At 8:00am Anant woke the sleeping travelers to tell us that we were just 15 minutes from our destination in New Delhi. We hurriedly put our bags together and we were lined up in the aisle ready to alight just as the train came to a stop. Unlike on other occasions we had no problems getting off the train as this was the end of the line. Incidentally, Varanasi was the start of the train’s journey so, similarly, we had no dramas there either.
Private transport awaited us at the Delhi train station so we were quickly on our way back to Hotel Perfect in Karol Bagh, the same place we left three weeks ago. Even though today is a normal work day I was astounded at the relative lack of traffic on the roads. One might almost be tempted to call it quiet-ish. Our old friends at the hotel greeted us before we headed upstairs to a much-needed shower and change of attire. A short time later we gathered and walked to a very nearby cafe for breakfast. At midday we started our walk through Old Delhi, which necessitated a trip on the New Delhi Metro prior to its commencement. Karol Bagh station is only five minutes walk from the hotel. Like the Metro itself, it’s new and clean and modern. I can’t comment on the ticketing system other than to say that we each wound up with a little token in our hand courtesy of Anant’s acquisition of our tickets on our behalf. Entry to the platforms is guarded by the typical gates that retract when the token is place near the sensor. Exit is gained at the end of your journey by depositing the token in a slot at the gate, never to be seen again. We changed line a couple of times with no dramas, the trains were on time and also clean and new. I’m really impressed with the Delhi Metro.
Our first port of call was an old mosque built by Shah Jahan, the same chap who built the Taj Mahal. While there is some marble there it’s constructed mainly of red sandstone. A large, shallow square pool stands at the centre of a massive stone courtyard. Being a place of worship we were obliged to remove our shoes and wear leg coverings. The red sandstone bricks were bloody hot on the feet so after a few “selfies” with some young lads and lasses we retreated to the shade to appreciate this fine building. The number of young men and women who are delighted when you agree to posing in a “selfie” with them is astounding. Everyone leaves with big smile on their faces, even the tourists. Can’t be anything wrong with that!
Shoes back on we walked through some narrow lanes, admiring the work of the craftsmen who a long tine ago built what were once magnificent houses but are now in need of much TLC. Down more lanes and alley-ways we eventually found our way to Chandni Chowk in the heart of old Delhi. This was once where the central market was but it is much more sanitised now. Not completely, but the roads we walked earlier in the afternoon are much more authentic. It’s strange how the efforts of city councils and developers to bring the life and colour of a given area in a city to more people usually end up sucking the like and colour out of the place. A short cycle-rickshaw ride later we were at the bottom of Chandri Chowk and into the spice stalls of the adjoining street where there was way more life and colour and the wonderful smells of all sorts of spices emanating from the countless little shops along the way. Quickly we visited one of those little shops to add a few more items to the ones be bought in south India.
Back at Chandri Chowk we boarded the cycle-rickshaws again to visit a Sikh temple towards the other end. This was not a temple as you might imagine it. It was quite a modern building that certainly served as a place of worship for the followers of the faith (and there were lots of then there) but it also seemed to have some sort administrative function and it had a huge kitchen and dining room where the faithful and the non-believers alike could get a meal for free. The central part of the building, the temple space is gloriously decorated with an elaborate, covered golden “altar” at one end and ample room for those who wish to pray. Visitors, like us, are able to participate in the proceedings on the main floor. So we sat for fifteen minutes of “quite” reflection and listed to the guru speak (not in English, mind you). Rested and calmed we visited the aforementioned kitchen where a large group of women were making mountains of chapati bread. Our girls were invited to join in, so they did much to the other women’s delight.
Buy now the group were all pretty tired so there was no disapproval when Anant suggested we catch the Metro back to Karol Bagh. Back in our neighborhood some wandered off for a last look at the streets and we wandered of in search of a cold drink which we found and finished off in our hotel room while waiting for dinner time.
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