Blogs from New Delhi, National Capital Territory, India, Asia - page 2

The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, South Delhi Stars: 5 or 6 Family suite: No (or not available on booking.com) Wifi: Good/Free Car service: Expensive (5500prs airport 10km so 550rps per km = Exorbitant, 40,000rps day trip Agra 176km so 227rps per km = not as bad value as airport run! Delhi tour 800rps per hour plus 1500rps for guide = compared to airport run it’s a bargain) Pool: Heated/outdoor Food: Excellent / very expensive Service: Butler / Treats to room / Gifts for kids Free Extras: Gym Spa/Massage on site: Yes Radisson Blu, Delhi airport Stars: 5 Family suite: Yes but not via booking.com- On asking at hotel we got Presidential suite incl. private garden (double the price of 2 business rooms) Wifi: Very Good/Free Car service: Yes/includ... read more

15 02 18 Delhi Delights Another day of exploration in Delhi, this time in the old part of town. Old Delhi. This is the original city and very dissimilar to the wide, tree-lined and rather British boulevards of New Delhi. Old Delhi is the India we have become accustomed to. Noise; hustle and bustle; dusty always; mucky often; things in the road all squashed together: 2 wheeled, 4 wheeled, 2 legged, 4 legged and frequently same on the pavements too. We used the same tuk-tuk driver as previous day as he had been pretty reliable and also spoke good English. He was waiting outside the hotel for us and we had specified we needed to return by 3pm just so we didn’t accidentally find ourselves making any unwanted detours to carpet shops and the like. First ... read more

The past two days have been very busy. Tuesday, at my good friend (one of the grooms) Ishan's recommendation, I went to Akshardham. I spent about five hours there, and still probably didn't see everything. The whole thing was quite an experience, from the security to get in (after attempting to check in my whole purse, but being told I only needed to turn in my phone and battery bank, then getting my purse rifled through and dumped out, and yelled at and groped by officers who reprimanded me for having mace on my hip and told to come back to get it later) to the amazing sandstone and marble carved structures including the most exquisite hand-crafted temple where shoes are not allowed and which houses the statues of the deities and sacred relics, to my ... read more

Have you ever noticed the magic that happens when your flight reaches its destination? As the aircraft taxis from the runway, a flight attendant broadcasts the local time and weather and instructs everyone to ‘remain seated until the aircraft comes to a complete halt’. Many seconds before it does, a disobedient scramble ensues as seat belts are unbuckled, mobile phones are switched on, overhead lockers are ransacked and weighty bags heaved down. The noisy throng hovers awkwardly and impatiently for ten minutes until the aircraft door is swung open. Weary travellers stumble slowly forward to the cabin crew's fixed smiles and parrot-fashion goodbyes... ...and then the magic happens! The smell of the air outside announces your destination. Breathe in... Every destination has a different scent, filling your sinuses with something b... read more

I’m an India addict and this is my 12th visit… I confess - I’m addicted to this country's culture, its myths and legends, its religions, architecture, wildlife, food and, perhaps above all, its people. They're all in my blood and I'm desperate for what's become my annual fix! Now, I'm only a few short weeks away from satisfying that craving. Since my first visit to this vast, unbelievably chaotic, wonderful land in 1972, I’ve visited 11 of its 29 States and one of its seven Union Territories. I’ve passed through several others, but simply passing through doesn’t count, does it? So, here I go again, adding one new State and a lot of new places, faces and discoveries. I’ll also include a few familiar ones by way of rehab. This time, I’m looking forward to having ... read more