The Kingsway

Time to visit the RajPath...the most famous road in Central India. Flanked on one end by the India Gate, a 42m-high stone memorial arch and the other end by the Rashtrapathi Bhavan (President's House) with Secretariat buildings along the path towards the President's House and the Sansad Bhavan (Parliament) round the corner, this is definitely the administrative nuclear of India.

There are two options as Argun puts it - walk from one end to the other or drive and make stops. I sheepishly smile at Argun "We drive and stop ok...too hot to walk. I need A/C!"

The heat is definitely zapping out the energy from me. Mustering every last ounce of excitement in me, I dragged myself towards the imposing gate. Mendhi...Mendhi...little girls just swarm around me...this is the art of drawing on your hand...I am like 'No No' and they just keep following me. I have to give them credit for being so persistence but I am also one that is hard to be persuaded so I let them follow me until they got tired of following me. And I totally got caught off guard by this lady...out of no where she came up behind me and pinned an indian flag on my sleeves..."Don't worry. I am a school teacher. Donation for children in my school, mam". Dear oh dear...what to do...she kept repeating the same sentence and then I did the unthinkable, I pulled the flag out from my sleeves and gave it back to her and walked away. Yes I am awfully mean but sometimes you just have to do it!

Ah...now getting a picture of myself...right I could ask but ask the wrong person and there goes my camera...I will be crying tears in bucket if that happens...haha turned out it wasn't as difficult as I thought...this indian guy wanted a picture with me so I said no probs then we swap swap ok. Almost perfecto!

My $20 slippers

Left or right...left to have my shoes being looked after...right no shoe minder leave at your own risk...mmm...this is my only pair of slippers if I lose it I will most likely have to walk barefooted for the rest of the trip. Surely my old dirty $20 slippers would not attract any attention...right it is then. Carefully tucking my slippers in a hidden corner among all the shoes, I proceeded through the entrance to Raj Ghat.



It's a beautiful park - as I walked towards the simple square platform of black marble that marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated,I felt the calmness and serenity in me. It was definitely a welcome change to the hectic scene that surrounded me this morning.

No Thali

I want thali for lunch..."Thali Thali North Indian Thali". I reckon Argun was surprised I knew that word. I told him I just came from Hyderabad. Ahhh...then he explained to me that thali is only available in South India. Lunch in North India is just normal indian food...ohh...then can I eat some really yummy North Indian food in clean local joint...yeah wasn't surprised when he brought me to this multi-cuisine up-market restaurant in Connaught place...I am like "Oh". I reckon he read my mine cos he then said "This restaurant clean no problem for you if you eat elsewhere then stomach no good". I supposed he was just being genuinely concern. Argun is almost 50...I am guessing caused he told me he has a 18-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. He has come a long way from Himachal Pradesh - near the Himalayas and he only sees his family twice a year...well definitely better than me...I am just scraping the surface trying to make it home once a year. It was naan and malai kofta and some chicken for lunch. Not too bad!

Faking it At Red Fort

Well, many tour operators indicated in their itineraries..."Drive pass Red Fort"...so I did as they said but made a slight deviation..."Drive, Stop, Walk Outside Red Fort". Touts are a part of any sights in India...they cling to you like leeches...just ignore ignore ignore and you will be fine.

One Photo Mam

The largest mosque in India and the final architectural extravaganza of Shah Jahan completed in 1648...this striking building with three gateways, four angle towers and two minarets standing 40m high is constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone and white marble. Just be careful where you walk...there are pigeon droppings everywhere and get used to the locals in the compound uttering "One Photo Mam".

Ricketty Around Old Delhi

Arjun...my driver for my entire trip was so shocked when I gave him my itinerary list...there are like 1001 things that I want to cover...almost every single attraction listed in the lonely planet book <* and for the record is my best friend on the trip *>.

As the car left the hotel, I started to observe the surroundings...totally a different city to hyderabad...bigger...definitely...busier...no doubt...more polluted...well got to start walking to know that. First stop was Old Delhi to visit the largest mosque in Delhi - Jama Masjid, the busy Chandni Chowk ("chowk" means crossroad/intersection) and a trip round Red Fort. Arjun did ask me "No into Red Fort?" I told him doing Agra Fort and Amber Fort...too many forts and it will overkill the experience. He suggested that I go on a cycle rickshaw complimentary from the Delhi Tourism around Old Delhi...really...then he added just give him Rs50 afterwards...ahh...the guy was so skinny...gosh I am so glad I am not a gigantic balloon else he probably will be cursing me all the way through.

Honks were blaring everywhere as we rode down the streets of Delhi...I am slowly getting accustomed to this...honking is a way of driving in India...it means make way for me, I am coming nearer to you, let me through, watch out for me...so do not be surprised to see "HORN PLEASE" painted nicely behind vehicles.

I have to admit, this is an awesome way to see the buzzling everyday life of people in Delhi although it is kinda scary when your cyclist rushes through a busy intersection almost missing the auto rickshaws and cars by inches. Often another cycle rickshaw will pull up next to you or cross in front of you and thus blessing you with unobstructed view of the grocery basket of the women sitting in it or the machine gun like merchandise just purchased by the man in it from the shop down the road.

Almost Homeless

When I told my sis I am going to stay in Bengali Singh Hotel, she just cracked out laughing..."Make sure you don't become one!!" Well, it's cheap considering how ridiculous hotel prices are in Delhi...then I also cracked out laughing...imagine staying in a backpacker's hotel and then have a driver to pick you up...this is going to be so hilarious!! As it turned out, Mr. Bengali didn't want me - fully booked and so did almost all the hotels in the city. "Mam, sold out". "Full". "No room"...arghhhh...I am so going to take the next hotel available even if I know nothing about it and I did just that. Crazy I am I think so too but the notion of sleeping on the streets totally overruled it.

I laughed when the porter opened the room door for me. A tiny room with barely any room to walk and a dinghy old worned out bathroom. Taps were squeaky. The bed looks alright...at least there are no croakcoaches running around...ok livable then I spotted the tiny flat plasma TV on the wall...this is just so so hilarious...the hotel owners sure know their priorities...well at least I will have some sort of 'luxury'... <* mentally to myself...must remember to put a chair against the room door...the key lock is a bit dodgy *>