Bollywood at the cinema:

One of the first things that I had to do when I arrived in Mumbai was to go and see a Bollywood film. I had heard from several people that I just had to go and see Ek Tha Tiger (There Was a Tiger) with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. 

One the way to the cinema, I popped into a travel agency to ask some questions. There was a girl from Austria there who said that she also wanted to see the film so I invited her along!

We arrived at the theatre, bought tickets for 300 rupees each ($5-6.00 US) and bought a 'meal' for 130 rupees ($2.50 US) that included a coke and two samosas. Meals and drinks, such as a cappuccino, were also available to be delivered to your seat during the movie and intermission. Ek Tha Tiger is a spy thriller that takes place in Iraq, Delhi, Dublin, Istanbul, and Cuba. It had Bourne Identity action and fight sequences, Bollywood song and dance, car chases with volvos, a love story (of course!) and a ferocious pug named Rocket. And, it was really good and so much fun! 

Here are a few of the songs from Ek Tha Tiger. Enjoy!

Overnight train from Agra to Mumbai:

When I Ieft Agra it was pouring. I had the same driver take me to the train station, and on the way, I saw all the children in uniforms going to school: some squashed into vans with their backpacks on top getting wet, some squashed into auto rickshaws, some on scooters with umbrellas and as many as five or six to a cycle rickshaw! I also saw some pigs in the mud, happy as clams, getting rained upon. 

The train ride was gorgeous. I had the compartment to myself for a while until a lady got on. When she saw me taking photos, she offered to share her lunch with me: the most delicious homemade potato and boiled egg curry I have ever had (with ginger, garlic, spices and coriander)  with fresh chapati. She was very nice and turned out her name is Prachi ("I have a friend named Prachi!", I said) and  that she has a daughter around my age. Then, a few stops later, a young man joined our compartment with lots of racquets. His name was Ashok. He had worked with computers in San Jose, California and though he is now in the Indian military, he also coaches people in squash.  I was very lucky to have such nice companions and we all enjoyed chatting and treating one another to chai and biscuits. Men would come by yelling: "soup! soup! tomato soup!" or " garam garam chai" (hot, hot tea!).

The scenery was beautiful through the countryside. I loved seeing all the crops, fields, little temples, men herding goats and cows and water buffaloes having a soak in their ponds. As we traveled farther south, the landscape became more tropical. At sunset, we passed over a river  and the sky was turing from peach, to pink, to purple. Then, after my compartment companions and I shared some dinner, I hopped into my upper bunk. I was as excited as a school child: curled up with a book and in a dark train, with just a night light, and being rocked to sleep. 

My bunk 

We arrived in Mumbai around 7:30 in the morning the next day. Ashok helped me get a taxi to Colaba, where most travelers stay.  A little bit later in the afternoon, I walked to Marine Drive and sat for at least an hour, looking out to the Arabian Sea. The weather was perfect: cool because of the rains. There were people selling star fruit and mangoes with chili and spices and others yelling "Panni, Panni Paaaannniii" (WATTTEERRRR!) or "Chai! chai! chaaaiiiii!!!"

I walked back to Colaba and had some dinner at the famous Leopold's Cafe in which I enjoyed a salad with cucumbers, beets and tomatoes, paneer tika masala and naan.  Until then, I hadn't seen another westerner for almost 48 hours!

Welcome to Mumbai!

Agra! Known for the beautiful Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and as I was often reminded, 'the City of Love.'

Day One:

After tracking down a nice auto rickshaw driver, Shamu, we were off to the other side of the river. First stop: Itimad-Ud-Daulah.

Itimad-Ud-Daulah is known as the 'Baby Taj' as it is the tomb of Persian Mizra Ghiyas Beg. He was the grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal (who the Taj Mahal is for) and was chief minister for Emperor Jehangir. His daughter, who was married to the emperor, had the tomb built for him. It is absolutely beautiful and another tourist  descibed it looking like lace because of the lattice screens carved from marble. Not to be missed!

Second stop: Views of the Taj Mahal from across the river (thank you for the tip, Isabel!). While I was Mehtab Bagh (gardens), I had lots of children come up to me yelling, "Hi! hi! hi! hi! hi!" and wanting their photo taken. The view of the Taj from the other side of the river was stunning and I had a hard time pulling myself away at dusk. The one word that keeps coming to mind when I attempt to describe it: harmony...

                                  

My new friends

Day Two:

I met Shamu at 6 o'clock the next morning to go to the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Though overcast, it was still beautiful and with very few people. The Taj Mahal was created as a mausoleum for Emperor Shah Jahan's second wife Mumtaz Mahal. While giving birth to their fourteenth child, she died. Legend has it that Shah Jahan's hair turned white overnight due to grief. 

Lonely Planet couldn't have said it better:

"Rabindranath Tagore described it as ' a tear drop on the cheek of eternity', Rudyard Kipling as 'the embodiement of all things pure', while its creator, Shah Jahan, said it made 'the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes."

And, it really is beautiful. It is probably one of the most beautiful architectual structures I have ever seen. Here is an excerpt of a journal entry that I wrote almost five years ago when I first saw the Taj Mahal:

"The Taj was so breathtakingly beautiful - I just sat in the courtyard of the mosque and stared at it for an hour. As it was overcast, it was peaceful despite all the people. I liked watching the women walking past in their colourful saris of lime yellow, sherbet pink and deep blues. Timeless."

Next stop, Agra Fort:

The Agra Fort was built by the Emperor Akbar in 1565. It resides on the Yamuna River and it is made of red sandstone and it is stunning. It has a Mirror Palace, a 'Gem Mosque', a Ladies' bazaar, a Hall of Private Audiences with a Peacock Throne and gardens. I remember from my visit five years ago that the fort is decorated with imagery from different religions as Emperor Akbar had an understanding and fascination of the different ways of worshipping god. However, the fort was first used for the military and later a palace. After the Taj Mahal was completed, Shah Jahan, was imprisioned in the Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb. When he died in 1666, he was buried next to Mumtaz in the Taj Mahal. 

Then, a quick spin around Agra with Shamu, past markets, horses pulling carts and cows, before being dropped off at the hotel to get ready for my journey to Mumbai the following day. 

Next stop: Bombay!

Train from Delhi to Agra:

I left the hotel at 4:45 in the morning to catch my 6 o'clock train to Agra. Karol Bagh was dark and quite when I left. I could see men snoozing in their cycle rickshaws with their feet sticking out as the taxi driver played classic Bollywood on the radio which would occasionally cut to haunting, devotional mantras.

When I arrived at the station I had THREE people tell me that my train was cancelled. The first person led me to security (which I had gone through the day before). There, a man told me that my train had been cancelled and that I needed to take the 7:45 train which would arrive in Agra two hours later. He then led me to the International Tourist Bureau. "But, it's closed!", I said as I had read the hours in my Lonely Planet the day before. He said that someone was there to give me all the details and he took me to the first floor office (which I had been to the day before as well). There a man emerged and said that because the train was cancelled, I needed to catch a government taxi to Nizamuddin station 15 km away in order to make my train and that I needed to leave right then and there. I realized that every time I stopped to look at the board with all of the departure times, they kept me moving with all my luggage. So, I stopped and said, "but it says there that the train is not cancelled." I was told that the board was wrong and was led to a taxi, which looked nothing like the taxi that I had taken to the train station in the first place. Bells started going off and I said, "I need to stop and think about this..." in which the man said, "no time, you need to leave now, you'll miss your train, no trains later." I answered with, "All the same and for my own peace of mind, I would like to make a call and stop and think about this." The man argued with me some more and then walked off in a huff, saying that he was just trying to help. In truth, I felt a bit badly but I went to find some other travelers and asked if they were going to Agra and if the train was cancelled. They told me it was ON TIME... What was that I said about having your wits about you at all times? 6 am and I was on the train (with my name printed on the passenger list on the outside) and off to Agra. 

The train ride to Agra was gorgeous, and for the first time, I really felt like I was in India. As the sun turned from pink to peach, we passed green fields with morning mist and small villages with different coloured buildings in aqua, lavender and blue. Here and there, I could see water buffalo, ponds, pussy willow, thatched round huts and eucalyptus trees. As men in bright shirts worked in the fields, the children made their way to school...

Breakfast was served on the train. To start, we had a 'Meals on Wheels Tea Kit' and Parle-G biscuits, cornflakes with hot milk, followed by toast with jam and butter and curry with poorie. Though still a bit angry about the whole train station debacle, there is nothing like a cup of tea and looking out the window of a train to be cheered right up!

Next stop: Agra!

Last few days in Delhi:

Dinner in Connaught Place: 

From my table by the window, I had a prime view of a Saturday Night in Delhi. 

Families were out shopping and/or eating icecream. Ladies were wearing their saris or salwar kameez, men were wearing their kurtas and youngsters were in jeans and t-shirts. Men stood selling sweet potatoes, grains with fresh vegetables and sweet lime water with incense to keep the flies away.  There was an older man selling some squeaking ducks, however, it looked like he might fall asleep at any moment. Other people were selling balloons and roasted chestnuts. A young boy walked by, about eleven years old, with hunched shoulders and ribs and bones showing and stray dogs slept right smack in the middle where everyone was walking. Every once in a while I would see another westerner here and there: a rare sight!

Monday:

The Salaam Baalak Trust organizes city walks of Old Delhi led by street children.  I was interested in knowing more so I signed up. The tour had about ten people and Tariq was our guide. He told us that he had run away from Nepal with $3000 rupees (about $60) when he was nine and arrived in Delhi thinking he was the richest person in the world. He sold watches and took care of recycling for food and a place to stay. Eventually, he joined the trust, which offered room and board, studies, a counselor and a doctor. He is now applying for a scholarship to study in the United States. He told us not to give street children money as they spend it on cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, and very occasionally, clothes or a Bollywood film. Money encourages them not to go to school and Tariq says that they can always find food as the temples offer free food for anyone in need. 

Tariq took us through Old Delhi so we could see the safe shelters for the children. Along the way, he pointed out plaques that had been placed waist level on a wall. Images of Krishna and Jesus Christ help prevent people from using the wall as a toilet!

At the shelters we had an opportunity to meet some of the children. The boys stay in Old Delhi and the girls stay outside the city, where they are safe from people who may try to sell them into prostitution. One boy stood up and sang Jingle Bells for us!

Learn to live, then live to learn...

During the tour, I met Isabel, from Portugal though she spoke English with a Scottish accent. She and I decided to explore Old Delhi together. First stop: buy train train tickets at the New Delhi Train Station. We made our way upstairs to the International Tourist Bureau (careful not to fall for the old "It's closed, across the way, moved, ect"). After filling out a paper with our names, nationality, and where we wanted to go, we joined the queue. However, we were almost to the ticket counter when everyone in the office decided to go for lunch! All at once! Thirty minutes later we were at the counter and I bought my tickets for Delhi to Agra and then Agra to Mumbai from a very unhelpful man. But, in only an hour or so, tickets were taken care of and purchased! 

Isabel and I joined up with a girl from Israel named Shelly. We took the metro to Chandni Chowk and walked to the Red Fort and then to the Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque). In order to go to the top of the minaret, we needed to be accompanied by a male, so Isabel went off to search for another traveler. Once we were all introduced to one another, we were separated as the pryers were starting.  Our companion was ushered one way and the rest of us another. As we lost our first escort,  Isabel tracked down three more. But, the same thing happened again! We were separated from the three young men who would accompany us to the top!

Finally, with our male companions, we made it to the top of the minaret which had some fantastic views over the mosque, Red Fort and Old Delhi. 

Tuesday, Last Day in Delhi:

It was a day when everything worked out and everyone was helpful. Unusual and special! I had three tasks for the day:

1. Though my laptop was up and running, I was still missing some applications, so back to Future World it was! The same young chap who had helped me out before installed the needed applications without charge. He told me that the reason that it took so long to fix my 2008 laptop was because it was 'vintage' and they needed to send out to Bangalore for a part!

2. My mother had asked me to search for a colleague of hers when she was leading tours to India in the '70s. She gave me the information of the travel agency that her friend had worked at then so I decided to investigate. Though more than thirty years later, it turned out that someone knew her friend at the travel agency and was able to tell me all about Mr. Biswass. Apparently he is now living in New York City so I will have to pay him a visit when I am next in Manhattan!

3. Every year in Tucson, Arizona, there is a gem and mineral show. It is the biggest gem show in the world and people come from all over, not just to sell gems and minerals, but things from India, Tibet, you name it... And, every year I make sure to stop by the shop of a family from India. They told me that next I am in India, I must stop by their shop and say hello. Business card in hand, I ran through Connaught Place, looking for their shop when I heard shouting behind me.    Sumesh was yelling and waving with a big smile. He had seen me run by and recognized me! He lives in a beautiful colonial home on the second floor of Connaught Place (with is surprisingly quiet and peaceful) and he invited me to have some chai with him and his wife. It was good to see them! They told me how much they love Tucson and Mexican food and look forward to it every year. We chatted over biscuits and chai and they invited me to dinner and to stay with them when I am next in Delhi!

Back to Karol Bagh to meet Isabel. It was so much fun to get to know her and I liked what her friend said when she told him of her new travel companions: "that we were all looking for each other." We decided to go to the Akshardham Temple and then to meet her other friend for the sound and light show at the Red Fort. 

The Akshardham Temple, which was finished in 2005, is absolutely sunning.  It is a temple dedicated to Swarminarayan. Inside the temple there is an aqua statue of Swarminarayan surrounded by statues of elephants and peacocks in pinks, violets, and baby blues. Everything is gilded and illuminated  by an ornate chandelier. The ceilings are incredible as they are carved with so much detail that it is completely indescribable. Statues of Radha and Krishna, Rama and Sita, Lakshmi and Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati and Ganesh stand in couples (or as a family) in the corners. Outside, 148 elephants boarder the temple with stories. One plaque read that, "Elephants, happy vegetarians, eat ferns, long grass and leaves."

Cycle rickshaw to Akshardham Temple with Isabel

As we were running a bit late to the Sound and Light Show, Isabel, her friend Hannah from Germany (studying architecture in Delhi for six months) and I went in search for some snacks. We found a little shop, busy as anything, selling snacks and sweets. We bought vegetable cutlets, samosas with chutney, and gulab jamun and made our way to the Red Fort. 

The Sound and Light show was a bit hard to follow if you didn't already know a bit of the history, but it was gorgeous being in the Red Fort at night, under the stars with a picnic....that and warm gulab jamun (fried balls of dough in a sweet and sticky rose syrup) was bliss. 

Just a quick catch up on what I had been doing in Delhi:

One day:

It looked a bit stormy as I left Karol Bargh but when I emerged from Rajiv Chowk, it was pouring! And, my plan was to go and visit Hamayun's Tomb. After much consideration, I decided to go ahead with my plans, monsoon or not.

View from out the back plastic window of the auto rickshaw

Hamayun's Tomb was commissioned by one of Hamayun's wives in the 16th century. As she was Persian, the tomb is a mixture of Persian and local architecture (red sandstone and marble). It is surrounded by gardens with water ways, long grass, big trees and some wild flowers here and there. It was breezy, overcast and quiet.  A plaque noted that, " In Farsi, the term for 'walled garden' is 'pairi daeza.' In English, the word became 'paradise'  (heaven)."

Another day:

The Purana Qila is a fortress built by Sher Shah (1500s). Within the fort are gardens, ruins of mosques and a library (where Hamayun slipped down the stairs and later died). The gardens were filled with families pick-nicking and couples snuggling. Until recently, I had never seen so much as a hand hold between a man and woman in India. Men holding hands, of course, I often see. But, this must be one of the places where the young couples are able to go to be alone. On my way out, I stumbled across a temple and paid my respects to Ganesh before heading to Safdarjang's Tomb. 

Safdarjang's Tomb is an 18th century, Mughal tomb with overgrown gardens. It is peaceful and very beautiful. 

I then walked down lush and quiet boulevards, past impressive houses hidden behind barbed wire and men with machine guns, to the Indira Gandhi Smriti. This part of Delhi I love as it is beautiful, spacious and green.

The memorial to Indira Gandhi is a preservation of her home when she was prime minister. What I remember from the last time was the information about her meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, caring for sick tiger cubs and the sari that she wore when she was assassinated in 1984. My favorite quote of hers is: "The world is my university." 

This time, there were more rooms to view, such as her bedroom, living room and dining room. They even had her puja room to see which was filled with objects of devotion from many different religions. On her altar a statue of the Virgin Mary and an image of Jesus Christ had been placed next to a Buddha. Outside, a crystal walkway marks her last steps before she was shot.

From there I walked to Rajpath to take some photos of Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's House) and India Gate (which I affectionately refer as the Arc de Triomphe of Delhi).

While I  gather everything for the next post,  I would like to do a quick hotel review. 

I decided to stay in the same hotel that I stayed in the last time I was in Delhi: Hotel Good Palace. I usually prefer to be right in the center of the city, but in Delhi, I have always stayed in Karol Bagh and it has become a bit of a home base for me.

Karol Bagh is three stops away on the metro from Rajiv Chowk/ Connaught Place (The Etoile of Delhi). In other words, it is eight minutes away from the hustle and bustle, and the hotel is, at most, a five minute walk to the metro.

Hotel Good Palace is comfortable and clean. It has AC, Wifi, hot water and breakfast is included. Delhi can be expensive but if you book through Agoda.com, the price may drop as much as 60%! The staff is also very friendly and helpful. And, as Karol Bagh is known for shopping, there are always people out and about so I felt quite safe walking around at night.

Fancy checking it out for yourself?

Hotel Good Palace

15A/63 W.E.A. Ajmal Khan Road

(Kitty-corner from Roopak Spice Shop)

Karol Bagh, New Delhi 110005

Tel: 41450931

www.hotelgoodpalaceindia.com

And, you may even have a litter of puppies around the corner!

Please excuse the small hiatus. I had been having a spot of trouble with my laptop for last few days and it has been a learning experience.

I hadn't realized how attached I had become to my laptop until it has crashed last week. And, unable to live without it even for a day, I decided to get it fixed asap. Feeling a bit feverish due to a lingering cold, I found myself being led down a lonely alley to a 'Mac Showroom' while thinking, this must be how things are done in India...

After exorbitant prices ensued, finding out that my laptop was NOT in the shop the following day, and thus, feeling sick to my stomach with worry... I decided to go to the camera shop down the road and ask the men there who had been very helpful. I was determined to fix this mess.

There is a great camera shop in Connaught Place which processes 120 film. Though it is a bit spotty if they actually have 120 in to purchase, they do have a great collection of old cameras and parts along with Canon Powershots, CF cards ... you name it. Need 120 processed in Delhi? Questions about 8x10s? Ask Pavan at:

Mahatta & Co (since 1915)

59 M Block

Connaught Place

New Delhi, India

mahattaimaging.com

Tel: 4151 7220

There, they were able to find an Apple approved shop for me and only a block away. An hour and a half later, my laptop appeared (BIG sigh of relief), and I promptly took it to:

Future World 

N-9 Outer Circle
Connaught Place

New Delhi, India

Tel: 2335 8555

It was like walking into an Apple Store in the US and the guys there were kind and helpful. Manish, the young chap who had been working on my laptop for the last three days, told me today that it had been fixed. Giving him a big smile, I told him that if we weren't in India, I could have hugged him. Goodness! I think I made him blush! 

What I have learned in the past and need to remember about India is this: not to venture out when not feeling well (or emotional) as things tend to go wrong. You need to have your wits about you at all times!

Laptop up and running now but I wonder if both my laptop and I needed to reboot...

More soon!

The Delhi Metro is one of the easiest metros I have ever been on.

It is easy to change lines and trains come every one to two minutes. And, it is very clean! Just a bit dusty so watch your step on the stairs. Karol Barg to Rajiv Chowk/Connaught Place (think, 42nd Street or King's Cross) costs 10 rupees which is about 20 US cents. You need to go through security before getting on the train and it can as crowded as sardines once in the carriages. However, if you are female, you are in luck! There are train carriages only for women and men are fined heavily if caught hitching a ride. I couldn't figure out why it was so empty until I stumbled upon one.

Connaught Place:

I was about to scream if one more young man came up to me with, "I promise I am not trying to sell you something" and "I just want to talk." One whippersnapper even had the nerve to ask me whether I was angry or scared when I politely declined. That and being escorted everywhere was driving me mad. I may have to ask for directions (and mind you, 90% of the time I haven't asked) but I am perfectly capable getting there on my own, thank you very much! So, when I found myself in front of the Imperial Hotel, I thought it prime time to go in and get a cold drink.

The Imperial Hotel is where my mother used to stay when she led tours around the world from Mexico. It is a Raj-era hotel with marble floors, gilded mirrors and dark, wood paneling in the bars. It even has a patisserie and afternoon tea is served from three o'clock. As I sipped my freshly brewed iced tea, it was fun to picture my mother, younger than me at the time, walking around the same hotel during the 70s. During one trip, she even had the opportunity to meet Indira Gandhi (the first female prime minister of India).  Indira Gandhi was a bit of a hero of mine during my first trip to India. During my second trip, I came to understand how controversial she was. My mother describes her as being small, charismatic and powerful.