India, Sri Lanka and The Maldives - Days 2 to 4

The Lotus Temple in New Delhi

And it truly was a very foggy New Delhi. We couldn’t see the end of the wings or the runway till we landed on it. This perhaps explains why we had been flying round in circles for a bit before we landed! Immigration however was smooth, as was luggage collection (hurrah). It was still a lot later than expected by the time we got out, but that’s fine. There was a very smiley chap with a card with our names on. A great way to be greeted. He rang the driver, Monu, but before he appeared a guy with a very pretty bunch of flowers appeared. What a welcome. The meet and greet was just that, he had the print out of our hotel vouchers, train tickets and the dossier. He came with us to the hotel and got some coffee for us and went on his way. Ranjeet had added a visit to the lotus temple to the itinerary, as something to keep us awake. Just somewhere for us to go and look around, an amazing structure of the Baha’i faith open to all, in silence, to unite in peace. Straight on to an early dinner at Pindi Restaurant as we hadn’t eaten since breakfast on the plane. Very good butter chicken, this could be all yummy! How long can we stay awake though?

We've already seen lots of different birds, these have already been identified by Helen as Red Wattled Lapwings

We managed to stay away till 21.00 which Brian still thought too early. He didn’t when I woke him at 07.00! I had had a good night too, only vaguely waking a couple of times and then to hear the call to prayer at 05.20. So many different religions here!

There are lots of these Chipmunks darting around all over the place, tails held vertical as they run

Breakfast was served at 07.30 on the dot. Paratha, boiled egg, fruit and yogurt. Chai and coffee. We were only just up and hadn’t set an alarm!

On our rickshaw ride through Old Delhi. The poor old chap pedaling three of us could hardly turn the pedals!

Driver and our guide Abhishek collected us at 09.00 and off we went towards Old Delhi. Driving is tricky here so we were dropped off and collected at a metro station which worked very well. We were taken round by a lovely young man who has just completed his MBA. Very serious and intent on getting a good job to enable him to care for his parents ‘special’ brother and wife, when he has one! He knew his way around and was very good. Temples and street food at a couple of different places. Perhaps we didn’t need breakfast after all. The Sikh temple we went in, like all of them had a big kitchen and food hall where free food is given to anyone who wants it. It is all made by volunteers who come in once in a while to take their turn. Abhishek said he and his friends used to go in occasionally despite being Hindu, not Sikh

But he did pose for a photo with us as we got off

Back to the car and goodbye to him, off to Akshardham, the second biggest Hindu Temple in the world (only recently overtaken). It is absolutely beautiful, intricately carved pillars with over 20000 statues of spiritual personalities. It is surrounded by huge carvings of elephants telling stories and quoting scripture. No cameras or phones are allowed however, so you will have to come visit, or look it up on the web! Like all temples you have to be barefoot for entry, but it’s all very well organised, take a bag, put your shoes in, give it to the attendant, get a token. Same procedure in reverse on your return. There was similar on entry here for phones and anything else prohibited, but we just left ours in the car

Walking through Old Delhi with our guide Abishek

Just back for a couple of hours before driver arriving imminently to take us out for our dinner at the Gulati Restaurant. All this eating without the walking may not be a good thing!

This was the lunch stop he chose for us

Our first two meals have been Mughal food, first butter chicken and then Handi gosht, in many ways my ideal Indian food, spicy and creamy which is something I struggle to find in the U.K. share a meat dish and a veg dish has definitely been working so far.

This was the kitchen at the Sikh Temple (we've both forgotten the name of it or where it is in Old Delhi) making food for the masses paid for by donations

Sunday now, our final day in Delhi. I didn’t sleep well last night, and have got a bit of a sore throat (though that could be lack of sleep). I was also very aware of rain overnight so couldn’t help but feel for the people we have seen living on the roadside. They are there, they do come and knock on the windows of the car as we sit at traffic lights, it is what I didn’t want to see! After breakfast we met our driver for 09.00 as scheduled and collected our guide. She was fine, but neither of us really warmed to her, perhaps that her daughter and granddaughter were visiting had something to do with it.

Every Sikh person should volunteer when they can to help make the food for the masses, it doesn't matter from what social sphere you come from or how much money you have, you should still help out

We went first to Humayans tomb, built before the Taj Mahal, in 1570, and on which it is based. It is set in a huge garden, peaceful and beautiful, yet right in the middle of the city. It will be very interesting to compare this red sandstone building with the white marble structure of the Taj Mahal when we get there. Next stop, the Qutb Minar, another UNESCO world heritage site. A 72.5 m tall minaret lying at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, built between 1199 and 1220. The different layers being built by different people. Including a cupola in the garden that was added by Major Smith of the British Army in 1828, since taken down, though she said it fell down in an earthquake we couldn’t see how that could possibly be the case, and nor does Wikipedia! The rest of the monument is a mosque but built on the site of a Hindu temple, so you can see where the carvings of the Hindu gods have been removed by the Muslims. It’s not just us that tries to change history then! Our final stop with the guide was the Lodhi gardens, which were very pretty, with another tomb in, but where we would probably have been better off on our own as she obviously wanted to be elsewhere! She took us then to Khan market with a suggestion for dinner, and a quick walk around, including finding us an ATM, which we wouldn’t have found on our own, from a Government bank, rather than a private bank. The difference being that there doesn’t seem to be a charge from the Government banks. I hadn’t realised this was the common factor with all the banks on my list, but that was what the guy who met us at the airport said, and I got a much better exchange rate than Brian! We then took ourselves to India gate, built to commemorate the dead from the first World War and then on to the National War memorial. The guide seemed to poo pooh this, but Brian wanted to go, so that was fine. She also spent ages explaining to us and the driver where we should go in and that we should message him when we had walked down to the exit point with a picture of where to get us. She got out of the car, I said “shall we come back to where you drop us off?” And he said “yes, much better.” So he wasn’t impressed with her either!

Here in the temple is the room where anyone is fed. Anyone is able to go, whether you are poor or rich. Here everyone is equal and they say you are receiving food from God

We haven’t had lunch, but neither of us are bothered so we are just back for a couple of hours before going for an early dinner as the driver will be back for us at 06.00 to take us to the station for our train to Amritsar. Here’s hoping I sleep!

On through Old Delhi and another stop for more food. This was one of three dishes the three of us shared and this was called Masala Dosa

On the Metro back to New Delhi. The Metro has completely revolutionised travel through Delhi since the first line was opened about 20 years ago. Its cheap, fast, reliable and pollution free, all good things for traffic chocked Delhi

Akshardham Temple from a distance. This was the only photo I could take of this fabulous building as no phones or mobiles were allowed inside and it was rigorously enforced at security at the entrance. A pity as I would have taken loads of them is was so fabulous

What a picture! Humayuns Tomb in Delhi, not far from where our BnB is. It is said to be the inspiration for the later built Taj Mahal and, although other people were there it wasn't crowded (as we understand the Taj Mahal is

This is a model of the layout, so you can see, we'd walked a long way to get there

It's all beautifully built and decorated

Looking through to the tomb inside

The windows are all hand carved from sandstone

Walking back out to one of the four gates

This was a big bird that flew off from one of the walls. Our guide thought it some sort of eagle and it was certainly big enough. Helen, can you help? Helen did indeed help (actually I'm not sure if it was Helen, Richard or John) - it's a black kite. Thank you all!

We walked through to another tomb on the same site (there are many old Mughal tombs in this area, there's even one in the middle of a roundabout!) this one is Isa Khan's tomb and is older than Humayun's tomb

Qutb Minar and its fabulous pillar, built in several stages (and then partly rebuilt after earthquakes and lightning strikes). It now has a pronounced lean to it, you can possibly see the lean in this photo. No remedial work has been done to stop the movement yet

This section used to be on the top and  our guide told us it fell off in an earthquake, which we found incredulous as its sandstone. Surely it would have broken into a million pieces if it had. Wikipedia reckons it was taken down, which sounds much more realistic

See that iron pillar in the middle of that arch? Its 1500 years old apparently and hasn't rusted (very much). Our guide told us that modern scientists can't recreate the material that stops iron rusting

We had to do it!

A peacock in a tree. Its the national bird of India

Amazingly intricate carving of arabic script
from the Quran (apparently)

Walking through the Lodhi garden to yet another tomb

Another bird in a tree in the Lodhi garden. I might know what this is as they had a poster of birds. I think it might be an Indian Grey Hornbill (you are free to correct me Helen)

Off on our own to see India Gate. This forms part of a very wide grand avenue with canals either side that has the gate and a first world war memorial (you can just see it through the arch) and, beyond, a newer National War memorial commemorating all following conflicts India has been involved in, most of them either with Pakistan or China. In the other direction the grand avenue stretches for a further 2km or so the the very grand presidential palace, which we're not allowed to get to. All this was originally laid out and built by the British who decided to move the Indian capital from Calcutta in 1911 and called this New Delhi. Originally the avenue was called Kingsway, now Kartavya Path and the presidential palace was the govenors residence

The first world war memorial

A little further on at the end of the grand avenue (which is closed to traffic) is the National War Memorial. The man in the sentry box stood there motionless until relieved by a replacement

He looks determined!

And finally he gets relieved

On one of the canals running beside the grand avenue with India gate and a fountain in the distance

Last night in Delhi before we move on to Amritsar and we went to a restaurant recommended by our guide today, Khan Cha-Cha (Cha-Cha means Uncle in Hindi apparently). It was more basic than others we've been to, but the food was very good. You order at the hatch on the left and collect from the window on the right. We had a meal for two: Spicy chicken tikka kebab to start, Chicken Biryani main, Gulab Jamun (kind of sponge fingers with syrup) and a soft drink, £6.70 total! 

On the way back to our waiting car with driver we walked past an Irish bar so had to go in for a beer. No Guinness though, but the Kingfisher beer was good. Cheers! See you in Amritsar...