27th April 2001, 22:30
Delhi, and it’s about 33°C
First impressions: well, after a dream flight (there were only about 50 passengers on our 747 plane, and we could pretty much choose where to sit) walking off the aircraft we were hit by a wall of heat. Not a basking heat, but a heat that you have to wade through. Sweat started pouring off us in a matter of minutes even though we had dressed prepared for the heat.
Then, a wonderful smell of spices and a hint of roses in the air, a wonderful powerful whiff of India caught us off guard, bringing a grin to my face. I didn’t remember this from my last trip 10 odd years ago. Back then I can remember a stench, a rotten smell, but this time the aroma made us smile and we knew we had arrived. It was about 11pm at night and tiredness was creeping over us, but a sense of excitement and bewilderment was egging us on.
We were met at the airport by a driver we had pre-arranged in the UK before leaving. This is something I would recommend to everybody making New Delhi a stop on their itinerary. His name was Jeet, a nice guy from Punjab of Hindi background; he had been in Delhi for the last 10 years and worked for Shafi, our man in Delhi. Shafi runs a travel company and for 200R’s he will send his driver to collect you from the airport, whatever time you eventually land. We were whisked off to our hotel, Jeet chatting to us as we went, trying to perfect his English.
So let me tell you about Shafi. A strict follower of Islam, he worships his family, and more so his mother, a strong believer in the family unity. He is a guy with principles, someone who you can trust, and more importantly someone who is not pushing you for a fast Rupee. He has been told that he looks and sounds like Al Pacino: the voice is similar but that’s where the similarity ends in my eyes. More importantly, he can be your gateway to India. A helpful and humorous man, he takes you under his wing and nurtures you through the first few days of your stay in India.
We stayed in a clean hotel for the first two nights, a room with AirCon, en-suite bathroom and hot/cold water with satellite TV. The last two items unnecessary but nice to have. Actually, looking back, the hot water was a bit of a waste of time at this time of year. The cold water is warm, and all you want is a cold drenching to cool you down. All this for 800R’s a night. At the same hotel, a double with a fan, but no AC is 500R’s, however for the budget traveller, Shoofy will arrange something in the ParanGanj area for around 250-300R’s. All tastes and budgets accommodated for, he exclaimed as we walked though the streets of Delhi that evening.
We had hugely mis-packed, completely misjudging the weather we were too heavy with unsuitable stuff. A word to the wise, buy cheap and not a lot of it, pack light, and buy when you get there. The stuff we buy in the shops at home are meant to be “tailor made” for travellers for all weather conditions, but are expensive and not required. Forget the Lowe Alpine, and the North Face of this world. Buy “very cheap”, “very good quality” lightweight and colourful clothing locally, pay pennies, wear and wash a few times and discard when worn out.
Shappi was our guide that night, he bargained for us and showed us the best places to shop in the local markets. We bought a storage bag to put our unwanted clothes in, and Shippy had kindly offered to store them at his house whilst we spent a month in Rajasthan. He also arranged for our next morning Tourist bus tickets to Jaipur and brought them to our room.
With all the attention and our naturally suspicious minds, fuelled by the countless stories of “beware the friendly Indian, he is only after your money”, Shifty is an honourable and genuinely nice guy. Of course, he is there to make money but the money you hand over at the end of your time together, you do not give begrudgingly. Ask him about his houseboat in Kashmir, his family is from there, and they are happy to rent the boat fully furnished with cook at very reasonable rates. Details on how to contact Shaggy later on.
Turning the clock back a bit, we slept all morning the first day in Delhi, exhaustion from the flight and from the heat was taking its toll. The AirCon went off early in the morning, so we woke in a pool of sweat despite the ceiling fan being at full pelt. It’s a Delhi thing, regular power cuts are commonplace and some hotels have back up generators to cope with this, but not for the AirCon units, they take up too much power.
We spent the afternoon (as mad dogs and Englishmen tend to do) out in the midday sun and afternoon heat, with temperatures reaching 43°C that day. The hunt was on for anywhere cool. Temples and trees provided some shade and the occasional respite from the heat, but the Union Coffee Bar was a godsend (Vishnu send? Whatever). Somewhere in the middle of Delhi we came across this eatery, somewhere we could get a freezing cold beer and something to eat in the cool. This is not an easy thing to achieve in Delhi, I can tell you. For the budget traveller “the way of the righteous man (traveller) is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men (the system)” (Samuel L Jackson, Pulp Fiction). Almost all local style restaurants offering cheap food do not sell alcohol of any kind, thus the Union was an oasis. Just as walking off the plane knocked us back with the heat, the Union was a blissful experience likened to walking out from a sauna into a frosty winter’s morning. Several cold beers were sunk, and a damn good lunch of tasty local cuisine was had. A little over our day’s budget, who am I kidding, way over the whole day’s budget, but what the hell, this is the first day of our adventure, and we deserve it!!!
We were up at 5:30am next morning, and down in the lobby awaiting our “Tourist Bus” to arrive at six. True to form, at 6:45am a bus rounds the corner resembling something from a stock car challenge. Severely battered, it pulled up outside and a small man stepped out sporting a yawn that Fred Flintstone would be proud of. So off we set, trundling through the streets of Delhi for about 30 minutes when we pulled up on the side of the road and were told to get off and wait there…there being the side of the road amongst tea sellers and vendors selling biscuits and deep fried sweets, so we did.
I had a cup of tea and watched it being made. This process involves the “tea maker”, in this instance a lad about the age of 14, boil for several minutes a saucepan of water, milk, a massive amount of tea leaves and a sack of sugar. During this process a number of other lads of equal age seemed to be giving the tea maker advice. The tea maker was not having any of it and proceded to then strain the concoction through a well used brown stained sieve into a large teapot and then poured this over a long line of glasses along the front of his barrow and points to one.
“You take,” he said, and charged me 4R’s for the privilege. This actually is about twice the normal price, 2R’s is the most you should pay, but being a foreigner in India automatically means you pay more. The tea was delicious, a strong aromatic taste, but really sweet. It does the job, picks you up and slaps you around the face, and you get used to the sweetness after the 4th or 5th glass.
About an hour and a bunch of bananas later, a whole load of buses arrived. It’s an old English truth that while waiting for a bus, none come for ages then a load come at once. This is something obviously the Indians had caught from colonial rule. After assessing the correct bus, we were piled onto a vehicle that contained a day trip party of Indian nationals to Jaipur. Ushered to the back we sat through a 5-hour trip riding the bumps on the rear axle covering about 240km, winding our way through the traffic of the roads to Jaipur.
One thing that did strike me was that the rules of the road seemed quite simple: the bigger you are the more right of way you have, and secondly you need to beep your horn around 20 times a minute. Other than that it’s a free-for-all. Traffic cops stand in the middle of roundabouts frantically trying to guide the flow of traffic and being totally ignored. Only in central Delhi does there seem to be any order on the roads.
Arrived in Jaipur about 2:30 in the afternoon, well actually just outside Jaipur at the Amber Fort. Remember, we are hitch-hikers on a tour bus, and the tour bus stops at Amber Fort so the day trippers can get off and do the tourist bit. This seems to involve just sitting under a tree chatting and trying to get the coolest seat with the most shade. Some venture up to the fort, but mostly they crack open the jars of homemade Bombay mix they had brought with them.
We managed to get a lift into town with a guy who wanted to show us a good place to stay. These people work on a commission basis with the hotels and the price of the room is calculated with the commission, the commission is paid to the driver, and your subsequent day’s rent stays at the inflated price. So be strong, tell your driver where you want to go and tell him firmly, they will try to change your mind so stick to your guns. We looked at their hotel and then got the driver to take us to the Jaipur Inn, a popular choice in backpacker circles. The hotel is outside the main city but is close by auto rickshaw to anywhere in Jaipur. One of the main attractions is the roof terrace where you can look out over the town. An all-you-can-eat vegetable thali is served at 7pm every night on the roof terrace for 100R’s per person, the food is excellent and the view’s amazing.
At this time of year Rajasthan is hot, really hot. In June it can reach up to 45-48°C, and in July the Monsoon arrives bringing welcome showers lasting about two hours a day. The Jaipur Inn has a cool downstairs where you can sit and read through the hottest parts of the day. Ask the owner any question about Jaipur and he will give you an educated and sensible answer. Try the Lassi’s, they are the best. Not only do they taste good, but they give the stomach the necessary fortification against the rigors of India. They are made from local yoghurt and chilled water. However, only buy them in the hotel, not from the street. In the hotel they use mineral water, outside the Lassi will contain tap water which is likely to have you on the toilet within hours, for hours.
Rajasthan is full of colour, spicy smells and wonderful architecture. Jaipur has all of this; the locals dress in bright reds, oranges and greens, the markets are full of colourful fruits and vegetables, ground spices and chillies, and the “Pink City” boasts some fine buildings and temples. The Observatory is a must to see. It’s a surreal place full of structures to measure the stars. Originally building started in 1728 and more recently renovated, it’s a great place for photos.
We were seconded outside by a TukTuk driver who talked us into a trip to the Royal Gaitor, a collection of cenotaphs of the royal family in ornate marble surroundings. We sat chatting about religion inside one of the marble structures, the floor was made of Italian marble and was cool to sit on. The barren hills rose around us and to the right on top of the hill sat the Tiger Temple. It was very calm and peaceful, serene even. Little children played in the courtyard after getting bored of rejection asking for “one pen” or “one rupee”. This is a common event, children sit and wait outside places of interest and pounce on unsuspecting tourists. It was explained o s that its not good to give anything, it encourages them to beg more and miss school and their education.
There has been a wedding every night we’ve been here in Jaipur. Huge processions of colour and music, the groom rides in heavily embroidered clothing on an equally dressed up horse or pony. Music and chanting lasts all night with drums beating and whistles and trumpets piping out live Indian music.
Tomorrow we are up early, to see the Amber Fort, a few km outside of Jaipur. It is wise to arrive in the morning before the heat of the day sets in. A quick TukTuk ride with “Chupper Chupper” (a well recommended taxi driver who is reasonably priced and speaks good English) up to the fort and then back to do some washing.
That’s me for this time, stay tuned for more soon. To contact Shafi in Delhi, write to him at [email protected], to contact Jaipur Inn to make a reservation, write to [email protected].
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you are in the area, or if you have a question. It’s great to have had so many positive responses to our quest. Keep on reading, and if you dream to do what we are attempting, then follow your heart and take the chance.
Just a final thought: Indians in the most part that you meet are trying to learn English from the travellers they meet. They talk in pigeon English to you and it easy to imitate this when replying. Don’t. Talk normally as you would to anyone else, this is how they learn, so teach them well.
Back to first page
