Advertisement
Published: January 16th 2016
Edit Blog Post
Delhi in a Day If I am truly honest, anywhere that I went after spending time in Ladakh and the Rumbak Valley, was going to have a lot to contend with. Landing into Delhi with mountain withdrawals was not ideal and I couldn’t get myself to gel with this 20 million population city. I only had a day and was on a quick tour of the city with a guide and an air conditioned van, so it was not quite an authentic experience. I fully appreciate I didn't have a long time to give Delhi a chance!
First up on our tour, we visited the Qutb Minar Stone Tower, which was quite a large place and very popular with the local tourists. Lots of stone carvings and pretty surroundings. Our very enthusiastic guide shared with us the story of the tower, and the best photo angles!
Next up was Humayun's Tomb which was quite impressive, and has similarities to the Taj Mahal with a similar layout and design. We spent a short time walking around in the heat. As the name would suggest, it is a tomb that holds a number of family members.
The Isa Khan
Tomb Enclosure was nearby and quite pretty. These attractions took thousands of labourers, and years of work to build.
Possibly the most interesting part of the day for me was the driving (or crawling) through Delhi. As we got into Old Town, there was simply a gridlock of cars, rickshaws, bikes and pedestrians with little coordination. People hanging off buses, transporting huge quantities of belongings, a market nearby and lots of yelling and horns of course. From my sheltered window I could happily observe it all! Colourful and lively that's for sure!
Finally after all the traffic, we arrived at Jama Masjid just before prayers, so it was a quick visit. At sunset it was beautiful as the light changed and the sun filtered through. There were crowds and crowds of people milling around, sharing food and children playing. It seemed to be a very social place. We left shortly before prayers began as we were not allowed to stay.
Our final stop on our quick Delhi tour was a drive-by of Parliament. It literally was a drive-by as cars are not allowed to stop. It was reminiscent of other grand Parliament buildings, with the Presidential Palace
looking rather enormous!
I was grateful for the rise in temperature from Leh, but the city itself and the amount of traffic was overwhelming. It was good to see a different side of India and the way life went about in Delhi. There was something to look at on every single corner with people going about their business! Not to mention the architecture, the hints of British influence and the crazy overhead wires!
It was all an experience, and I was happy to visit, but for me Ladakh will always win over Delhi. I did however enjoy snapping away in Delhi as there was so much going on!
And I quote Amelia Earhart...."Adventure is worthwhile"!
JHG
Advertisement
Tot: 0.585s; Tpl: 0.037s; cc: 32; qc: 139; dbt: 0.1139s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb