But never did we imagine that 24 hours later, we would be having the culture shock of our lives. Imagine you were stinkin' filthy rich one second and in the next, you are surrounded by stink and filth.
Little that we know that the large and spacious hotel rooms we had in Dubai were going to be a distant memory. Or the huge monster-SUV that ferried us to the airport in Dubai would (ala Cinderella when the clock strikes midnight) transform into a tiny half-dying 'tuk-tuk'.
Yes, India was indeed incredible. And I am not going to mince my words when I say that Delhi is a shithole... with a couple of gems...
Yes sure, Paharganj (an area in New Delhi) might be a backpackers paradise (in alot of guide books), but we ain't backpackers... we are wussy Singaporean brats... And the word 'paradise' should never ever be used this loosely.
Our seriously humble 'motel' room, which had a huge-a** padlock and zero windows...:
The streets of Paharganj is literally a shithole. There are human and animal faeces... so watch your step, please.
I, to be honest with you, was gagging half the time...
We kinda got lost after a few turns as we headed to New Delhi train station. Men, not little boys, but full-grown men, were peeing everywhere - on walls, on curbs, at the junction, beside a building, in a lane - anywhere and everywhere. We were crossing a busy junction when one of the 'gallant' citizens stepped out of a 'tuk-tuk' and peed against this blue mosaic wall which suspiciously resembled urinals with some partitions but without doors... Oh man, the stench of that outdoor urinal...
Aside from the usual train system that runs across Delhi and the rest of India, there is also the subway system in Delhi called the Metro. Its extremely efficient and yes, according to Jay Shah (whose father was involved in Delhi's Metro as well), it was modelled after Singapore's SMRT.
So we took a subway ride from New Delhi station to Old Delhi station (both of which are in the district of Delhi called New Delhi... confused? So were we, but more on that story later).
We got lost the moment we stepped out of the subway station. We were trying to search for the Red Fort complex. And seeing our lost 'touristy' faces, there were many taxi and trishaw touts pouncing on us... After giving up trying to search for it ourselves, we got a guy and his trishaw to ferry ALL four of us to the fort... inexpensively of course... or maybe we thought it was inexpensive. Zhongx and I sat at the back of the trishaw, yes, the back!
Chandni Chowk - one of the oldest and busiest markets in Delhi:
Finally the Red Fort: 
Tourists would be charged differently for the entrance fee. VERY different... You just have to get used to that if you are not a local in India.
The Lahore Gate:
Past the entrance, Chatta Chowk, where there are sourvenir shops:
Another gate to the complex - Naubat Khana - which also houses the 'museum'.
The Diwan-i-Am:
Love the 'Moorish' arches:
The internal compound of the Red Fort with the Rang Mahal, Rumtaz Mahal and Khas Mahal. See here for map.
The peripheral landscapes are adorned with gardens and 'floating' pavillions.
We had brunch at a restaurant in the Fort. Waiting time took forever but the food was okay.
Having seen enough of the Red Fort, it was time to get out.
No comments:
Post a Comment