Who says you have to stay in your hotel room …

Today we landed in Delhi after two fabulous flights with Thai Airways, our first from Melbourne to Bangkok and then a second shorter flight from Bangkok to Delhi. We managed to score a row to ourselves on each of those flights so had a seat between us for dumping things on and no elbow bumping with a third person. This obviously made the flights better, but to be honest the seats were comfortable, the food was lovely and the cabin crew were very cheery and helpful.

In Bangkok we were bussed to our plane. The airport was a concrete, brutalist style. Very stark!

Landing in Delhi was interesting as the captain had told us that visibility was down to 100 metres … and so we landed in a thick fog (smog/pollution). This meant that any thoughts of seeing Delhi from above were futile and the first sighting of land occurred when we were at an altitude of about 10m as we touched down! A very spooky and surreal experience. We could not see the airport terminal until the last minute either … I’m glad those captains have good radars and tech devices to help them out!

Negotiating Delhi airport was easy enough as we managed to pass through immigration (and get another stamp in our passports), collect our luggage, exchange some money for Indian rupee, and grab a quick visit to the toilet before heading out to meet up with our guide for the next week. We had  an inkling last weekend, and then confirmed with our travel agent, that our trip was in fact a private tour and not a group tour that we had thought it was going to be. So we have our own driver (Rajan) and our guide Yash. Yash met us at the arrivals lounge (so reassuring to walk out and see your name on a white board with the name of the tour company. We were then welcomed to India, and whisked off to meet Rajan and then off to begin our journey through India.

Now on the original itinerary that we were offered the plan had been to be collected at the airport by your guide and transferred to your hotel. … and that was the end of Day One! Well, for those who have followed our previous journeys you will well know that we do not just sit around and “rest”. So we had asked our travel agent to see if we could negotiate a few extras for the first half day. This was all carefully researched by us and would allow us to see some extra things that don’t normally fit in the usual tourist route.

Our first stop was to Akshardham Temple, a Hindu temple. This temple was built only 20 years ago and was worked on by hundreds of volunteers. The temple is huge, and is surrounded by luxurious gardens. The temple is made of marble imported from Italy and sandstone from Jaipur. The carvings of the temple, the gates, the fountains … everything  … are intricate and mesmerising. The central room in the temple that holds a massive golden sculpture of Swaminarayan glistens with gems embedded into the marble. Each of the domed towers have carved patterns, none of which are the same. There was so much to take in … and unfortunately no photos were allowed within the temple grounds. We were able to purchase a guide book about the temple which contains photos and more details on the construction and the story of  Swaminarayan. I am sorry I cannot share more photos ... but google it!

We then headed off for our next stop, the Baha’i Lotus Temple. This is a non-denominational temple that welcomes all faiths. It was opened in 1986 and reminded us of the Sydney Opera House. It has 27 large marble clad petals shaped to resemble a lotus flower about to open. The marble had come from Greece. The inside worship hall is a more brutalist architecture but the acoustics are incredible. Whilst we were there visiting there was a service happening which involved two women singing songs of praise. The sound was incredible and very moving to sit and listen to. We were allowed to take photos outside but none of the inside.

Stop 3 on our epic journey through religion was to visit the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, a Sikh temple. Again we were only allowed to take  photos outside, but the interior was gilded gold, rich yellow and orange fabrics, marble columns and intricately carved wood. Outside the marble continued again with gilded domes, exquisite mosaics and gates. The temple also has a holy pond filled with large koi fish, and surrounded by marble columns. The Sikh also have a kitchen on the site and prepare food for anyone who would like to partake in what they call Langar. 

Our final stop was to visit the Birla Mandir, which was built in 1933. This Hindu temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi who ensured that all castes could enter and be welcomed in the temple. This temple is painted a deep maroon with beige accents. Carved into the domes are symbols of protection and worship. Elephants, tigers, conch shells and snakes. Inside the walls and ceiling are painted with wall friezes which are currently being restored. Three chandeliers hang within the temple. 

And so this was our day, along with driving from place to place in the manic, horn honking, lane switching (when three lanes become six … even though there are only three marked on the road!). You cannot help but be drawn into the madness that is Delhi. It is vibrant. It is colourful. It is dirty. It is noisy.  It has wide, tree lined boulevards contrasted with tiny, dirt streets filled with pot holes. It has some beautiful art work on the pillars that support the metro trains and along the walls of the road tunnels. It has armed guards on street corners in the diplomatic sector. There are street vendors selling everything from head scarves (we had to have them for the Sikh temple), to packets of chips, piles of oranges and grapes, motorcycle helmets and any number of souvenirs. I became a curiosity with my light hair and skin and was asked to pose for photos by a group of lovely older ladies who giggled like starstruck teenagers. Day One and I am besotted by this place.

We were safely deposited to our hotel just after 6 pm. Yash checked us in to our room and bid us namaste for the evening. We headed to our room, ordered room service, grabbed a shower and are now ready to crash for the evening. Tomorrow brings another day in first Old Delhi and then New Delhi and our weary bones (we think we may have managed about 6 hours sleep on the plane) are ready to rest.