After the shock of leaving the ashram and realising that i now had 12 days to see some sights up in the North i tried to start to formulate a plan. I flew up to Delhi, it didn't take me long to realise that i didn't have the right clothes for Delhi! It was freezing!
Delhi airport was mayhem, as is the rest of it but i maneged to find my hotel guy who drove me to my lovely hotel! Not quite...it was colder in my hotel room than it was outside so i promptly changed. Delhi was a shock! It is a crazy city with people everywhere! I tried to get around on the first day by walking, not such a great idea and ended up having a pretty scary experience with some men and a rickshaw. Anyway had a good look around and met some nice people on a tour. The poverty in Delhi is on a different level to the south and it was sad to see all the street families living all over. I had 3 nights there and then went to Agra.
I have wanted to see the Taj Mahal for so long and i can safely say that it went beyond all my expectations, it really is the most beautiful building. I was awestruck by it, it's hard to imagine loving someone so much that you can build something like that for them! If only to be loved like that! I stayed at a great little hotel with the most amazing view from their rooftop restaurant, i could sit in the sun and gaze at it as much as i liked. It was great! I hired 'Shabbu' a rickshaw guy to take me round for a day, i went to the Baby Taj, Agra fort and saw the Taj from the back. Got a great photo of a goat in front of the Taj!
After Agra I went to Jaipur, but to be honest I wasn't really into seeing the sights as i wasn't feeling great. I met some German girls and they told me about a place called Pushkar. I headed off there, it is a very small town about 8 hours south of Delhi. I stayed in a really friendly hotel and met some great people. On Christmas morning i visited a Brahma temple and bought some flowers from a priest and went down to the holy lake. I wished good luck to all my friends and family and sent my flowers off, so you should all be ok for 2008 now, as I'm sure it works! I bought myself a few little pressies and then had lunch with some people i met, it was a very relaxing day. I travelled back to Delhi the next day, at first all was good as i had a sleeper train, i was just about coping with the occasional cockroach climbing onto my shoulder but it was when the rat ran past my feet that i realised i was really ready to leave India! Delhi was cold yet again but i decided to get around on the metro this time which was a completely different experience to my last time in Delhi. It is so clean, efficient and hassle-free! It is strange though as when you leave the metro you come face to face with a cow so you soon remember that you are in a crazy city. I thought i would be a good tourist and read the dos and dont's for travelling on the metro. Only in India would you find this: 'Do not travel on top of the train.' Classic!
I had a great time in India, it's was an unforgettable 3 and a half months but I was ready to move on and was feeling very excited about the next part of my trip. India can be very frustrating and infuriating at times but i wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Delhi airport was mayhem, as is the rest of it but i maneged to find my hotel guy who drove me to my lovely hotel! Not quite...it was colder in my hotel room than it was outside so i promptly changed. Delhi was a shock! It is a crazy city with people everywhere! I tried to get around on the first day by walking, not such a great idea and ended up having a pretty scary experience with some men and a rickshaw. Anyway had a good look around and met some nice people on a tour. The poverty in Delhi is on a different level to the south and it was sad to see all the street families living all over. I had 3 nights there and then went to Agra.
I have wanted to see the Taj Mahal for so long and i can safely say that it went beyond all my expectations, it really is the most beautiful building. I was awestruck by it, it's hard to imagine loving someone so much that you can build something like that for them! If only to be loved like that! I stayed at a great little hotel with the most amazing view from their rooftop restaurant, i could sit in the sun and gaze at it as much as i liked. It was great! I hired 'Shabbu' a rickshaw guy to take me round for a day, i went to the Baby Taj, Agra fort and saw the Taj from the back. Got a great photo of a goat in front of the Taj!
After Agra I went to Jaipur, but to be honest I wasn't really into seeing the sights as i wasn't feeling great. I met some German girls and they told me about a place called Pushkar. I headed off there, it is a very small town about 8 hours south of Delhi. I stayed in a really friendly hotel and met some great people. On Christmas morning i visited a Brahma temple and bought some flowers from a priest and went down to the holy lake. I wished good luck to all my friends and family and sent my flowers off, so you should all be ok for 2008 now, as I'm sure it works! I bought myself a few little pressies and then had lunch with some people i met, it was a very relaxing day. I travelled back to Delhi the next day, at first all was good as i had a sleeper train, i was just about coping with the occasional cockroach climbing onto my shoulder but it was when the rat ran past my feet that i realised i was really ready to leave India! Delhi was cold yet again but i decided to get around on the metro this time which was a completely different experience to my last time in Delhi. It is so clean, efficient and hassle-free! It is strange though as when you leave the metro you come face to face with a cow so you soon remember that you are in a crazy city. I thought i would be a good tourist and read the dos and dont's for travelling on the metro. Only in India would you find this: 'Do not travel on top of the train.' Classic!
I had a great time in India, it's was an unforgettable 3 and a half months but I was ready to move on and was feeling very excited about the next part of my trip. India can be very frustrating and infuriating at times but i wouldn't have missed it for the world.
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