'Resist and you'll be knocked over, dive into it and you will come out the other side.'
There have been many wise and inspiring musings from travellers who have chosen to make the journey through India but who would have thought that the one which would stamp itself on my mind would come from the mouth of Dame Judie Dench. On the plane ride from Colombo to Delhi I decided to calm my ever-growing nerves by watching a feel good film, with a familiar British cast (including Professor Mcgonagall, that woman who played Shauns mum in Shaun of the Dead and Bill Nighy playing....well, Bill Nighy, again). The film was set in India, and so what better way to ease myself into what was to come than to watch a load of older actors show me how easy it would all be. I found myself smiling and occasionally tearing up as I saw scenes of Indian chaos and vibrancy erupt onto the screen, finding my anxiety turn gradually into excitment. Not long into the film Dench's voice, over a montage of tuk tuk rides, smiling children and bustling markets, comes out with this one beautiful metaphor about India being like a wave and in that moment I knew exactly how I was going to approach the next two months, not just to come out the other side, but to come out having learnt, experienced, grown and taken full advantage of the last, and most dramatic country. I was going to dive in.
Thankfully, I had had this realisation before landing in Delhi airport because I was about to have my confidence tested almost instantly. Delhi is relentless, a city full of people trying to build something for themselves in a place were its hard enough to keep yourself from falling apart. Unfortunately, along with ambition for the future comes the need to take advantage, and who better to try and take advantage of than from a young solo female traveller, who has landed only hours before? I got through immigration and collected my backpack, making an a line straight to the pre-paid taxi booth and paying way too much money for a taxi who I was assured would take me straight to my hostel. The driver was a friendly man and so, halfway down the highway, when he said he would need to ask someone for the directions to my accomadation, I believed him. He drove us to a shop with a large sign over the door saying GOVT OF INDIA TOURIST OFFICE and a man, in a loud flower print shirt and bouffant hair strolled out of the 'office' and over to the car. Now, luckily, the hostel that I had booked had a policy of sending out an email warning you of the common scams that you are likely to face in Delhi and so this situation started to look very familiar to me. The 'tourist office' worker (which is funny because the email warned that there were no official tourism offices in Delhi) asked me for the address and began to tell me that he 'would not recommend staying in this area, mam' and that he 'could help me find a much better place to stay nearby'. When I made it clear that this is the place I wanted to stay, he very kindly offered to call the hostel to ask for directions. I must say he had a very good act as he spoke on the phone, but what gave it away the most is that the person on the other end of the line was so keen to talk to me. I resisted the phone and said that he could just give the directions straight to the driver and then we could get on our way but I was told it was imperative that I speak to the hostel myself. The man on the other end of the line informed me that he worked at the hostel and that there were no rooms left so I would have to go directly to their sister hotel instead. I am very rarely pushed to the edge, but the fact that these people work together so much to lure unsuspecting tourists to the hotels that pay them commission disgusted me. I told the man on the phone that I knew exactly what was going on and that there was no way I would be taken to any hotel that wasn't that one I had booked and hung up. I sat there arms crossed in the car and repeated myself until the 'tourism office' worker gave the directions to the taxi driver, the directions he had probably known all along, and we head off, finally. When we arrived the driver had the cheek to ask for a tip, and I responded by literally laughing in his face and walking away.
As soon as I got into the hostel I felt a wave of relief hit me and I decided to wipe the slate clean for Delhi. The hostel, Stops Hostel, was great and I would recommend it for anyone going to Delhi. I was surprised to find such a well equiped, organised and cool hostel in India as I had been warned that the backpacker scene in India is much smaller than other places, but I would say this is one of the best hostels I have stayed in this trip. The guy at the desk was super helpful and gave me a tour of the three story building which included a huge, very clean kitchen, a film room where the floor was just covered in pillows, a bar and an outside courtyard. My room was a 8 bed a/c dorm and I was especially excited to see that I would be sleeping with a duvet for the first time in AGES. I met Elena, Alex and Jack, who were sharing the dorm room with me, and after settling in and almost forgetting the drama that had greeted me in Delhi, got an early night.
The following morning Elena, Jack and I took advantage of the hostels organisation and went along for a walking tour of Old Delhi. A tuk tuk took us first to the Red Fort, a building built by the same ruler who built the Taj Mahal when the capital of the Mogul empire was moved from Agra to Delhi. We did not go inside the fort but even from the outside you could appreciate the vastness and impressiveness of the building.
We walked through the main market area in the old city, past building hundreds of years old and down a large road which was famous for having places of worship of 5 religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity, all on the same road, a testament to the many identities that India represents. We walked past many shops, all with their own specific purpose, sari shops, kitchen utensil shops, shoe shops, furniture shops, jewelery shops and got to experience first hand the incredible buzz and bustle of an Indian city, constant movement and rarely a moment to take it all in. One moment where we could stop and relax was in a large mosque. We entered the grounds of the mosque, just off from the main road and found ourselves instantly in a calm and serene haven. India seems to offer, every once in a while, a place like this. Not far from the mayhem you can walk into a quiet, peaceful place, but it isn't long before you have to plunge yourself back into the mayhem once again. Near the mosque is the largest spice market in India, and Jack, Elena and I walked through it for a while taking in all the amazing smells and the sights of the many spices and herbs used in recipes here. The road in the market was absolutely full of horses, camels and men pulling carts full of market goods and it felt a bit like being thrown back in time.
We caught a rickshaw back to the hostel and caught our breath in the room for a while before meeting with Alex and getting a tuk tuk to a newly built, huge temple on the outskirts of the city called Akshardan temple. The site itself was really impressive, especially the detail in the constructiona and decoration which had taken 300 million hours of labour to create! The only down side to this temple was that it had a bot of a theme park feel about it, with queueing paths, food courts and music playing through speakers, however you couldn't help being impressed by the beauty of it all, especially on the inside of the temple where the domes were impossibly intricate. We were not allowed cameras inside so you will just have to use your imagination (or google). We returned to the hostel and rested, and I treated myself to an Old Monk rum and Thums Up, which brought back so many memories from my last trip to India.
Jack and I left Delhi the next day and took a train to Agra to see the infamous Taj Mahal. We had planned to spend another day exploring Delhi, which I had enjoyed more than expected, but the Taj is closed on a Friday so we thought it would be better to see it on Thursday than wait until Saturday. Our train took considerably longer than expected but we finally arrived in Agra, stored our luggage in the cloakroom at the station and caught a tuk tuk. The lead up to the Taj was not at all what I was expecting! You walk down a thin alleyway with endless souvenier shops either side and it seems impossible that such a large site could fit anywhere in such a crowded town. Then you get to the gate and buy your tickets and as soon as you walk through the gate the space around you opens up and I started to get goosebumps. Before you see that typical postcard view of the Taj you have to walk through a large orange gateway and as soon as you do there it is. I can't describe how surreal it is to actually be there, at a place you have seen so many photographs of. Although it is an image you have seen so many times before you can't help but be knocked over by its beauty and majesty.
As you walk towards it is feels like you have just jumped through the postcard image and the Taj becomes more than just a 2-D picture. You realise how huge it really is, and how detailed. It looks completely white from a distance but up close intricate designs made from precious rocks are revealed.
You walk inside the building and see the marble caskets of the Mogul emperor and his beloved third wife who died during child birth and who this entire construction is dedicated to. Call me romantic, but the fact that this was built all for the love of a woman adds to the magic of the place, I just feel sorry for the other three wives he had at the same time. We popped into the Taj Museum, which occupies one of the gatehouses and exhibites various artifacts including a map of where all the precious stones used in the construction where imported from, which turns out to be all over Asia and the Middle East, blueprints and old paintings of the building and the family who ruled at that time and sabers and swords from the guardsmen, who I wouldn't have messed with. Jack and I caught another train out of Agra to Jaipur that evening, which although slightly delayed, got us there pretty much on time. We sat in sleeper class which is a tiered bunk bed carriage with fans and were pleasantly surprised that we were able to catch some shut eye during the journey thanks to some friendly Indians who let us know when our station was coming up.
When we got off the train in Jaipur we were greeted by endless tuk tuk drivers approaching us which we had to bat away like flies, and after some time found our way to our guesthouse Vinayak Guesthouse. I saw the sign but could not believe that this was where we would be staying for £3 a night! The building was beautiful and all lit up with golden lights. We were greeted most energetically by Raman, the owner, and his father and they even organised some fried rice for us to eat even though it was gone midnight. The whole building was so lovely, beautifully painted walls, Indian trinkets everywhere and a rooftop with Indian arches, paintings and fairy lights galore.
We shared the dormitory room with two British brothers, George and John (come all the way to India to share a dorm with George, John and Jack!) and the following day George, Jack and I went into the old city to explore. The Old City, or Pink City in Jaipur is full of buildings, all of which were painted pink, and not for a spiritual or ancient reason as I was expecting, but to celebrate the visit of the Prince of Wales to the area a few generations before. Another crazy busy area awaited us with constant beeping and pushing and stalls selling everything and we braced ourselves against it until we reached the first attraction, the observatory. I had no expectations when we arrived and the first impressions of the place were that it looked like some sort of postmodern art exhibition, or as Jack put it, a huge skatepark. There were countless strangely shaped objects ranging from small to absolutely huge.
We all chipped in a got a guide for the tour which was a really good idea because he was able to explain all the instruments to us and answer our many questions. There were sundials and instruments lined up with constellations, and ones to decipher zodiac signs and to measure the angle of the sun etc etc etc and our guide explained them all, although I did not understand every mathematical equation he referenced. One of the most amazing parts was the biggest sundial in the world, which was accurate down to two seconds!
After leaving the observatory feeling in awe of astronomers brains, we went to the Hawa Mahal which was a Islamic place of worship but which was most famous for having 365 small windiws which were used so that women could see into the main area, but not be seen by the men. It was a very beautiful building and offered great views of the city from the top.
Then.... I went shopping. I have been stopping myself from shopping during my entire trip knowing that I will have to either carry around the stuff I buy or ship it home, which I have only done once from Hong Kong where shipping cost back to the UK are ridiculously low. But now I have given myself permission to start treating myself and finding various presents for others. I bought a giant bag which I have lovingly called my Santa Sack and bargined for a few items but managed to stop before I got too carried away by remembering that there are still going to be many shopping opportunities to come. Back at the guesthouse we ate something and then played various card games with Jack, George and John (how is it that I have played so many card games since being away but I NEVER remember the rules!?)
On the 10th we explored more of what Jaipur has to offer starting with the Amber Fort, a huge fort outside the city where the king of Jaipur (many towns and cities still have kings) used to live before he moved to the city palace. The architecture was so detailed and the Islamic theme conjured up images of Morroco and Turkey as well as keeping a uniquely Indian feel.
We explored the numerous winding corridors and tiny stairwells of the fort before jumping back into our tuk tuk (which came with a very friendly and helpful driver all day for only £6!) and heading for Monkey Temple which was found up and over a hill from the city. We were dubious at first, concerned that the monkeys were going to be dangerous, but we soon realised that we were of no interest to them anyway. At the top of the hill there was the sun temple, paying homage to the god and goddess of the sun and where you could get stunning views of the noisy city below.
The monkey temple was full of monkeys, rolling around, jumping up walls, grooming eachother, fighting, swimming in the pools and generally monkeying around. There were tiny little baby ones everywhere with huge expectant eyes and energetic bounces. We were lucky to be there at this time because the monkeys were being feed by the locals, seeds, aubergines and chapatis.
Sunday was a day of rest and, after two full days of trapsing around the city, I certainly needed it. I spent the day snoozing, skyping and eating with intervals of entertaining the owners very cute little daughter (or she was entertaining me, it was hard to tell). That evening Jack and I actually left the guesthouse and went to the huge cinema in the new part of town to watch, no, to experience a Bollywood film. The cinema was a really proud building, and the large foyer had mirrored tiles, bright colours and chandeliers. The screen room itself was also giant with two tiers and over 1000 seats. People piled in, all in their most beautiful clothing, and even during the colourful, vibrant trailers the audience was cheering and shouting and making me and Jack smile. The film, Singh Is Bling was amazing, so colourful and funny and the production was incredible, who knows how much money it took to make it. Luckily for us, as there were no subtitles, one character played by a bollywood actress called Amy Jackson only spoke English and the storyline was pretty easy to follow as the acting is all very physical and there are definite bad guys and good guys. The screening time was three hours including a 20 minutes interval and we got out, back to the mayhem of the city streets, past midnight.
The next morning it was time to say a fond goodbye to Jack, Vinayak Guesthouse and Jaipur and do my first bit of actual solo travelling in India. I left the guesthosue with an air of confidence and optimism but found my cinfidence tested when I innocently asked for directions to the station from a tuk tuk driver and was quickly surrounded by multiple drivers all shouting different directions at me. I think I can safely say, that after all of my time in Asia, tuk tuk drivers on a whole, are not in my good books. I bumped into Jack again who was going to the station to buy a train ticket and made it to the station in one piece, said goodbye to Jack again and discphered the overly complicated signs and timetables to find my platform number and waited for my train (which was, unsurprisingly, delayed) to arrive. This time I had decided to splash out and had bought a seat in the a/c compartment, which turned out to be too cold actually. About 5 hours later I arrived in Jodhpur, where I would be involved with something rather special.
I think that is enough information for now, India is a lot to take in when travelling here so I can imagine it is a lot to take in when reading about too. I am still finding my feet in this crazy torrent of a country and attempting to ignore that part of my brain that is telling me to resist. People here have been friendly and helpful (apart from the odd tuk tuk driver) and I am excited for what there is to come as I start to dive in deeper.
Thanks for reading
Emma x
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