This post is based on my trip to Delhi and
a series of experiences that I got. I can guarantee you it’s a very long
post but it is worth a read if you want to pass some time. Happy reading! :)
In the month of May, I visited Delhi with
my mom and brother. Apparently dad was a bit busy and missed out the trip. It
was a combination of Interview for my college admission and a Family trip. I
never thought of visiting "The Delhi" with my family. It all happened
when the venue mentioned was Delhi to my Group discussion and personal
interview for a master degree. At first I was not that much into it. But my
family are such people who will think (preach) education is sacred than
anything. In a way it might be true but not always. So, they agreed to make me attend
it even though the location is 2000+ Kilometers away from where I
reside. So, I guess that makes my people an extraordinary family.
The first challenge was the ticket booking
for the transport. Usually my dad takes care of all the planning for a trip but
this time it was my turn/responsibility/burden. I compared airline and railway
costs and came to the conclusion that railway tickets are way cheaper. Except
there is a hell one must go through in order to book a railway ticket online
that too for the first time. First the registration, then long wait for the
account registered message, then browsing for the train going to Delhi info,
then the availability of that specific train syncing with our journey dates,
then the booking, then we hope the server doesn’t go 404 error, finally the
booking successful email. After all this, same process in repeat for booking a
train for the return journey but the trains with A/C were all booked and
eventually I opted for a non-A/C train.
After successfully booked, here comes the
family drama. My parents were debating that travelling in a piece of metal
(train) for more than 24 hours in this horrible heat can be lethal. So, again I
had to go through the agony of cancelling the return train ticket and book a
flight as per their suggestion. Luckily booking a flight was quite easier and
less complicated. TA-DA! The next challenge was to what to pack. As the flight
ticket suggested only 15 kg baggage is allowed we were extra cautious about our
luggage. Due to recent Chennai floods our weight machine got ruined. So, we had
to pack as less as possible was the only solution. When I was rechecking for
all the things required. I found my mom kept the print out for the cancelled
train instead of the booked one. Thank god I checked.
Day 1 (15/07/2016): The journey begins
The train departure was at 6:10 AM. We woke up by 3 and got prepped within 3:30.
I could see stars in the dark sky. The
streets were filled with silence and illuminated by yellow street lights. My
dad called his auto pal and dropped us at central railway station. The station
was filled with people sleeping on the floor and some people anxiously waiting
to know the status of the train they will be boarded. We drank milk to fulfil
our empty stomachs. Then, we waited for the Rajdhani express to arrive. The
train started moving and we said our good bye to our dad who is giving a pity
face that he couldn’t come along with us. Well sometimes life tests us to make
hard decisions and we have to sort out which priorities are more important.
The early morning sun emerged in the sky.
We spoke with the people seated beside us. They were a Mother and son who will
be taking another train to Punjab after reaching Delhi. They were tired and
started sleeping. Meanwhile I was watching landscapes moving past the glass
window. Then I read a Magazine offered by the IRCTC named “Rail Bandhu”. Then
we were super hungry as the only thing we consumed was 50ml milk we drank at
the station. So, when the hospitality people were carrying food stuff and
moving both ways without offering us any food it made us even hungrier. After a
long wait it was our turn to receive the goodies to tummy. In the name of
morning tea, they offered sachets of milk powder, tea bags/ coffee powder, biscuits,
cups and flasks containing hot water. We prepped our own drink and had it along
with biscuits. It was just a temporary fix for our hunger.
Then, glimpse of the outer world through
the window. After a while, hunger pangs arrived again with a special new
addition – The tummy roar. In my home we aren’t that punctual about eating food
at right time. But when it comes to train journey somehow the stomach acts as
an alarm to splurge over food as if I won’t get to eat next time. When this was
going on, the smell of the breakfast made my agony worse. We lost hope because
by the time they serve breakfast our own stomach can lead us to our own deaths.
So, mom opened a pack of fruit bread and gave us to eat. Just that time those
fellows came with our breakfast. As predicted the breakfast was served as late
as possible.
We got an aluminium foil bowl containing
Kesari and Upma. Then, paper pouch containing two slices of white bread
accompanied by tomato ketchup and butter. My brother chose Non- veg option and
he got omelette with peas instead of Kesari and Upma. We ate it like we have
been invited to some kind of food fiesta. That’s how hungry we were. Satisfied
the hunger but now suffered out of boredom. Unfortunately, there are only two
radio stations going on and nothing much to enjoy after a while. Whenever I get
bored my mom gets reminded of all the worries in the world and starts
discussing about it. So, that happened and I wished the journey ended soon.
After a long tiring day, Lunch arrives. By
the time my mom finished her thoughts and got tired I lost my appetite. I
wanted to click the pictures of the food served but too afraid of the
disapproving looks from other people. Thus forgot what I even ate at lunch. I
remember getting a super salty kofta curry with rice and roti for dinner. It
was so salty felt like getting yellow coloured sea water as side dish. What so
ever I had lunch and a dinner and a boring journey which lasted too long.
Day 2 (16/07/2016): End of the Train
journey
So, we crossed most of the India during
night I guess. By morning we were nearby to Agra. We were excited to see
various landscapes filled with sand dunes, grasslands, farmlands, villages,
etc. We were prepping up ourselves to our arrival at Delhi. The same monotonous
routine tea followed by breakfast happened. Those people who served bland food
and with so much delay in schedule begged for tips before the train was
reaching Delhi. I felt so bad that after paying so much amount for our tickets
which includes fee for food. These people shamelessly ask for money. As if we
are billionaires and running some sort of orphanage they expect us (consumers)
to pay them cash without our willingness. This type of attitude towards looting
the customers instead of serving them properly has to be changed. Workers need
to feel grateful for having a job than feeling greedy to find ways to earn
(loot) extra cash. This spoiled the day. I hope these kinds of little (or a
huge) issues get abolished in order to bring back the trust in humanity.
Anyways, we finally reached Delhi! The
heat is even worse than Chennai summer. At least in Chennai sweat comes here
the heat waves are so different it was as if we were micro waved. The next
challenge was to find a transport that can leave us at our designated hotel we
booked. The whole train journey drained the energy in us we just followed the
first auto guy who offered us a ride. I demanded him to put meter and he obeyed
my words and asked me to pay ₹300 even before starting the auto. I was
confused, and then understood he was never going to put the meter and we were
exhausted but I know the value of money so I tried bargaining and made the
offer to ₹250. The hotel I booked was nearby to ISKON temple.
The nightmare was when we crossed the
ISKON temple but couldn’t find the hotel so far. Even the Auto guy never heard
of the hotel’s name. A sudden panic sets in me. My mind played set of questions
like “What if there is no such hotel? Did I book properly? What if it is some
kind of scam? And so on” I did browse their website and testimonials yet too
many doubts. When we spotted the hotel’s billboard I felt good. I assured
myself that I am not retarded. We all entered the lobby and checked in. The
great struggle was my family aren’t that familiar with Hindi and these hotel
people have no idea what we are talking in English. So, first the lobbyist
showed us the room and we kept our luggage but requested us to fill some forms.
The room was in 1st floor. I went down and filled the details about
us and they asked me to show our Identity proof.
I went upstairs and brought our Aadhar
card. The guy took it and photocopied it. Now he asked me to pay full amount
before checking out. I wasn’t feeling good about paying full amount without
finishing our stay so I negotiated with him to pay half the amount and pay the
other half when we are checking out. He was okay with it and I had to climb the
stairs again towards the room for the money and go down to the lobby to pay the
negotiated amount. I informed him to arrange for 2 day tour to visit Delhi and Agra.
He gave a very doubtful expression and told us he will arrange and tell to us
by lunch. By the time I came up to the room. I got tired. Now, the next
essential thing according to me and my brother was the Wi-Fi. I sent my brother
to ask them the password for connecting to Wi-Fi. He came up and when I typed
the device showed authentication error. Then we typed without caps on. It got
connected. Damn why don’t they instruct properly.
Then according to the plan we should have
started shopping but the body wasn’t cooperating. We were too exhausted. So,
shopping plan postponed and ordered for lunch. It was dhal and roti. I am not a
big fan of chapattis but the roti and dhal made were delicious. I don’t know
maybe it was because we were not served on time during the train travel or
because of the local ingredients used or just because we were hungry. It was
delicious and fulfilling. Then we
realised we haven’t heard from the receptionist about our tour details. When I enquired
they were like the tour operator has switched off his phone. I realised why the
day is getting so useless.
I went online and booked for tour after my
mom’s suggestion. That website is even trickier than the train booking website.
It shows I am not a registered user. So, I register myself and there comes
power cut. Spoof! Gone! All the efforts are gone. So, I call the toll-free
number shown in the website of the tour operator. That lady has a mixture of
sweet and annoyed tone. She asked me which tour to book and how many people are
coming and asked me to mail me the other details. I was explaining her because
of the power cut I can’t mail her but she was like then I can’t process your
tour booking. Then I said okay fine I will mail the details as soon as I get
the power back. My head was pounding like anything. I was frustrated. Having an
interview next day and tour not yet booked which can make this trip waste of
time and money. Or we could enjoy four more days of Delhi inside the hotel room
itself.
The power comes back. I mailed my details
and waited for the tour booked confirmation but no confirmation came from them.
So, this time I tried my best with the damn registration again. My brother did
the rest. Then I need to get a confirmation code by message but we later
realised the phone tower was not visible. Why my patience is tested so much? So,
my brother does the booking again from the start and I was standing on the bed
stretched my hand as high as possible with the phone to catch the signal. I
move around and waited for the message. *TING* Message received. Oh my god.
Finally we booked the one day tour for Agra and Mathura, then another one day
Delhi tour.
My mother and I thought of visiting the
ISKON temple without wasting the day. My brother was tired and not interested
so he stayed at the room. It was around 600 meter distance from the hotel room
to the temple. We walked and it felt like 1 kilometre. Sometimes Google maps
can be wrong (technically our body was having aversion to do any activity
except eating). We reached the temple. My mom was persistent about buying
flowers to offer the god. I didn't really wanted to buy it as I thought it is waste of money. Eventually I bargained and bought the jasmine garland.
We went inside the place it was totally different world. The architecture, the people, the idols, the pictures, and much more proves it. We have to remove oue slippers at a counter in return they gave us a token. And we washed our feet with tap water provided before entering the temple. We roamed inside the temple, garden, shop and finished the visit. On the way back to the hotel we had a chilled creamy lassi served in a terracotta tumbler. It tasted delicious. You will never get such creamy bliss in south Indian lassi but it has its own distinct speciality.
Later in the hotel room I was in heaven. Unlimited internet, TV channels, air-conitioning and two exciting trips ahead is something new and relaxing to experience. Somehow the day was over very soon. We ordered the same yellow dhal gravy and rotis for dinner just because we couldn't decide what to order and to avoid food poisoning. Also, the price was low. That's how the day ended.
Day 3 (17/07/2016): The interview day!
My brother stayed at the hotel room
itself. I and my mom took an auto to the venue we need to reach. One must never
show traits of being naive. The auto people deceive and ask for more money. I
learnt my mistake of not bargaining enough to the auto man at the Delhi station
itself and was not okay to get fooled and agree with their money demands. So I
asked multiple auto guys until one auto person genuinely agreed to accept the
wage shown in his meter. So, the venue was Indian Social Institute. As we were
in a hurry to reach we didn’t had our breakfast. So we were dead hungry and
reached the venue very soon. The place was surrounded by many mandhirs/
temples. Thankfully a roadside food stall was run by an old lady was near the
entrance of the venue. We had idlies with chutney. Breakfast satisfied by south
Indian delicacy.
The interview started and we were split
into batches. The tragedy is I was in the last batch. People were looking into
their Smartphones, some were talking to their new found acquaintances, some
were nervous, and I was sincerely observing the auditorium’s features. Then got
super bored of waiting for other batches to finish I started playing a game on
my phone. Then I asked a girl who looked a bit older than me about shopping
places in Delhi. Turns out she belongs to Delhi and works in Chennai. She told
some places and specified the shopping significance of each place in terms of
fashion, brands, quality, price and much more.
Meanwhile my turn for the group discussion
came and after that I met my mom at the waiting place. We ate a sandwich and
lassi for lunch. She met another aunty who gave her company and both of them
wanted to visit the religious places that are nearby. I was okay with it. Again
I waited for the other batches to finish their personal interview and spoke
with another girl from Chennai who was nervous and hysterical about this whole
personal interview concept. I tried to encourage her that it will be easy. She
was being grateful towards me for supporting her even though I am just a mere
acquaintance. My turn came and it turns out the personal interview part is a
bit less daunting than the group interview. Finally it got over and I was waiting
for my mom to return from her unexpected expedition. Suddenly the daughter of
the aunt who also went along with my mom was ordering me to call my mom to
return fast. I enquired why she couldn’t call her mom and she gave me an absurd
reason that both her and her mom’s phone is with her. I was confused. Why her
mom would give off her phone to her daughter and went out? I did call my mom
and told that that lady’s daughter needs her to come back right now. They
returned and we said our good bye.
We came back to the room and relaxed. I
suddenly thought there is no time for shopping as only two more day are left
which we will be touring the place. So we ate our lunch. We had Roti and dhal
again. We hoarded it in our mouths and moved out of the hotel for shopping. As
per the suggestions from the internet, Interview friend and mom newly found
friend it all narrowed down to one place - Sarojini Nagar. We asked for autos
but many said can’t go that far and finally one auto guy agreed. It was similar
to Pondy bazaar in Chennai. Discount shops, street vendors, Mini shops,
complexes, and many more depicting a shopping paradise.
We walked through the streets with the
mindset of buying clothes within our budget. A useful tool to get good clothes
at low price is bargaining which I was not well-versed with but I still tried
wherever I could. We were dehydrated by exploring the place and drank badam
milk at a stall. We roamed as much as we could but the evening was turning into
night and we were people who will be inside houses before 6:30 pm. Also my
brother was annoyed about us dragging him to a shopping place instead of let
him take rest at the hotel. I demanded another thirst quencher after seeing a
lemon soda seller.
My mom was totally against eating from
platform sellers but at that time for me drinking it made sense. So, I one for
me with the money I had. Later my brother tagged along and ordered one for him.
The seller took a lemon squeezer and squeezed the lemon to ooze out the lemon
juice into the glasses. Then he added bubbly soda liquid till the brim and
stirred gently and asked us whether to add masala into it or not. I wondered
what masala he would add. We said okay quickly because we were dying to drink
it. He took jaljeera powder and the drink was stirred to proper mix and to pop
out the excess bubbles. He finally gave and I drank it within one gulp. It was
quite refreshing. We took an auto back to hotel. The traffic is more during
nights compared to morning ones. We were reaching the place at snail pace.
After we reached, I took the clothes I bought and tried it to know how it fits
me. Then I folded and packed it into the luggage bags.
We ordered our dinner. Guess what? We
thought of ordering something different. I was not okay with the change but I
went along with the idea. We ordered chicken biryani. It tasted sweet. I had
eaten many spicy biryanis in my life but this one I regret eating it. It was a
combination of bland and sweetness. Never order non-native dish unless they are
specialised in it. Also go with the gut feeling. This point well noted. After
the horrible dinner we were excited for the trip next day.
Day 4 (18/07/2016): Agra fort + Taj Mahal
+ Mathura Krishna Temple (Trip 1)
After long haul of events finally proper
trip happened. As per the name suggests, those were the places that were shown
to us by the tour operator. We had to wake up and get ready early morning to
catch the bus as the commute from Agra to Delhi involves 5 hours based on their
website. The funny thing was even though we booked the tour the only proof was
a confirmation message. We had no idea whether we are guaranteed a tour or
simply the website was a hoax or something. I was hoping for good things to
happen.
We were contacted by the tour operator one
hour prior to our journey. I felt a rush of relief. So, we took an auto and
waited at the pickup point. We waited and waited for the bus for a long time. I
spotted a squirrel perched upon the wall behind us. The place was surrounded by
a hospital, hotel, and some random buildings. We got bored and hungry. It was
strangely good and scary waiting for something standing in the platform. Good
thing was the cool fresh breeze of the early morning. The scary thing was the
stares from random people as if we are waiting there to execute some kind of
evil plan. Or maybe it’s just how my brain interprets their doubtful
expressions.
The bus finally arrived. It was
air-conditioned and our seats were at the rear end of the bus. We relaxed as we
were the last people to be picked up and we were not sure about the breakfast
as it was not mentioned in the itinerary. We began munching on masala puffed
rice that my mom bought along with her. But the guide mentioned our first halt was
towards a food place for our breakfast. I was sort of relieved that we are
getting breakfast but was disappointed that food expenses were not included in
the tour. So, we came out of the bus and went inside the food place to eat our
breakfast.
We were deciding on what to order
considering our budget. Well I ordered a plate of Idly, Mom ordered roti and
dhal and brother ordered aloo paratha with curd. Apparently ordering south
Indian dishes in North India is absolutely bad decision. The Circumference of
the idly was not even the size of my pinky finger and the chutney was bland. I
took bites from what my mom and brother ordered they were absolutely delicious.
Mistake noted. Never order something that is not familiar with the place
especially food.
After finishing our breakfast we went into
the bus to reach Agra. Agra was having ancient look in terms of houses,
architecture, people, dressing, markets and so on. First we were shown the Agra
fort. The outer wall of the fort was looking like it was painted using crimson,
scarlet, burgundy and other shades of red. It had intricate designs carved into
it. We were shown the gardens, halls, fountains, history and other more
interesting things about the fort. The
heat was bit high. Thank god we had umbrellas.
Later we were taken to an arts and crafts
emporium. We were shown how marbles were carved and the precious stones were
inserted into it. We were then taken to another room for the sales of marble
goods. There were statues, photo frames, mini Taj Mahals and many more fancy
display items made using marble for sale. We were shown how to detect difference
between fake and original marble. For some reason my mom was interested to buy
a marble photo frame. I was insisting her not to purchase any heavy and useless
goods for which we have to pay extra for our baggage at the airport for our
return flight. But she was a bit dejected that she can’t purchase it. We were
taken to next room consisting of textiles of all kinds. There were shawls,
sarees, kurtas, and many more.
I was interested to buy kurtas as it will
be useful for my daily wear at college. They had kurtas with chickani embroidery
work in various colours. I chose a fluorescent green and maroon kurtas. It
costs me more than my mom’s wish to buy the marble photo frame. She gave me an
extremely sad look. I felt guilty even though I purchased something meaningful.
I took her back to the marble section and bought a photo frame of palm size
inscribed with semiprecious gems. She was happy instantly. They showed us other
room filled with leather goods and we were not intending to buy anymore but
enquired whether my brother wants anything. He just wanted the trip to get over
and take rest. I wish life was as simple as my brother’s mind.
Then, we were taken to a south Indian restaurant
for our lunch in Agra. We first went into buffet hall but were not okay with
the foods presented. So we went upstairs for ordering food separately. My mom
ordered Idly, brother ordered something but I forgot and I ordered an oothapam.
My mom and brother got their food first but I didn’t get mine soon. So, I
nibbled small chunks of food from their plates. I got a black charred semblance
irregularly round oothapam with some powder dusted over it. I like my food to
look appetising and charred black is not helping my appetite. When I took a
bite of the oothapam I was amazed by its deliciousness. I ate till my heart’s
content. New thought: Don’t judge a South Indian delicacy just by its colour.
We were travelling again in the bus
towards the most popular destination in India - The Taj Mahal. The vehicles
were halted far away at a walking distance from Taj Mahal due to pollution reasons
and its effects towards the marble I guess. We had choices to reach the
entrance by walk or by electric taxis or by carts pulled by horses and camels. But
our tour guide insisted everyone to take an electric taxi and we followed his
orders. We got our tickets from the tour guide for which he collected extra
money in the bus itself. We were asked to purchase strange pair of cotton shoe
covers. I was hesitant at first but everyone was purchasing and it felt odd not
to get them. So I asked for set of three and purchased in a hurry. Forget peer
pressure, nowadays purchases inducing pressures are increasing.
The place was wide with luscious green
gardens, red walls, and bright sunlight but not to forget the great Taj Mahal. I
actually didn’t anticipated anything from the place but it sort of felt like a
huge marble graveyard built nearby a river. I know it is one of the Seven
Wonders of the World and a famous monument of India. We took pictures and
walked towards the main building. The time to unwrap the strange cotton shoe
covers begins. That thing was similar to a headgear used by the cooking people
in kitchens. It has an elastic band and an opening through which we have to
insert our feet along with the shoes/sandals we were wearing. I cynical of its
usage but the heat that gets radiated from the marble flooring of Taj made us
to be grateful that we bought those strange cotton covers instead of walking
barefoot in this scorching summer.
We went inside the Taj Mahal and walked
around the two tomb stones and exited. We walked and got tired. There was a
small museum nearby which consisted of paintings and some interesting things
related to the place. And there was a banner stating that day was International
Museum day. What a coincidence to visit the museum of an epic place on the
International Museum day. We came back to the bus in which we were told the
guide will be replaced by another person. We were taken to our last destination
of the trip. We reached Mathura. Mathura
is a place famous for the Krishna temple. We spotted peacocks nearby the roads.
We were dropped nearby to the temple and we walked towards it.
After walking the Agra fort and Taj Mahal
our feet got too tired to walk anymore. But we walked for the fact that this is
the last destination. To our surprise it was not a temple but a place surrounded
by many temples and small shops. We
drank lassi to regain energy. We forgot to follow the tour gang and suddenly
got baffled by the idea of getting lost but was assured to have the number of
the bus driver. So, we left our footwear outside and roamed inside the temples
and spotted our tour gang. We joined along with them and roamed some more. The temple
had history of the Hindu deity Lord Krishna’s birth. It also had pictures
depicting Krishna’s life and his followers. After finishing the visit to temple,
we were taken to a shop to purchase Agra petha which is a famous sweet in that
region. We weren’t hungry and weren’t intending to purchase the sweet so we
waited outside the shop. Mathura was filled with monkeys and cows roaming here
and there. We observed them during the wait. Later we boarded to the bus to
return back to Delhi.
On the way back to Delhi, some old men in
our bus asked the driver to stop nearby a Liquor shop. We were halted near a
liquor shop for a while but the old men enquired and didn’t purchase anything
from that shop. I guess people are weird. Why can’t they just buy at Delhi
itself instead of prolonging other’s dinner time? Then, we were stopped at a
dhabba. My mom was not a big fan of unhygienic foods so we were hesitant to
leave the bus for dinner. Under certain exceptional circumstances like based on
the location and time it felt okay to eat at that place itself.
We came a bit later than the others and ordered
for our dinner. I ordered fried rice, brother ordered roti with curd and mom
ordered curd rice. The place was running using a generator of lesser capacity
so there was continuous power off and on similar to the lightning of
discotheque. We got extra things like sliced onion and cucumber and pickle. The
guy who gave us the bill wrote additional cost for salad and pickle. What a
business strategy I thought. Giving a customer extra things along with what they
ordered and adding it into bill as if we ordered.
We were tired to argue and settled the
bill. We were left at the pickup point. The hotel is nearby but Mom was not
okay walking the Delhi streets at night but I preferred walking than
negotiating with an auto guy. So, we walked for a while and the road split into
two. We were doubtful which road to walk along. Then we asked a passerby the
route towards Iskcon temple and relieved by the fact we were on correct path.
We reached the hotel and had a deep sleep. A day well spent.
Day 5 (19/07/2016): Delhi tour!! (Trip 2)
After roaming everything around finally we
started with official Delhi tour. This tour package was also booked with the
same tour operator. We were told that the tour starts by 9AM. But a call came
to us that they started the tour and they want us to reach India Gate
immediately. We ate our breakfast in a hurry and reached India gate by auto.
Luckily we reached on time but couldn’t find the tour bus. When I called and
asked they told me it is a white bus near the pond. We walked a long stretch towards
opposite direction of the India Gate. Suddenly the tour guide tells me to come
near the three flats near the India Gate. I was like what three flats? Where is
it? And he started telling me to come to India Gate in annoyed tone. We walked
back maybe even ran towards the India Gate and saw Three flags. I saw a guy
looking in all the directions as if he lost a diamond.
I asked him whether he was the tour guide
and he said yeah now go to the bus. What kind of irresponsible tour guide doesn’t
mention change in tour timings and place a day before the tour? The dumb kind I
guess. I was furious at the way he was treating us as if we are some kind of
Farm animals. We took a picture of ourselves at the India Gate and hurried ourselves
to the bus. We were first taken to Lotus Temple. And my temper increased
because unnecessarily he made us take an auto from the hotel which was at walk able
distance to lotus temple and didn’t even gave a minute for us to explore India
Gate and gave us a death stare as if because we were late his life is ruined.
And also our original pick up point supposed to be lotus temple. Well I
clenched my teeth for a while and thought karma will take a toll on his life. Just
because someone spoils your routine doesn’t mean you have to get affected by
it. I took a deep breath and exhaled all the tension swirled in my mind and
came to my normal self. We went inside lotus temple which was a marvellous
piece of architecture. The place was surrounded by lush green garden. The inside
of Lotus temple is a prayer hall which was tranquil and helped me to overcome
the tensions of the day.
Then we were taken to Qutub Minar. It is
the tallest brick minaret in the world. It was also surrounded by some
monuments inscribed with mesmerising art. Then we were taken to Indira Gandhi
Memorial. We saw the rooms where Indira Gandhi lived and died. The place was
filled with the objects, clothes, pictures related to Indira Gandhi. Then we
were taken to Birla mandir which is a temple and then visited rajghat which had
a square platform made by granite surrounded by greenery. It’s a Memorial to Mahatma
Gandhi. Then, we were shown the Government and political buildings that are
prominent in Delhi. We had our lunch a South Indian restaurant in Karol Bagh.
Then we were taken to Red fort which
looked similar to Agra fort. Here there were numerous shops inside the entrance
of the fort. Due to the guide’s negligent planning we weren’t able to see the museum
of red fort as it is closed by Evening. We reached 5 minutes late. Why can’t
the guide showed us the places with time restriction first? Well I guess money
is the only thing that they care about not the service that is expected by the
travellers. Then we were shown balaji temple and the tour ended.
We asked where we are dropped at. But he
was so good at his job he told us he can’t leave us near our hotel. So, he left
us near a metro station and told us to take two more trains to reach the hotel.
How irresponsible of him. But he made up his mind and we had to get down at the
station. I was disappointed by the slacking behaviour of the guide, locations
that were shown in a hurry but I guess I shouldn’t expect much from a one day
tour operators. I have only once taken a metro train in Chennai. I had no idea
which train to take, which platform to stand at, at which station to switch and
many more doubts as it is new for us. We asked the ticket counter personnel
that which train station is nearby to lotus temple and he gave us three tokens
which coasted us 180 rupees. I was embarrassed of the fact my mom told we should
take an auto instead of train but I insisted it will be cheaper using a train. Turns
out taking a train with many people is not cheaper than auto fare.
We showed our token to a machine and it
opened its door for entry. Then we and our bags were checked by security. We were
confused which platform to take. I enquired a person but he said he doesn’t
know. Then we asked another person who helped us know which train to take. We
boarded the train which was crowded. The evening was turning into night. I
asked an uncle to tell us the station where we require taking another train. He
showed a diagram on the top of the train door which indicates where the train
currently is and which station it reaches next. Thank god for the non-confusing
diagram. We came to the station correctly now we needed to board into our
second train. The train arrived and was crowded even more than the previous
one. The train moves and halted in few stops and suddenly stops with a thud for
no apparent reason. A voice in from the speaker mentions that due to some
technical problem the train is stopped from moving. We waited for half an hour
and I was feeling bad for not listening to my mother and taking a wrong
decision. The train moved finally.
At one stop a Family with a cute kid came
inside the train. That kid took the empty water bottle from my bag and hit me
and laughed. I was thinking can’t the day get any worse. My mom gave an annoyed
look towards me. She thought I was teasing the kid and told me to stop it. I
was explaining her that the water bottle is ours the kid took it out of
curiosity and even hit me. Then she realised what happened and smiled at the
kid. How many crazy things can happen in a day? We finally reached our stop. My
mom went near a shop to buy some biscuits. We asked a guard which direction to
reach iskcon temple and he showed us a direction towards left. The place was
very dark outside. We trusted the directions told by the guard and walked for a
while. My intuition made me think that we were walking in the wrong direction but
still who am I to tell which direction is wrong I am new to this place.
We walked and walked until we reached
Lotus Temple instead of Iskcon temple. The guard told us the wrong direction. Oh
My God. Our backs were aching and we were tired. We still walked but reached a dead-end.
I was petrified. An auto guy who was drunk asked us whether we need lift. We
told no we don’t need a ride but he was persistent. Another auto guy stopped by
and asked and both these two started arguing that he asked first but he is
drunk. I was in a dilemma whether to take a risk by walk the long way around
backwards again or to take the auto ride from a drunk driver who looks like a
movie villain. At the time I couldn’t take a decision. My mom and my brother
took the auto of the guy who asked us first and asked me to come and sit inside
the auto. Another guy sits beside the drunken auto guy to assure us a safe ride
who looks neither drunk nor trustworthy.
We rode in the auto and I was desperate to
get out of stench filled auto. We told him the hotel was nearby the Isckon
temple. He asked us from which place we are from. My mouth blurts out somewhere
in South India. I don’t know if it was sarcastic or offensive but he asked
where in South India. Before I blurt out something involuntarily I said Chennai.
Viola! The auto guy started singing lungi dance song and was moving the handle
in all directions. I was sure we are going to die of an epic accident due to a
drunkard. We reached Iskcon temple and he halts there and says where the hotel
is? We told him it will come by going further. He asked how much further if he
goes the hotel comes. I utter 5 or 7 feet more. My fate was so worse. Even
though he was drunk he rode exactly five feet long and asked me where the hotel
is? I was feeling a mixture of annoyed, tired, scared, sleepy and a set of
emotions related to misery. I somehow managed to make him go even further. When
the billboard of the hotel was seen I exclaimed the hotel is there! I was
ecstatic for reaching safely. My mom paid him the money he asked and we left
the hell to sleep in peace.
Day 6 (20/07/2016): Back to Chennai!
The flight was scheduled at 2 PM. We ate
our breakfasts and relaxed for a while. We informed dad about our flight arrival
to Chennai. We did miss him throughout the trip. We packed our bags and started
over thinking whether each bag are over 15Kgs. I tried to adjust some heavy
things from on luggage to another. The baggage limit for the flight was 15Kgs
for each passenger. We locked the room and settle the amount we need to pay to
the hotel. Asked for an auto towards domestic airport but many refused by
saying they don’t have permit. I have no idea what they were talking about but
I finally got an auto guy to take us to the airport.
The airport is very far I guess the
journey was taking long time. Good thing we left early from the hotel. The bad
thing about auto travel is that the hot air passes through us is similar to
convection mode of the oven. It blasts us with hot air. We were hoping to reach
the airport soon to escape from the weather’s tantrums. We reached the airport
and took our Aadhar cards for verification by security. We sat in a bench and
had no Idea what to do next. We were not frequent flight travellers. To tell
the truth it was my third time taking a flight and second time for my mother
and brother. We then roamed around the airport to know what others doing and to
explore the infrastructure of the airport. Then we realised whomever having
tickets can give bags to them and get inside the other end of the airport. To
our surprised all the bags together came around 15Kgs. We worried about the
baggage to much I guess. We entered the other side of the airport after a
series of check-up. We saw shops, food court and escalators that lead to
waiting hall. We waited and ate a packet of biscuits.
The flight we needed to board arrived a
bit late. We walked in a queue and taken to the flight in a bus. I booked the
flight with the best deal so I shouldn’t expect royal treatments. After all the
series of events during the trip I learnt the perks of being non-expectant. The
flight moved and we were up in the sky. The sky looked magnificent with dollops
of soft cotton lookalike clouds in the serene blue backdrop. I and my mom read
the magazine that was provided. Then we ate chocolates which my mom kept in the
bags in Chennai itself and discovered just in the morning while packing the
bags. Anyways eating sweet things at the higher altitude is surprisingly
different experience I guess.
We saw marina beach and Chennai city from the
flight. I got excited. The flight landed a bit late the time mentioned in the
ticket but who cares as long as we are safe and sound. We came to arrival
section of Chennai domestic airport. There was a metal tilted conveyor which
was delivering luggage of the passengers. It was interesting to watch it’s
mechanism but also we were anxiously waiting for our luggage to arrive. We took
our bags and went to the exit. We waited for my dad to pick us up. He came in a
car and we immediately loaded the luggage into it and sat inside. We were back
to Chennai. It’s nice to go back to the place which we call home.
