Blogs from National Capital Territory, India, Asia - page 5

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

So we now have two days in Delhi to see the sights. We went to various " must see" sights, but by way the best was the Sikh temple and a tour of the kitchens. There were men and woman of all ages working together on a mountain of vegetables ( though the music would have driven me bonkers), and inside the cavernous kitchen there were more men and women rolling out chapatis and a Wallis and Gromit style machine churning out naan breads - but it was the woks that drew arrention. Wow, have I got wok envy, these were big enough to have a bath in, though I think you would get a bit broiled if you tried. After that it's been markets and bazaars, not because there is anything definite I want to ... read more

Did you know that humans have more than 21 senses? Neither did I, until I spent a week in Delhi. To properly gauge my ‘travel insanity’ scale, on my way out of Delhi, I asked this German guy sitting next to me on the train what he thought of India so far. In an exasperated Elmer Fudd voice, he said "Unbewevable!" He had no idea why I started laughing, and why I couldn't stop. Elmer was right, Delhi was Unbewevable! Now, I'd like to think I'm a pretty seasoned traveler, but Delhi, Delhi actually knocked the shit out of me. No, not literally. Although, I did walk through an awful lot of poop. See: assaulted sense number 13. My initial appallment of Delhi was impossible to pin down to one thing. Was it the mental traffic? ... read more