Day 2: Old and New Delhi

Our first day proper in touring, and we have toured like it is going out of fashion! I will give you a quick weather update: it is lovely and hot here, with no need for cardigans or full length dresses. And Sarah doesn't need to wear those either.

We started out at 9:30am, which means we had to be up at 7:30am to get washed and breakfasted before the tour. I have to say the breakfast we had was more like a banquet, we had a toast course, crepe course, omelettes and fruit (we could have had more toast if we wanted to, and we also passed up the cereals course). I was completely stuffed to the point that I didn't need anything more that day until dinner later in the evening.

Our guide and driver were punctual and we were soon on our way through the Delhi rush hour. The city is huge and as such it means getting around it takes a *long* time, because there are all sorts of obstacles in the road, most usually cows. I am not talking back roads either, these are multi-lane carriageways and there are herds of cows in the middle of the road. Being sacred to the Indians, it means that there is a lot of swerving and dodging that needs to be done to avoid hitting one. this has a knock on effect to the rest of the traffic, and like a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world creating a hurricane in another, there are large tailbacks.

The rules of the road here seem to be: "if there is space then fill it; if there is no space then create some and fill it!". A lot of beeping goes on, and most of it is good natured and trying to inform other road users you are near them.

Anyway, I digress slightly. Our first stop on the tour was to look at the Qutab Minar - a Victory tower which was built using, according to our guide (Jai), the stones from the old city walls by Islamic invaders in the 11th Century.

Qutab Minar in all its (morning) glory!

Another shot of the Qutab Minar

It was very impressive, standing a full 70 metres high (no small feat for the time it was built) and Jai told us that there were plans to build a Minar over twice as high next to it, but the man who commissioned it the Qutab Minar died before it could be completed. Jai gave us some time to potter around the site taking photos and clambering over the rocks, before moving us onto the our next site.

Chipmunks are commonplace, and not shy, they will come right up to you.

Humayun's tomb is an impressive mausoleum and you can see the influences of it in the Taj Mahal apparently (we will find out tomorrow). Sarah's way of remembering this particular World Heritage site was by reference to the large amount of stone slabs in there!! We bimbled around the beautiful gardens surrounding the tomb and it was here that we noticed there are a lot of dogs in India and they all seemed to congregate here. Although I can't say I blame them, there are lovely gardens around the tomb, with plenty of shady spots to lounge in and if they get too hot they can, as we witnessed one dog doing, sit themselves in one of the pools of water.

Our first view of the tomb from the entrance gate

Humayun's tomb a.k.a. the thing with the stone slabs!!

Humayun's tomb, it is more impressive on the outside than within.

After that, we moved on to the Red Fort, Delhi. This was the third World Heritage site of the day, and while energy levels were flagging, I think we did it justice! The scale of the walls was epic by any standard; about 2/3rds of a mile in length and over 100 feet high. Even at this early juncture of our touring around India, the general impression I get about some of these wonderful sites follows along the lines of "yadda yadda yadda, and then the British came along and knocked that beautiful building down to build a barracks/ammunition store". This is certainly the case with the Red Fort where apparently over half of the inner buildings were knocked down to make way for barracks when the British were in India. For shame. 

The Lahore gate is the main gate at the Red Fort and is where, since independence, the Prime Minister comes on Independence Day to hoist an Indian flag and deliver a sort of "state of the union" speech to the people. The moat by the gate is full of cannabis plants and the fumes they give off is a very heady brew indeed (if you like that sort of thing) and I did wonder if the fumes inspired some of the Presidential speeches.

The Lahore Gate at the Red Fort, Delhi - no political speeches today though (thankfully!)

The smell coming from the moat reminded me of home!

After we walked around the fort, and due to a combination of my back hurting me and Sarah's swollen feet (she has been bitten to pieces and really reacts to the insect bites), we decided to give the mosque a miss and retire home for a sleep and a chance to put our feet up. It is no lie that half of our day of touring was taken up with driving around Delhi, which meant for a long day. The roads are so manic and busy that to get anywhere you need to give at least an hour.

That evening, after some painkillers for me, and some anti-histamines for Sarah (god, we are sounding like a right crocked couple these days!) , we headed out for a meal at the Spice Route, which is considered to be a lovely restaurant. The hotel hired me a taxi for the night, and from the journey to the restaurant it was clear how lovely a driver our pre-assigned one through Audley (Partap) is. This driver was undertaking, flashing, and beeping anyone who didn't get out of his way and on several occasions we had other irate drivers pulling up next to him to shout what I can only infer was the Indian equivalent of a swear word(s)! Still, he got us to the Spice Route physically, if not emotionally, unscathed.

As for the restaurant, I think we were spoilt on the first night with the authenticity and homeliness of the Shanti Home's food, and so we were underwhelmed with the Spice Route really. This had in part to do with the wine list which you would need a second mortgage to afford! there were bottles of wine on the menu for 120000 rupees, which if it was not a typo would set a traveller back about £1500! (i didn't dare to order it to find out!).

Anyway, that sums up today and i am heading off to sleep. We have an early start tomorrow as we are catching the 6am train to Agra to go and see the Taj Mahal! Fingers crossed we get up in time!!