Blogs from National Capital Territory, India, Asia - page 21

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Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi April 30th 2013

In my opinion, the only good part of Delhi is leaving it, but they don’t make it easy! My departure from Agra was painful. After waking from my short nap I find that I have a bit of a sunburn (not surprised) that is uncomfortable enough to slow my packing process dramatically. Not feeling well either—also not surprising, the food here takes some getting used to, but I pack on. I must leave this city! I first haggle with the damn tuk-tuk drivers who want to rip you off—and I’m haggling over about 92 cents! It is a chore that I’m happy to be rid of. I endure the endless stares at the train station but just sit in agony and wait for my train. My stomach is churning and the smells of the station do ... read more

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi April 26th 2013

I'm not sure how long I've been here, a few days perhaps. My traveling schedule disrupted my sleep schedule and I'm very backwards. My room doesn't have windows to the outdoors (but yes, it has windows to the INDOORS) so to see any natural light I have to venture from the safety of my pea pod room to the back alleys of New Delhi--because that is where my hotel is. It is off an alley, but most of New Delhi is that way so mom, don't be alarmed. My arrival was less than stellar, I blame the 25+ hours of flying and airport meandering mixed with some incompetency by the hotel driver who supposedly had a sign with my name on it. After standing around for 45 minutes, outside where it was 90 degrees no less! ... read more
My breakfast/lunch!

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi » Dwarka April 24th 2013

Well now, this is a big one, so please bear with me. This is my first entry I've written since we've been out “in country” so to speak, and not in the gently embrace of British Airways. I am writing to you from Bunk 21 of the Delhi to Gaya “Special” at 0.42, but we'll get back to that later, and the location will also change. In the meantime, here is an update of what we've been up to. 17/4 - We spent the day at The Leprosy Mission Media Centre. Situated in a fairly swanky business district outside Delhi, the building was finished in 1998 and dedicated to Princess Diana. Daily Express readers, please remain in your seats. We've been lumped in with a very Christian newlywed Swiss couple called Samuelle and Mirja. After indulging ... read more
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Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi » Dwarka April 24th 2013

Well then, in the coming blogs, Amelia and I will be visiting a few hospitals run by The Leprosy Mission, so I think it's only fair that we get a few things straight before you encounter that. We don't call them “lepers” any more, the correct term is person affected by/suffering from leprosy. This is not just for the sake of being PC, as I shall explain later. The disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae, a member of the same family which causes Tuberculosis. The bacteria live environmentally in soil and it is NOT CONTAGIOUS. It can be spread from person to person, but only by blood to blood contact, so we will not be coming home with leprosy. Also, it has the longest doubling time of any human pathogen ie, it reproduces very slowly, so ... read more

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » Delhi April 19th 2013

My flight from Bangkok to Delhi left on time and landed on schedule at Delhi airport around midday, Indian time. I have changed time zones and am now four and a half hours behind Australia. Getting through the airport was a breeze. I expected crowds and queues but, in actual fact, the immigration area was completely empty when I approached. So, it took me two minutes to pass through there, grab my bag, change the rest of my Thai baht into Indian rupees, pass through customs and out into the arrivals hall. I was met by a man from Intrepid Tours who had a car waiting to take me to Hotel Perfect where I was staying, in the Karol Bagh area. Well, the hotel is okay, but certainly not perfect! The air conditioner struggles and isn't ... read more
Street Vendor - Karol Bagh
Delhi Street Scene - Karol Bagh
Delhi Street Scene

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi April 18th 2013

Following the most straightforward trip through security I have ever encountered, we were met at Gate 5 at Delhi Airport by Mr Mantosh from The Leprosy Mission at around 23:20 Indian time. Walking to the car park Andrew and I were attempting and failing to reality check. It was only when we hit the Delhi highway that it all became very real. Top Gear has taught us both many things; not just that James May is a legend of a man and that Jeremy Clarkson is quite like my Dad, but that the death rate in India is some 500,000 people a year. I had always said that I couldn't imagine any roads being worse than El Horeya in Alexandria or the streets of down-town Cairo however I will hold my hands up and say that ... read more

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » Delhi April 17th 2013

Greetings from Delhi! A little introduction to let you know we’ve arrived safely and that all is well. We've spent the past couple of days settling in, getting a feel for the place, finding our way around the – surprisingly - straight forward public transport system and making attempts to immerse ourselves into the culture… It certainly is a culture vastly different to our own... And considering we were the ONLY white people in/on the WHOLE of the metro (we have so far tried to avoid the majority of the touristy bits...) we really haven't been hassled too much ('stare's' aside) - infact, we've been incredibly impressed with the whole 'Deli' experience. The first thing to hit initially was the temperature… we arrived early morning and it was already in the late 30’s. Many stray dogs ... read more
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Old Market
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Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi » Dwarka April 16th 2013

Well then, I am writing you from a cruising altitude of 37001 ft at 514mph somewhere over Moldova, (historically the most entertaining of all the Eurovision nations). The journey into the unknown and thusfar, in my life at least, unexplored far reaches of the world. Even now as I sit on this Boeing 777 British Airways BA153, only vaguely do I realise that this epic voyage has begun. Watching the range of in flight movies on offer to me, which at the moment of writing is Lincoln, it seems a very strange and distant concept that in about 5 hours I will be in India! Up to this point, things have been going well. After the manic preparations of the last 3 days, paying the price for not doing enough before. Ho hum. We started out ... read more

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi April 9th 2013

A travel blog that sets out to convey any sense of the reality of travel in India would be remiss if there were no stories about the frustrating aspects of traveling in this vast country, or more specifically, travelling by train, its primary mode of transport. It needs to be stated that tickets for all reserved seats must be purchased well in advance - as in weeks ahead of time - which definitely cramps the style of those of us who like to "play it by ear". Unless, of course, you are comfortable running the risk of fighting for a third class seat purchased on the day of travel at the train station, and quite possibly standing for hours without a seat if you were not lucky or aggressive enough to secure one of the free-for-all ... read more
Bev in Waiting Mode
Bev Getting Her Running Shoes Polished
Greasing Railway Tie Pins

Asia » India » National Capital Territory » New Delhi April 7th 2013

Our decision to return to Delhi was predicated by a need to visit The Taj Mahal. I am not lying when I say I had no desire to make this trip. Visiting The Golden Temple in Amritsar was my gig, and I left it just a couple of days before feeling completely overwhelmed and satisfied with the experience. However, Stan insisted that a visit to India must include this iconic wonder of the world, so we set off for another day trip to the city of Agra and The Taj Mahal. The plan was to pick up a 10:00 a.m. train, arrive by 1:00 p.m., have a full afternoon to visit, then take a train back in the evening. Well, things didn't work out quite like that, as our train was three hours late, but our ... read more
The Taj Reflected in its Waters
Stan in one of the Taj's Arches
Bev Holding up the Taj




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