Amritsar

Unable to get train tickets, we booked a flight from Delhi to Amritsar. Riding the wave of national euphoria, I finally purchased a Team India cricket shirt from the airport. The plane was up and down in under an hour, door to door in three hours with the 45 minute journey by cab from Amritsar airport to the hotel – mercifully short trip. When we showed up at the hotel, the staff informed us that they only had a room for one night (rather than the two we’d actually booked over the phone). We argued it, but they didn’t budge. The hotel porter flagged down a day-glow pink turban wearing cyclo wallah (who looked about eighty). After the poor chap struggled to load our packs onto his steed, we set off and found a new hotel quickly. As we turned up without a booking, the hotel chap gave a good discount. Unusually for an Indian hotel they had Wi-Fi, so before heading out, we both Skyped home.

Amritsar is all about one thing – Sikhism’s holiest shrine, The Golden Temple! It’s up there as one of the must-see sights in India, and it’s the last ‘biggy’ on our itinerary. After our Mother’s Day Skype, we headed out to the temple, firstly visiting the shoe drop-off area, which is run like a military operation due to the numbers of worshipers that visit the temple. Visitors must cover their heads before entering the complex; caps and hats won’t do, but thankfully the temple provides a stock of bandana style head coverings. Realising that I was having trouble tying my bandana, a friendly chap came over and helped me out.

After going through the foot bath (obligatory when entering Sikh temples), we got our first view of the golden temple. We arrived just as the sun was going down; greeted by groups of worshipers bathing in the fading light, accompanied by a soundtrack of chanting priests over the speakers. Sitting and soaking it up, we both decided that this was one of the most amazing places we’d ever visited.

As we were coming back the next day, we decided to put off the visit to the inner sanctums of the temple until then – also, the queue looked pretty crazy at the time! Instead we did a couple of circuits of the lake and then headed for a bit of dosa and idly action at a nearby restaurant. Our first visit to the temple was amazing.

We kicked off day two in Amritsar back at the golden temple. My bandana tying skills hadn’t improved over night, again needing the help of a local volunteer.

This time we joined the queue to visit the Golden Temple building (Hari Mandir Sahib) in the middle of the sacred lake. The uncomfortable one hour wait in the midday sun was helped along by chatting to inquisitive worshippers. The temple has two floors; on the ground floor just by the entrance a group of priests keep a continual chant which is broadcast via loudspeaker around the complex. Worshipers crowd around the priests and offer prayers. The original copy of the Sikh holy book (Guru Granth Sahib) is housed up on the first floor. We were also allowed up to the roof which provided some nice views over the sacred lake. Unusually for a busy temple, we weren’t hustled through quickly by the crowd, instead being allowed to take our time to explore and soak up the atmosphere. From the little I picked up, Sikhism is known for its inclusive nature; worshipers and temple staff alike (even the security) were super friendly and very welcoming! Not surprising the place has such a great vibe. This might be my favourite spot on the trip. 

Amritsar is only 30km from the India-Pakistan border at Wagah. Every day before sunset, the Indian and Pakistani armies meet to close the border gate. It’s not just a matter of closing the door and saying ‘see you tomorrow’, instead taking the form of a thirty minute theatrical performance with flag waving, goose stepping, chanting, dancing, etc. The event is so popular that grandstands have been built on each side to house the patriotic crowds. We’ve seen the ceremony on TV documentaries; no chance we were missing out on the spectacle! We booked rs60 seats in a shared jeep for the short trip to the border.

On the road leading to the border crossing, men and woman are split up and given the shake down treatment by the army.

Once past the security checks, we came across all the usual things you’d expect to see at an international border – immigration, customs offices etc. This is however the border between two hostile nations, so in addition to the usual stuff is a high double layered electrified fence with machine gun sentries placed at regular intervals. We’re told that the fence runs the length of the Punjab/Rajasthan/Gujarat; hundreds of miles!

Foreign tourists are given access to the VIP stand, which is closer to the gate. Not sure why we get special treatment, but we didn’t complain; perhaps the Indian government likes to show off their successful tourism industry in front of the Pakistani’s, which I’m guessing doesn’t get many foreign tourists - the whole ceremony is about outdoing one another. After flashing our passports, we were led to the VIP stand where we get a nice view of the craziness. The action started with an Indian army ‘Mr Motivator’ chap in a gleaming white tracksuit inviting the ladies in the crowd down onto the road for dancing to patriotic songs. The same ladies then queue up for a bit of flag running along the length of the road, all the while Mr Motivator getting crowd fired up with some call-and-response over the PA – ‘Hindustan - Zinabad’, which means long live India. Each step is countered with similar antics on the Pakistani side, the Indian crowd laughing in response to the ‘long live Pakistan’s’. Bit rude, but there’s a fair about of hate between the two nations, so to be expected.    

The ceremony proper was slightly confusing. Each soldier involved in the ceremony shouts continually into Mr Motivator’s microphone until out of breath and then goose steps out towards the gate area. This went on until all Army wallahs were dispatched. Before the gates are closed, representatives of each army lower their respective flags with synchronised movements. About ten minutes of fancy moustached goose stepping action followed until the gates were finally shut. Soldiers for both sides then angrily march back to their holding areas, and the show is over.

Watching the show unfold in my new Indian cricket shirt and shouting ‘zindabad’ like a madman, I felt like an honorary Indian for half an hour! Shejal felt very patriotic. It was weird seeing the difference between the two sides, the Pakistanis not as numerous and much quieter than then Indians. I found it odd being within touching distance of Pakistan, a place the average western wallah probably wouldn’t currently consider visiting. The ceremony was excellent, definitely worth seeing. 

We finished off our trip to Amritsar with a hearty Punjabi meal at a nice restaurant - butter chicken, butter paneer, and lots of butter naans; heart attack food, but ok once in a while. The Golden Temple was amazing, and the border ceremony very entertaining; won’t forget the trip to Amritsar in a hurry, definitely a highlight. 

Delhi

Delhi is relatively close to Agra (by Indian standards), so we decided to cab it. Apart from the car vibrating strongly at anything over 50kmph, the trip was uneventful. In a rare pause from chatting on his mobile, the driver explained that the front left wheel was about to fall off, but that he would definitely get it fixed tomorrow – smashing.

As we’d driven straight through from Agra without stopping for food, we ordered room service after checking into the hotel. Shejal hadn’t been feeling very well all day, so after eating, I went out to find a chemist (or druggist as they call them here) to get some meds. After returning, I also started to feel unwell. Cue eleven hours of intense vomiting, the last internal organ ejecting retch occurring at around 4am. Bloody chicken pakoras! When I mentioned it to the hotel manager, he didn’t even apologise, only offering that I didn’t have to pay for the pakoras – cheers. Delhi belly in record time!

As we both didn’t get much sleep, the next day was taken very slow. First up was Gandhi Smitri; a memorial marking the spot where Gandhi was assassinated in 1948. We thought we’d have a crack at using the metro to get to there, but what looks like a short distance from the station on the map turned out to be pretty big, so we ended up getting a tuktuk the last part – Delhi is massive. The Smitri has a slightly confusing (but fun) multimedia museum that we visited first.

After the museum we visited the memorial. Concrete footprints lead around the garden to the spot where he was killed. Despite the history, the place was very peaceful.

We found a nice cafe for lunch in Connaught place. The area is known as tourist central – lots of hotels and restaurants. Where there are tourists, there are touts. Due to a convincing back story, we didn’t immediately realise that the friendly chaps on the next table were in fact naughty men. Only when they started recommending travel agents did our internal tout alarms kick in. Apart from the dodgy wallahs, the coffee was very nice and came complete with a smiley face.

We spent the afternoon at the Jantar Mantar, built by the same chap as the one in Jaipur. I think the one in Delhi is slightly older because it doesn’t look quite as pristine. We relaxed in the grounds for a couple of hours before heading back to the hotel to catch up on sleep.

The next morning we headed via tuktuk to the massive Red Fort; built in the 17^thcentury by the same Mughal emperor that was responsible for the Taj Mahal. It took a good couple of hours to explore.

It was world cup final day, so we were keen to get back to the hotel and watch the match. As we made our way back, the streets of Delhi were strangely deserted apart from groups of wallahs crowding around shop TVs and watching the game.

This match is as big as it gets for Indians; comparable to England in the football world cup final for the English (hoping). Sri Lanka unexpectedly went run crazy at the end of their innings and came away with a very decent score. This coupled with Sewag and Sachin getting out early in the Indian innings meant that the rest of the game was spent with everyone on edge. Gambir and super captain Dhoni steadied the ship and won the match for Indian in the end. The fireworks got going after the last ball was hit and it wasn’t long before people were out on the street running about and going crazy. We called Bhupendra shortly after the win to offer congratulations. He was so happy that he offered to pay for us to celebrate at an expensive restaurant the next day. It was great to be here to witness the national euphoria!

We didn’t see too many of Delhi’s sights this time around as we’re back for a few days in a couple of weeks.

Agra

We caught an early train from Jaipur to Agra. When a bunch of touts got on the train at the stop before Agra, we knew there’d be trouble. A couple of the touts made their way down the carriage telling tourists to exit from a particular door (so that they can corner us there). We went the opposite direction, but a large noisy group found us on the platform and jostled us all the way out of the station. I had to ask a policeman to get rid of them. The hassle has gradually been getting worse since Rajasthan; everywhere else has been fine (apart from Mysore). 

After the chaos at Agra station, we went to the hotel via tuktuk. Obviously the Taj is the main attraction in town, not sure why tourists would come to Agra for any other reason; it’s not a particularly nice place. First priority was some breakfast before catching a cycle rickshaw to the south entrance of the Taj. 

I can’t really describe in words how amazing to Taj is. It’s the most famous/beautiful building in the world; enough said. Photos can’t really do it justice. 

Protectors must be worn over shoes, nice look.

Shejal – absolutely shocked at how beautiful the Taj is

We had planned to visit for a couple of hours and then head to the fort, but couldn’t tear ourselves away. In total we spent six hours, walking around the entire complex twice before sitting down and just staring at the Taj. From our position, we were also treated to some high-quality photo posing. 

Sexy

Sexier

Cheer up!

The first innings of the India vs. Pakistan semi-final was in progress whilst we were visiting, so the place was unusually quiet – very lucky. The Taj commands the highest entrance fee of any attraction we’ve visited so far – 750 rupees, which is about 10 quid... totally worth it, predictably the best thing we’ve seen on the trip so far!

Mindful that we needed to sort out transport to Delhi, we were on the lookout for travel agents on the way back to the hotel. Understandably (due to the cricket match) the streets were deserted and most shops shut. Seemed like everybody/everything (including the urban-wildlife) was watching the match on the TV.

Loves: India, Sachin, and eating magazines

Jaipur

The travel agent in Jaisalmer managed to get us tickets for the Shatabdi Express train from Ajmer to Jaipur. This service is faster than an average train and the ticket comes with meals included (much like the Rajdhani Express that we got from Kolkata to Gaya). We’d trade bus for train any day of the week! The journey was quick and comfortable. The food was cute as expected; little packets/cartons of this and that – sweets, chocolates, samosas, spicy mix, etc – all served with sweet chai (of course).   

Now that we’re seasoned travellers in India, we’ve come to expect the inexhaustible attempts of touts wherever we go. As soon as we set foot onto the platform in Jaipur a chap runs over to us shouting “Welcome to Jaipur”; here we go again! He follows us around until I tell him that we’re not stupid, we can read, and we know where the station exit is – in big letters above my head! We get more of the same outside the station from tuktuk wallahs, so make our way to the prepaid booth. The prepaid booth wallah is also basically on-the-take with his prices, so we negotiate with an independent wallah who gives us a fair price. However, before we leave, this wallah makes us read his feedback book from foreign tourists in the hope that we book him for sightseeing. I suppose people are just trying to make a living; it’s usually good natured and also entertaining for us to witnessing them try. 

Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan. The old walled area in the centre of Jaipur is known as the “pink city”, famous for its vibrant bazaars specialising in textiles and jewellery. It also has some interesting buildings; City Palace, Hawa Mahal, and the stone measuring devices of the Jantar Mantar (amongst others).

As we arrived at Jaipur in the late afternoon, we got room service, relaxed, and then went bed early.

The next day we got up early and attempted a 4KM walking tour of the sights suggested in the guide book. We managed about 500 meters before bailing out due to the heat (it was unusually hot, even by Rajasthan standards – heat-wave reported in newspaper to be 38c!). We flagged a tuktuk instead, wiped the sweat from our brows, and made for the Pink City. First stop was the City Palace; a large complex includes halls, apartments, courtyards, and armouries. It is still occupied by the current Jaipur royal family (Singh). 

After the palace we visited the nearby Jantar Mantar, a park containing eighteen astronomical measuring devices. Most of the devices resemble abstract buildings rather than the sundials I had imagined. The devices were built in the 1700s and used by Jai Singh to calculate auspicious dates for special events (marriage etc).Weird place - but interesting. 

Ever since Ahmedabad we’re been taking siestas in the afternoon to get out of the sun; we did the same in Jaipur and then headed to the Pink City bazaars in the evening. The main streets in the Pink City are lined with bazaars, each specialising in a different trade. As is typical in areas frequented by tourists, shop wallahs go for the ‘come into my shop’ approach, which just ends up meaning we don’t go into any shops! We visit bazaars for the atmosphere rather than the shopping.

The next day we headed out of town to visit the temples at Galta. Locals call the area ‘Monkey Palace’, due to the large numbers of macaques that call it home. I like a bit of monkey action, so this one was a treat for me. 

We then visited the Central Museum which was housed in a nice building and contained some interesting exhibits. 

Museums here seem quite keen on depicting everyday Indian life with plastic figures. They’re usually unintentionally funny, especially the descriptions. No confusion with this one. 

After the museum it was back to the hotel for siesta time. We watched England disgrace themselves against Sri Lanka in the cricket. Bhupendra called afterwards to rub it in. Apparently I can’t now support India instead because it’s cheating. 

We spent the evening at a restaurant/theme park on the outskirts of town. The 300 Rupees entry fee included a Rajasthani thali and access to lots of different attractions (camel rides, elephant rides, palmists, magic shows, dancing ). Half way through the meal the restaurant chaps whipped out turbans for us to wear.

After Shejal found a scorpion on her napkin we left the restaurant and headed to the theme park. 

Feats of balance

Chap making Gola

Recapturing youth