Hi everyone
Welcome to our 2nd part of India trip: Delhi.
Witth Mumbai under our belt, we were now heading into the unknown... we had no hotel bookings for Delhi and no idea of what Delhi was like... although we had our guide book we were too busy having massages and jacuzzi's to sit down and formulate a plan. Priorities. It was a scary prospect. Just our train ticket. And a whole day on arriving to find accommodation and our bearings.
At Mumbai we got on a 16:40 sleeper train which was due into New Delhi at 08:30 the next morning. Our carriage was A2 which is the next class down from A1. Both A1 and A2 are air-conditioned Excellent. Our sleeping berths were situated off of the main passageway with curtains for privacy. We got chatting to a lovely Indian man from Punjab. He started discussing the troubles on the line, the delays.....there were massive protests on the actual railway lines in Rajasthan, a district we were due to pass through, due to salary cuts relating to the caste system. Unhappy locals. We knew this, right? Er...No. As a result our train would be delayed. We would no longer be getting in at 08:30 the next day as the train has to be diverted. We would now be getting in at 5pm the next day!!! After a series of animal-type growls from both of us, there was a positive that came out of a negative....
The food on the train!! because of the class of ticket we had, all food and drink were included in the price. Mango juice, bottles of water, samosas, biscuits, teas and coffees, hand wipes. Then small foil trays with curry and naan bread for dinner! Curry on a train! woooo wooooo!! We slept on top bunks with snoring locals below us, all lights out, really cosy with the gentle rocking of the train and the monsoon rain beating down on the windows. We were all provided with blankets (very ropey looking which we used as padding on the bed instead), sheets (ditto) and pillows but we slept in our clothes as did most people. The toilets had no locks on the doors so David had to stand guard. It was a case of 'don't touch a thing!'
The next morning we got more teas and coffees, jam sandwich for breakfast and another curry for lunch! Excellent. We eventually got into Delhi at 8pm!! 27 hours of travelling by train!!! If it wasn't for our books we would have committed suicide!! We saw some amazing sights though, an incentive for train travel surely. We saw a field of peacocks. A small village with huts all made out of straw located on an empty field and we passed through a village where one woman was sitting casually on the steps of her house with a 5foot monkey right next to her. Who says cats are man's best friend?! And cows on the actual platform of one station we passed through like they were waiting passengers!!
Arriving in Delhi was terrifying!! Not only was it 8pm and pitch dark but we also had nowhere yet to sleep. No internet access for 2 days so we decided to chance it. The platform was absolutely heaving with people just camped out around parcels and cases and trolleys, it was total mayhem. Outside we were BESIEGED by people shouting "taxi?" "tuc-tuc?" "taxi?" "tuc-tuc?" One guy ran over and appeared to save us from the melee. He seemed genuine and guided us over the road to the tourist information. "No, we want a taxi!" lugging 2 suitcases and a rucksack behind us. "yes, yes Touriss informaton..there, there.." so we exasperatedly marched over smelly and absolutely knackered from our journey, only to have the Indian guy try to charge us £30 to get 1mile down the road! We walked out and he shouted "you will not get any cheaper! you are in Delhi now". Outside, we caught a tuk tuk and he charged us 20p. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Mr Tourist Infomation! However, the tuk tuk did drive like an absolute nutter and I thought I was going to die! We made it to a hotel we found in a guidebook and luck was on our side that night. Phew!
The Hotel was lovely but expensive, so we checked out the next day and called this gorgeous little budget B & B every user on Trip Advisor rated very highly. Nothing like living on the edge! We got there and it was absolutely wonderful. It was actually a home with only 3 rooms for guests. Luck struck us once more as the B & B's personal taxi driver was able to take us into Delhi as part of a taxi tour of the City. Great! First he took us to Humayun's Tomb (2nd Mughal Emporor - 1st great example of Mughal garden Tomb) which was absolutely vast and amazing to walk around. This tiny old man suddenly appeared and gave us lots of fascinating info on the history of the place, in broken English. He then held his hand out for money. Sigh.
David and I have taken an instant dislike to the philosophy of pricing in India. There's a completely separate "PRICES FOR FOREIGNERS" structure. 5p for locals and £12:50 for Foreigners! It's as blatant as that. We can understand their reasoning i.e. the need for westerners to help bring in more money to finance such Heritage Sites and keep them maintained which locals cannot do. But we really feel used by it. They're basically saying to us "you have tons of money, we'll charge you three times as much because we need it and you don't!" Another old lady draped in the most colourful robes was sitting on the grass begging people to take her photo... for a fee. There's entrepreneurial spirit for you - nurture a craggy face and hang out at historical sights charging tourists to take your picture. David says he's going to hang out at Bodium Castle with a sword when he gets back.
After this our driver took us to a small parade of shops while he waited in the Hotel car park next door. This is where we found some bargains! Finally, Cheap India we have been searching high and low for!! We thought we were in Connaught Place which is a massive shopping area, bit like Piccadilly Circus in London but twice as big and congested, but as we turned a corner expecting to see more shops it was just busy roads everywhere. A tuc-tuc pulled up and hassled us as usual. We said "Connaught Circus??" And he said "yes, yes! Come! Come!" so we jumped in thinking it was only up the road, but he drove all over the place for 10mins until we got to his mate's shop that sold cheap tat! Sigh! What sort of interpretation is that?!
Then our driver took us to another load of shops for us westerners to shed all the wad that we come over with!? But we didn't buy anything because the prices are just UK prices. We went to India Gate, which looks like Marble Arch but was built to commemorate the Indian and British Soldiers who were killed in WWI. It's cordoned off and watched by guards with guns! It's situated in a beautiful, lush, green park though with plenty of opportunity for legions of locals to hound & hassle us with items of cheap shit. Sigh. "I've said NO THANK YOU! I mean NO THANK YOU!" FINALLY they got the message and skulked off when I raised my voice to them.
That night David and I found the most wonderful restaurant near to the guest house. Italian with Queen and Bonnie Tyler playing in the background, wooden bar, sports tv etc great atmosphere and the food was Heaven! We had to walk through a late-night bustling market place though with the aftermath of the muddy monsoon rain and I was wearing gold flip flops. Excellent choice Portelli!
The next morning, we told Pervez, the owner of the B & B, who is also a Tour Guide, that we had nowhere to sleep that night (as his place was fully booked) and no itinerary of the next 3 weeks for the rest of our India trip. Please could he help us?! He was the most amazing, vibrant man, allowing us to use his office as our office to check emails and for me to write up my blogs, while over 3 hours of mango juice supplies we all worked out a detailed 24 day route for us involving trains, private taxi, hotels and tourist attractions. What a turnaround!
David and I then checked out of the guest house that afternoon and went forth onto Delhi train station for our next destination: Agra -Taj Mahal Territory. We had only stayed in Delhi for 2 nights and that was enough for us. We were due to get the train at 17:30. Out of the taxi and once more into the mayhem like a bleeding limb in a shark-infested sea, that is Delhi Train Station! "taxi?" "tuc-tuc?" "taxi?" "tuc-tuc?" "NO! NO! NO THANK YOU!" For pity's sakes!!!!!!!
When we got to the entrance, this guy jumped on us and said "tickets please". He wasn't wearing a uniform, just plain clothes. I went to get our e-ticket out of my pocket when he asked us where we were going and when we said Agra, he said there was a delay of 7 hours and we would have to leave from Old Delhi train station instead which would involve going with him to the tourist information bureau over the road, getting a taxi to Old Delhi station and then a train going on a different route which would save us time. I didn't get my e-ticket out as I was too busy smashing my head on the pavement but David was very off with him and I thought David was being very rude when this guy appeared to be helping us. This guy was very insistent on taking us over the road and onto the other station but David just insisted he wanted to see the board in the station himself that said it was delayed and this guy kept going on that he was telling the truth and even got out this plastic id card and showed us. I was saying to David "darling, for gods sakes! It's delayed! Let's just let this guy help us!" "No Lois! I want to see the board myself where it says it's delayed" and this guy said "Ok, ok, if I am right you come down and then you know I am genuine" and while gnashing my teeth, I reluctantly followed a marching David inside!
When inside it was total carnage as usual with locals camped out ALL over the floors with parcels, trolleys and cases all around them and nowhere to move at all. This guy swarmed in on us and asked where we were going as we stood centre stage amidst crowds of camping locals scanning the board for delays. He told us it was delayed by 7 hours too and also said we would need to get to Old Delhi train station and if we went with him he would help us to get on a different train. There were no delay messages on the station board and no announcements and nothing about the train we wanted, positive or negative. The only thing happening was this guy hassling us to go with him. This guy droned on...and on...and on...and on...and I was a hairsbreadth away from bursting into tears. I had absolutely had enough of effing Indians hassling us, Indian trains delayed by hours, being besieged by taxi drivers, the dirtiness of everywhere, the piles of litter, everything. My cup was seriously run-eth over. I had to bite my lip till it almost bled to keep myself from bursting into tears amidst legions of locals who stared at us like we were flaming Wild Gorillas! We were both knackered and confused and the last thing we needed was this effing Indian pensioner refusing shut his mouth or to leave our side until we had gone with him to god knows where! Then we noticed a massive sign "ENQUIRIES FOR FOREIGNERS". So up 2 flights of stairs we traipsed with all our luggage, manoeuvring around hordes of locals camped out on the stairs. When we got upstairs, we were told that there probably weren't any delays, but there might be... 'who knows'. But the Agra train usually leaves from Platform 6.
Back downstairs to now find the platform. Nothing was signposted, hordes of people staring at you, no officials to ask. Good fun! Finally, a man came over to us. "Going to Agra?" We eyeballed him suspiciously. "Platform 6. People saying it's delayed. Don't listen to them. They lie to you." And he immediately walked off after we thanked him profusely. He was our Guardian Angel. Two pieces of independent collaborative information! We walked towards the platform areas. No signposts but hordes of locals swarming everywhere. Walked up some stairs in the hope it was the right way. Finally platform numbers. Down more stairs to the platform lugging suitcases to find our train. The platform was disgusting. Piles of litter. Fowl smell. People camped out all over the place. But... there was our train, and the board said 'no delays'!
Our train was dirty, broken window, broken seat, flys buzzing about, noisy. When we sat down I just burst into tears. My stress levels were incredible. All we've had in India is hassle for money, hassle for taxis, hassle for tuc-tucs, hassle for tour guides, hassle for hotels, been told lies, been conned, dirty trains, litter everywhere, stenching streets of piss and shit...I had reached my capacity for enjoyment now.
To top it all, to really top it all, as well as air conditioning in the carriages, there were fans on the walls. Like big desk fans but screwed to the wall. They didn't work. So one passenger and a railway guard got it started by putting the two exposed live wires together which ignited an electric spark and got the fan to work. As if this were the most normal thing in the world to do. Of course. There is no Health & Safety in India. Just Don't Die is the Health & Safety motto to India Life. This. Was. The Icing On The Cake. And my emotions went crazy and I started laughing hysterically and crying at the same time! Meanwhile David was taking pictures of the live sparks as Facebook evidence for The Craziness that is, India.
What an experience!! We arrived in Delhi without a clue and left Delhi two days later with an itinerary for the next three weeks... talk about landing on our feet!
Our next stop: Agra.
Lots of love,
Lois & hubs xxxxxxxxxxx
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