn’t really have enough time to see it well. So, I spent a nice 2 hours enjoying the wall
hangings, embroidery, saris, etc. Had a
delicious lunch, i.e. corn pancakes, pureed mustard greens, jaggerty at the
museum’s little café and then, refreshed, headed to the Kahn Market. Found a cute little blouse at the Anokhi shop
and wandered around a bit. Stopped for a
quick walk around Connaught square before
heading back to the hotel for a rest.
Have been invited to an
Indian wedding the following night and this afternoon the bride’s party was
having their hands painted in henna. I
chatted a bit with everyone and then they painted one of my hands as well – so
beautiful. Took a taxi to Indian Accents
Restaurant and had a fabulous meal, i.e. blue cheese mini naan, burrata with
tomato chutney, walnuts and crispy crackers, shredded spicy duck “cone”, shrimp
wrapped in bacon w/wasabi cream, sweet and spicy pork ribs, soft shell crab
pieces deep fried in coconut flour with tomato pickle sauce, sorbet on a stick,
pepper fish on greens with spicy sauce, dal, yogurt/avocado sauce, bacon
stuffed naan and carrot crumble and chocolate fudge layered brownie for dessert
followed by tiny cardamom cookies and mango candies.
I returned to the hotel by
taxi and the festivities for the next day’s wedding were still going on. Had a look at the buffet, listened to the
band and watched the dancing before turning in…
After another delicious
breakfast on the terrace, I took the metro to the Qutb Minar Complex where the
first monuments here were erected by the sultans of Mehrauli and subsequent
rulers expanded on their work. Hiring the finest craftsmen and artisans to
create an explanation mark in stone to record the triumph of muslim rule. Dominated by the spectacular soaring
afghan-style victory tower and minaret, Qutb is studded with ruins and tombs
which I enjoyed wandering through. Tuk
tuk to hauz khas village for lunch at Naivedyam, i.e. masala dosa, crisp lentil
pancake filled with masala potatoes and vegetables served with spicy green and
red sauces, yogurt sauce and dal – sooooo tasty. Wandered through the shops and back into the
complex of old mosques along the water until I got tired.
Met another couple from
the hotel also going to the wedding at 8:00 p.m. and we finally arrived at an
enormous hall about 10:00 p.m. as the driver couldn’t find his way. No problem as the groom had not even arrived
yet. 1,000 people dressed in beautiful
saris filled the hall which was decorated everywhere with flowers. Live music and later videos of the couple were
playing on an enormous band stand. Appetizers
were passed and also about 20 “stations” were set up serving incredibly
delicious vegetarian appetizers, the likes of which I had never seen, let alone
tasted.
Stopped by the fruit table
to clear our palates and finally the groom appeared wearing a beautiful turban
and, after much money changing to allow him entrance into the hall, he was
seated on the stage awaiting his bride.
We went to the other side
of the hall where there were about 50 stations serving Indian food from many
regions as well as European dishes. We
chose a selection and sat down to enjoy the feast. The bridge appeared so we watched as she arrived
in a chariot filled with flowers.
Afterwards we picked a selection of desserts from the dessert table,
some tea from the drinks station and enjoyed everything. About 1:00 a.m. things were winding down and
we were tired so we called our taxi and returned to the hotel. The whole experience was absolutely
amazing!!!
Late breakfast and then took
the metro to Akshardham temple, an ostentatious salmon-colored sandstone
structure with 20,000 deities
carved into it. Walked along the water and around the temple,
all carved with beautiful hindu images.
Lunch at Bukhara,
a tandoori restaurant, i.e. tandoori cauliflower, stuffed potatoes, garlic
naan, dal and rice pudding before returning to Shanti Home. Taxi to Metro Heights
where I was to start my trip with G Adventures.
Group meeting at 6
p.m. Our local guide Dushysat turned out
to be an outstanding guide and I was fortunate to have him on both my
trips. Went to a cafeteria type
restaurant for dinner which was a bit disappointing but there are many meals to
come!!
Visited the G
Adventures-supported New Delhi Streetkids Project which has helped many orphans
who used to live on the streets but are now taken care of. Lunch at Aroma, i.e. tandoori salad and naan
bread which was yummy before boarding the train to Amritsar.
Arrived very late so showered and went to bed. Took a walk after breakfast and then visited
Jallianwala Bagh, where the British Indian Army opened fire on a crowd of
nonviolent protestors on 13 April 1919, killing well over 1,000 people…
Visited the famous Amritsar
golden temple, floating at the end of a long causeway. It is a blend of hindu and Islamic
architectural styles with an elegant marble level and a shimmering second
level, encased in engraved gold panels, topped by a dome gilded with 750 kg of
gold. Visited the enormous kitchens
where food for 60,000 people is prepared every day, i.e. dal, vegetables, naan,
rice and rice pudding. We all “helped”
roll out some bread and had lunch (which was delicious!) on tin plates.
Later that evening we
drove to the wagah border (Indian/Pakistan border) to watch the parade by the
soldiers from both sides and the lowering of the two nations’ flags. There were soo many people it was really hard
to see anything. Stopped at the Crystal Restaurant for dinner, i.e. kofta with
cashew sauce and naan bread on the way back to the hotel. A few of us wandered around the temple at
night which was quite lovely.
In the morning walked to
the temple to see the sun rise. Walked
around the complex but there was an enormous line of people so didn’t go
inside. Packed up and had breakfast at a
nearby coffee shop. I ordered a
delicious piece of chocolate cake with rich icing. Don’t remember desserts being this good in India the last
time I was here.
Bus to Dharamasala,
stopping for a potato/cauliflower dish and chickpea naan along the way. Very cold here so requested a few extra
blankets. Walked to a Tibetan restaurant
nearby for momas, vegetable stuffed dumplings, which took a LONG time to
prepare but were delicious. Wore all my
clothes to bed!!!
Took a nice leisurely walk
into town before breakfast and then a stroll around McLeod Banj, the famous
seat of the Tibetan government in exile and current home of the Dalai Lama, to
the waterfall and on to the Shiva temple for a nice view of the
Himalayans. Drove to the Norbulingka
Institute of Tibetan culture but since it was a Tibetan holiday it was
closed. Also closed was the Kangra Art
Museum in the Kotwali bazaar as well as the
Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts where generally a folk opera is performed…
Visited the Brajeshwari
devi temple, a sacred shrine known for its great wealth. On to the Church of St. John
in the Wilderness with its lovely stained glass windows and finally to the
Tsuglagkhang complex comprising the official residence of the Dalai Lama. Sacred to Avalokitesvara, the Tibetan deity
of compassion, it enshrines a 3 meter high gilded statue of the Sakyamuni
Buddha. Also visited the Kalachakra
temple, a beautiful and colorful Buddhist temple near the market square. Had some free time to wander around the
bazaar and planned to meet at the Tibetan Kitchen; however, it was closed
because of the holiday. Ended up at
another nearby restaurant and shared some fried vegetable momas, naan bread and
some Tibetan noodles with vegetables with another couple. Although it was dark, the walk back to the
hotel was lovely.
A nice breakfast of
scrambled eggs on toast and then our bus headed to Shimla, stopping at the Norbulingka
institute which was open!! Built in the
traditional Tibetan architectural style with temples, etc., it housed an
interesting “doll” museum with diaramas depicting Tibetan history and
life. We ran into a lot of traffic so
the trip to Shimla took all day. We did
stop for a potato/cauliflower dish with naan bread which had to do for dinner
as we arrived in Shimla at 11:00 p.m.
Took a hot shower and went to bed.
In the morning it was so
cold I didn’t even bother changing clothes.
Took a walk up into town and found it delightful! Looked for a place for breakfast but didn’t
find anything until I was heading back to the hotel and spotted a really nice
hotel off to my right. Interestingly,
many of our travelers were already there enjoying breakfast together so I
joined them and had a delicious meal, i.e. hot “real” coffee, scrambled eggs on
toast and fruit. Met in the lobby of our
hotel at 9:00 a.m. and walked up to the Jakhoo Temple,
dedicated to the hindu monkey god Hanuman.
Lots of rhesusmacagues monkeys were loitering about and one even stole
someone’s glasses off her face!!!
Luckily, with a little persuasion, they were returned. There is also an impressive giant 108 foot
high idol of hanuman which towers over the town.
Stopped for Dosas at the
Indian Coffee House and then a few of us took a taxi to Viceregal Lodge, built
as an official residence in 1888 for the British Viceroys and eventually used
as a summer residence. Walked down to Christ Church
built between 1844 and 1857 which contains some lovely stained glass windows
and finally down to the Gaiety Theatre, modeled after the Garrick in London with its Burmese
teak stage, etc. Productions are still
performed there.
Had dinner at the hotel
where we had had breakfast and it was delicious. I had kofta with spinach and onion stuffed
roti. Also shared some potato stuffed
with cheese and vegetables which someone else had ordered – such great food.
Nice walk around town and
delicious breakfast again at same hotel as yesterday. Taxis to the train station and caught the
Unesco World Heritage Shimla toy train to Kalka. The line crosses more than 800 bridges and
travels through over 100 tunnels. Along
the way are beautiful views of hills and villages. Trip took about 6 hours but they really
passed quickly. Got a chance to talk
with some of my fellow travelers who are always very interesting.
Later that afternoon we
took a train to Delhi
which was a nice luxurious train serving dinner, i.e. samosa, soup, curry, dal,
rice and Indian bread and even ice cream!!!
Arrived in Delhi
about 11 p.m. In the morning after a
nice walk and breakfast I flew to Calcutta to
start the second part of my India
experience. Time sure does fly when you
are having fun!!!
