The sixth and seventh stops on our round-the-world adventure would bring us to India, the second most populated country in the world.
During the past three weeks, we’ve witnessed some of the differences in how people live in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Thailand. And, we’ve also noticed a vast change in standards of living as well as cost of living as we’ve moved from New Zealand/Australia to Singapore and then Thailand. From paying for everything with credit cards, we’ve moved back to more cash-based transactions in Thailand and India.
Also, our experiences in India have (re-)opened our eyes to the great need in many parts of the world where poverty is rampant and countless millions live in inhumane living conditions…
Though at times, we may have felt less than secure during our time in India, I’m thankful for the opportunities to have seen so much during the few days we’ve had here.
One of countless bustling streets in India
Day 21 – Part II
Our first indication that all of India might not represent the emerging high-tech IT capital of the world was when we discovered that the international arrivals hall of the Mumbai airport did not have any ATM machines! For the past 21 days, we’d managed to pay for everything almost exclusively with credit cards… and when we arrived in Thailand, utilized ATMs more to withdraw the minimal amounts of cash we needed.
During our time in India though, our credit cards received almost no love and we frequently sought out ATMs to withdraw the small amounts of cash we would need to eat, visit local attractions and pay for transportation. =)
After getting ripped off by the local currency exchange to get some rupees, we arranged for a pre-paid taxi to our hotel… and, after over an hour of some concern due to the taxi driver’s unfamiliarity with our destination and lack of English speaking ability, somehow managed to arrive late that night.
One of the reasons it might’ve taken so long though might be that Mumbai’s roads seemed to have tons of these little autorickshaws (reminiscent of Thailand’s tuk-tuks) driving all over the place with no regard for any road rules!
Autorickshaw dashing along a road in Mumbai
Day 22
During our one and only full day in Mumbai, we absorbed the sights, sounds and smells of one of India’s major cities. I still can’t comprehend where India’s 1+ billion people live nor what they all do… for each of the millions that represent the face of Indian IT to the world… there must be tens of millions who are struggling to get by doing who knows what…?
From our hotel located in Chembur, we were able to take the local suburban train into Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (aka C.S.T. or formerly know as Victoria Terminus) to see some of the highlights of Mumbai that we’d been recommended. Almost immediately, we knew we were in a different world than anything we’d experienced to date. From purchasing our train tickets (not even sure what we actually bought) to boarding the overly crowded trains (not sure we were even in the right cars!) to witnessing the sights along the tracks during the nearly 45 minute train ride into CST… what a crazy experience!
The train rides to and from C.S.T. were probably one of the more interesting parts of our day. People would cram into the overflowing trains and hang out the sides as the train dashed from station to station with people leaping on and off as the train made brief pauses at each station. We actually chose to ride in the doors and lean out to absorb as much of the sights as we could.
Overcrowded trains at the station
As we moved from Chembur station towards C.S.T. we were saddened to see some of the miserable conditions in which numerous Indians seem to be living… during our time in India, I think we lost track of just how many people we saw living on the streets, urinating and defecating by the train tracks or along the roads, naked children running around for lack of clothing, etc.
A glimpse at life along the train tracks
After a long and sobering train ride, we finally arrived at the C.S.T., a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (aka Victoria Terminus)
Victoria Terminus at night when we returned to catch a train back to our hotel
From the C.S.T., we headed a few minutes southeast where we saw the famous
Taj Mahal hotel and the Gateway of India, two of Mumbai’s notable landmarks.
The Taj Mahal hotel, Gateway of India, and one of numerous ferry boats on the Arabian Sea
After a brief stop for lunch and some afternoon tea, we took a 1.5 hour ferry ride to the Elephanta caves, the home of “mystifying rock-cut temples which date back to the 7th century” and whose chief attraction is the “huge three headed bust of Lord Shiva”.
The bust of Lord Shiva, popularly known as “Trimurti”
Carvings at the Elephanta Caves
More carvings at the Elephanta
Caves
Also at Elephanta, we encountered numerous monkeys and souvenir stalls (which we would see abundantly in both Mumbai and Delhi) =)
Family of monkeys at Elephanta Caves
Souvenirs at the Elephanta Caves
Finally, after a brief misadventure where we discovered that our return ferry was not taking us back to our starting point, we made our way over to the “Queen’s Necklace” that stretches along the western shore of Mumbai before heading back to our hotel and calling it a day.
Throngs of people along Marine Drive
Day 23
From Mumbai, we caught a Jet Airways flight to New Delhi, which, was only our second flight to be delayed thus far!
On the way to the airport, we saw a less crowded version of the craziness of Indian driving where cars, trucks, buses, autorickshaws, motorcycles, etc. compete for the road and rules and lane dividers tend to be more suggestions than anything else!
On the highway towards the airport
Upon our late arrival into New Delhi, we scrapped our plans to do some local sightseeing and instead just wandered around the area around our hostel that was located in the Main Bazaar area right by the New Delhi Railway Station. All kinds of shops line the Main Bazaar with cows, motorcycles, rickshaws and autorickshaws competing with people for space.
The Main Bazaar Road at a slightly less crowded time
Day 24
Our first full day in New Delhi was actually spent… outside of it.
And, the lesson learned today was that sometimes, early planning IS better than playing it by ear as we travel. =)
What could’ve been a 2 hour trip (4 hour roundtrip) from New Delhi to Agra to see the Taj Mahal on the express train turned into a 9+ hour roadtrip in a small little car driving the 200+ kilometers through numerous little villages and insane traffic! If you ever plan to visit the Taj Mahal from New Delhi… I would highly recommend booking train tickets well in advance on the internet!
So, after departing bright and early at around 6am, we found our way over to the Taj Mahal on a wet and rainy day. Continuing with our history lessons… we learned that the Taj Mahal was built in the 1600s as a mausoleum built by a Mughal emperor.
The famous Taj Mahal on a wet, dreary day
At the Taj Mahal on a rainy and overcast day
From the Taj Mahal, we headed over to the Agra Fort, which is “the most important fort of India” and was constructed in its current incarnation in the mid-1500s of red sandstone.
In front of the Agra Fort
Decorative interior of the Muthamman Burj palace within the Agra Fort
After visiting the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, we also learned a bit about marble and evaded the salespitch before departing again for the 200+ kilometer drive back to New Delhi…
Day 25
For our last and final day in India, we hired a car to drive us around the various monuments in New Delhi (turned out to be the same driver who took us to Agra the previous day). While we could have potentially gone around and seen everything on our own… it was much more convenient to just let him drive us around and not too costly either!
Our first stop was another red sandstone fort (known as the “Red Fort”) which was the palace of another Mughal emperor built in 1638.
In front of the Red Fort
The grounds of the Red Fort
Our next stop was the “largest and most splendid mosque in India” built in 1656.
Jama Masjid
From there, we continued to see the war memorial arch that was “built in honour of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in World War I”.
India Gate
After a quick break for lunch, our driver took us to see the “Lotus Temple” that reminded us of the architecture of the Sydney Opera House… albeit a bit smaller and maybe somewhat inverted. =)
The Lotus Temple
After a few more minor monuments of which we weren’t able to get any good photos, we returned back to our hostel, ate another cheap meal of good Indian food and slept early in anticipation of our last ridiculously early 5:30AM flight. =)
With just two weeks left of our trip, our next two flights will take us through Amman, Jordan to Cairo, Egypt… where we will see the Great Pyramids of Giza, the only remaining member of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”!
cool stache