Incredible India
India had, quite honestly, never been on my wish list to visit, but when the opportunity arose to visit a very special friend, and take in the sights, sounds, and flavours of a brand new destination, I decided to follow my own rule - never veto a place until you have set foot in it - and booked my tickets. Now, there is a saying "you can go everywhere, and then you can go to India" and I was about to find out.
My arrival into Mumbai was quite simply, chaotic. Trucks, buses, mopeds and auto taxis coming from every direction; pedestrians jumping over concrete meridians and weaving through the traffic; cows coming towards me in oncoming traffic, traffic lights changing from green to orange to red - like disco lights - because no one was even looking at them. Bicycles towing cages full of chickens, stopping without warning in the middle of the road to unload. Food stalls, shrines and sombre dwellings embellishing every inch of pavement, horns blaring and beeping constantly. On that short drive I learnt two things...I was going to leave a lot of fingernail indentations in public transport and I was going to need my sense of humour. Let the games begin.
Mumbai is home to over 22 million people. It is constantly in motion and alive with noise. The only way to deal with it is to take a deep breath and dive straight in. Our initiation into the city was an excitable autotaxi ride to the suburb of Santa Cruz where we shopped for sarees amidst the laneways of fruit, vegetables, meat and clothing. It is where the locals shop, no fancy western shopping centres, so put your bargaining hat on and learn to say NO. In Santa Cruz West, the more affluent and Bollywood- star preferred place of residence, you can get your fix of western brands.
The next day, we took a local ferry to Elephanta Island; home to a series of beautiful Hindu caves. There is nowhere (that I found anyway) quiet in Mumbai, so even here it was cheek to cheek with locals, visitors and holy cows alike. It is not the prettiest arrival to a World Heritage Site, with low tide revealing beaches and bays littered with rubbish and I have to admit the 120 stairs you have to climb to reach the caves, lined with hawkers trying to sell you anything, was just a tad overpowering. But the caves themselves are beautifully preserved and quite inspiring when you consider how they were created so many centuries ago.
A city tour the next day, with our own private driver and guide was the best way to get to grips with the gems of Mumbai. South Mumbai is home to iconic sites such as the Gateway to India, the Taj hotel, Marine Drive and the famous Chowpatty beach. Bombay University and the old Victoria Train Terminus are some of the most architecturally beautiful buildings in the city. But the highlights for me were the Dhobi Ghat - a huge open air industrial laundry, where freshly laundered crisp white shirts and hospital greens dried gently in the breeze, right next to a passing rail line - and the Mahatma Gandhi Museum. Humbling in itself.
After leaving Mumbai, I embarked on a whirlwind tour of the Golden Triangle in India's North, visiting Jaipur, Agra and Delhi.
We started off in the picturesque "pink" city of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Already calmer, greener and with a lot more open space and a beautiful lakefront, I loved it immediately. The magnificent Amber Fort (or Amer fort) was constructed in the late 16th century as a defence fort and royal residence by Raja Man Singh and is one of the major tourist attractions in the area. With four beautiful courtyards, each serving their own specific purpose in times of war and peace, it instils a great sense of Mughal history, culture and architecture. The inside of the palace is filled with beautiful mirrored mosaic walls and ceilings, intricate inlay and magnificent marble. Visitors in vivid coloured sarees meandered through with us and the contrasting bright colours made for a photographer's paradise.
It was a festival day when we visited the fort, so the traditional elephant rides were not operating. After much discussion with our guide, the excited children and, yes ok adults too, were informed we could ride the elephants through the streets of Amer village. Not the touristy thing I usually go in for - I tend to like my animals in the wild - I was happy I did. These great lumbering beasts make for quite a comfortable, slow ride with the provided seat padding, and the local children loved seeing us parading through their streets. With waves, cheers, great big smiles and yells of "you take photo". For a few rupees of course.
Our day continued with a stop at a textile and jewellers market, the City Palace, Palace of the Winds and Jantar Mantar, a huge open air observatory. It was a tiring but fun filled day, sharing pavements and roadsides with festival ponies, camels, hawkers and snake charmers. I loved my brief time in Jaipur and it was a fitting end to a whirlwind day, watching the sun set over the Palace in the Lake, only minutes away from our hotel.
The 160km from Jaipur to Agra is a highway like no other! Camels, sheep, pedestrians, motorised contraptions held together with wire and a bit of paint make it slow going. We arrived in the late afternoon for a quick freshen up and we were off to the magnificent Taj Mahal. Be prepared to wade through the hawkers, practise your firm NO's and wait in line for body scans and thorough bag checks. But once you enter the first portico and you see that perfectly framed image of this majestic monument, it is worth every waiting minute. We were there for sunset, each photograph capturing the marble in a different light; each angle giving you a new perspective. It is simply breathtaking. A true and amazing monument of love.
After the 11 of us descended upon the joyous find of Pizza Hut (oh yes, I will openly admit, it was needed by then!), a restful sleep ensued and we were ready for the next haul to Delhi.
New Delhi still echoes its colonial past; with wide tree lined streets, and beautiful parks and fountains at its heart. But our tour started in the more humble surroundings of Old Delhi at the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. Impressive as the building is, it didn't seem to warrant a lengthy stay and we disrobed our compulsory coverings rather quickly in the heat and headed off for our rickshaw ride through the market streets of Chandni Chowk. These tiny narrow laneways are congested with people, food hawkers, monkeys, rickshaw riders and long narrow shops extending back into a myriad of even smaller pathways. The electric cabling above us appeared to be an unbelievable series of random knots and the constant noise and wafting smells filled your senses. Although a main tourist destination, it is a thriving day-to-day place of business for locals and an insight I thoroughly enjoyed.
The day continued with visits to Humayun's tomb, the Red Fort and the Qutb Minar. Known as the "Might of Islam", I found this sanctuary of relics and fortresses incredibly interesting and a feat of engineering for their time.
By the end of the afternoon, I had only a few hours to freshen up, pack and depart for my overnight flight from Delhi. Sitting in the departure lounge, with the best iced coffee I had had in weeks, I was a mixture of emotions. Inspired, humbled, seriously tired, sad and relieved. This is what India does to you. She rips you out of your comfort zone, rattles you around a bit, amazes you and shocks you. Then plops you down and asks when you will be back. Give me time I reply, give me time.