India: The Golden Triangle - Jaipur and Ranthambore NP

After a full on two weeks criss-crossing India for Justin, and three intense days in Delhi for Bronwen, it was time to start the week of holiday! India is so big and we only had 7 days, how to choose where to go. There’s truth in the adage less is more so we decided to stick with the well-trodden Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra with Ranthambore National Park squeezed in the middle. 

When considering how to move around between cities, trains and buses are really cheap and seem easy to book, however, speaking to friends it seemed like hiring a private driver is a popular choice and affordable. We investigated and contacted a few places and soon had a private driver in place. We are super glad we went this route and did not hassle with trains and buses, the opportunity for harassment and being ripped off is so much higher and honestly using taxis to get around inbetween the overall cost would not have been much less. The convenience of having a driver is so worth it. Highly recommend this option when traveling in India! 

Chai tea break with our driver Pintu 

Our driver then picked us up bright and early on Saturday morning for the drive to Jaipur, the longest leg of the triangle. His name is Pintu and once out of the city struck up an easy conversation getting to know each other. Our first experience of roads out of the city. In general the roads are wide and in quite good condition and overall I would say better than where we currently live in Vietnam (Sorry Vietnam =( ). There were several roadworks upgrading the road surface on the way to Jaipur which made things a bit bumpy and extended the journey, but it’s good to see them working on the roads. SO many trucks on the road though, and also cows! There seems to have been some effort in the city to find homes for the wandering cows and we didn’t see many in Delhi, but as soon as you head out they are everywhere and free to roam. Such a strange concept for us and slightly dangerous on the highway lol. 

The drive was about 5 hours with a stop for a chai tea about halfway and then lunch just before Jaipur. Pintu kindly suggested some vegetarian options for us to try. We loved the Malai Kofta, fried balls of potato and paneer cheese and mixed veggies served in a rich gravy. Best served with naan bread, a must try! Each restaurant makes it slightly different, this first one was definitely the best. 

After lunch, there was time for one attraction in Jaipur before checking in and calling it a day. Galtaji or Monkey Temple is about 10 km outside of the city so it made sense to stop there first on the way into the city. Galtaji is a series of Hindu temples built in a narrow crevice in the hills surrounding Jaipur. There is a natural spring flowing downwards filling several sacred water tanks; it is considered auspicious to bathe in the waters here and many pilgrims come to bathe each year. There are many monkeys roaming freely around the temple grounds giving the temple its nickname. 

The Galtaji or Monkey Temple just outside of Jaipur

From the temple, we went to check into our hotel which was a bit of an odd experience. The guy at reception was acting a bit strange and said the hotel can give us a big discount if we cancel our booking.com reservation and book with them directly instead, however at that stage it was too late to cancel the booking and we would be charged anyway. He was like, ok, don’t worry we can still give you the discount. We were left with a funny feeling wondering what had just happened. After checking the booking we had made, we discovered we had booked a larger room but they were fully booked and the larger room wasn’t available so we were given a slightly smaller room which was still comfortable and more than adequate, thus resulting in the ‘discount’. Not sure why the guy at reception wasn’t just honest and upfront about it. In the end we became friendly with him and several of the staff during our stay, was just a very weird start. Another India-is-just-like-that moment. 

Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the state of Rajasthan and is a UNESCO World Heritage City. Known as the Pink City since the Old City was made pink to welcome the Prince of Wales in 1876, Jaipur is home to 3.1 million people and feels as if not more crowded than Delhi. The city was founded in 1727 and is one of the first planned cities in modern India. We did not know that there are still royal families in India. Apparently there are several and many in the state of Rajasthan. Jaipur has a royal family and the current young king, a celebrated polo player, lives mostly abroad but was in town for a polo tournament. The royal family still live at the City Palace residence. There is a lot to do and see in Jaipur. Most tours and guides only allow for one day in Jaipur but that’s really not enough, we were glad to have two full days in Jaipur. 

First up was Panna Meena ka Kund, a 16th century 200 m deep stepwell. The stepwell is square shaped with adjoining stairs on all four sides. It is full of water all year round and was a reliable water supply for local people in the past. We loved the stepwells all over and stopped to see as many as we could. 

Boibs at the Panna Meena ka Kund stepwell 

One of the main tourist attractions in Jaipur is the Amer or Amber Fort. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Amber Fort was commissioned by Maharaja Man Singh I in 1592 and was further expanded and additions made by subsequent rulers until the capital moved from Amer to Jaipur in 1727. An impressive fortress and palace, the fort is constructed of red sandstone and marble. The palace is laid out on four levels, each with its own courtyard, and includes the Hall of Public Audience, the Hall of Private Audience, and The Mirror Palace. There is a hidden network of tunnels connecting the fort to the Jaigarh Fort. We arrived early and our driver was able to easily take us all the way to the top and get a good parking. Another popular way to reach the palace is to take an elephant ride up the steep hill. Please don’t support this cruel practice of riding elephants, at tourist attractions or anywhere. 

The Amber Fort 

With our driver Pintu with Amber Fort in the background

The next stop was the Nahargarh Fort on the hill opposite to the Amber Fort. Smaller but worth a stop, Nahargarh Fort forms a ring of defense around Jaipur together with the Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort. We bought a composite ticket for Jaipur attractions and this fort was included so we decided to stop there. From Nahargarh Fort, we stopped for a view of Jal Mahal, or the Water Palace.  Originally built in 1699 as a hunting lodge, today the palace is flooded by the surrounding Man Sagar Lake and it is not possible to enter. We enjoyed a stroll along the lake front.

Nahargarh Fort

The half submerged Jal Mahal or Water Temple on Man Sagar Lake 

Statues on the lake front 

The last sight for the day was the Albert Hall Museum. Designed by Samuel Swinton Jacob, the foundation stone was laid by the then Prince of Wales Albert Edward (the son of Queen Victoria who later became King Edward VII) on 6 February 1876. The museum was named in his honour and opened in 1887. The museum is home to a collection of Rajasthani miniature paintings, a collection of ancient weapons and armory, textiles including a rare Persian Garden Carpet, sculptures, and an Egyptian Mummy. 

The Albert Hall Museum

Views inside the museum 

Just so that it's clear... 

Being a Sunday, the museum was crowded. We decided that we had been stared at enough for one day lol and gave Pintu the rest of the afternoon off after he had dropped us off for a late lunch. We enjoyed some chill time at Curious Life Coffee Roasters (the RED one). Even though it was a Sunday, the traffic was pretty heavy and it took a while to get back to the hotel in the late afternoon. 

The next day, the first stop was Patrika Gate. A recent addition to the city, Patrika Gate was built in 2016 on Jawahar Traffic Circle which also doubles up as a garden and park. There are beautiful rose gardens and concentric circles of paths where people run and exercise, it’s actually a really lovely part of the city. The gate is huge with elaborate arches and is made of pink limestone. On the inside, each arch and pillar is beautifully and intricately decorated with vibrant colours, murals, designs and frescoes each showcasing the rich cultural diversity of Rajasthan. It’s really beautiful and we spent some time here enjoying the art work. It’s a really popular photo op spot and one of the most instagrammable sights in the city, there were already at least three wedding shoots happening when we arrived at 9 am on a Monday morning lol, we had to wait our turn and try squeeze in a people free shot inbetween. Selfies with the colourful arches were a no go lol.  

Boibs at Patrika Gate

The beautiful Patrika Gate 

Other art and structures at Jawahar Circle

From Patrika Gate, we made our way to Jantar Mantar. a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Jantar Mantar is an outdoor astronomical observatory allowing for naked-eye observation of celestial positions and timekeeping. Completed in 1734, there are 19 astronomical instruments including the world’s largest stone sundial. It’s a really impressive collection and is still accurate today. 

Interesting astrological structures at Jantar Mantar

The City Palace is right next to Jantar Mantar and was our next stop. The City Palace is still an active royal residence and as such it is required to have a guide for the duration of the palace tour. Tickets for the palace are not included in the composite ticket price and are actually quite pricey, but it is worth visiting. The palace is a complex of several courtyards, buildings, pavilions, gardens, and temples. We visited several of the halls and courtyards and meeting rooms. We loved the ornately decorated gates in the courtyard and the opulent Sabha Niwas or Hall of Audience. Our guide was not that enthusiastic lol but we also didn’t feel rushed and he took several photos for us. 

Outer courtyard at the City Palace

Marry a man who makes you laugh 🧡

Peacock gate in the inner courtyard 

The opulent Sabha Niwas or Hall of Audience 

Connected to the City Palace is Hawa Mahal, or the Palace of Winds. Built of red sandstone as an extension of the women’s chambers, the purpose was to allow royal women to observe everyday life, festivals and street activities without being seen. The exterior seen from the street is actually the rear of the building and looks like a honeycomb with its small 953 windows and intricate latticework. A lot of people only take photos from the outside but we went inside and were so glad we did. A must see in the city. 

The honeycomb facade of the Hawa Mahal or Palace of Winds 

Inside at the Hawa Mahal

Ornate gate near the Hawa Mahal 

Boibs at the Hawa Mahal

While in Jaipur, we asked our driver Pintu to please take us to look at textiles and a spice shop. We found some lovely pashminas, table cloths and unexpectedly some handmade carpets. We were not looking for or planning to buy carpets lol but they are beautiful, good value, and will last a lifetime. Spice shopping was unsuccessful but we did find what we were looking for later in the trip. 

The traffic was already quite crazy even though it was only just after lunch time. We had seen what we had wanted to see so we headed back to the hotel for a late lunch and a quiet afternoon and gave Pintu the rest of the day off. 

And that was the end of our time in Jaipur and Rajasthan. We would have loved to visit some other cities in Rajasthan but they are all so spread out and it would be a lot of driving hours and not much time actually exploring. We decided to squeeze in Ranthambore National Park instead and were not disappointed. 

It was a long drive from Jaipur to Ranthambore and we arrived in time for the afternoon safari. It was seriously complicated arranging and booking these safaris and honestly don’t know how to have made it smoother. But anyway, we eventually made it. We weren’t sure if Ranthambore was a real park or just a touristy place, but it turned out to be a real park and we had a really great time and many wonderful sightings. The park covers an area of 1334 square kilometres and is divided into zones to control and manage visitors. 

This first afternoon safari was really special. It was a beautiful warm afternoon and the animals were all out. Our guide was lovely and answered all our questions and pointed things out. We were very blessed with two wild tiger sightings. The first was a 20 month old female cub. She was really relaxed and not bothered by the vehicles at all, lucky for all of us. She spent at least 30 minutes walking, lying down, resting, and playing. Was really special. Later on we saw a mother and also fully grown female cub, we’re not sure if it was the same female cub, but a special sighting nonetheless. The mother was very relaxed laying in the grass while the cub was active and frolicked nearby. Two very special sightings. We also saw many buck, beautiful birds, monkeys, crocodiles, and just really enjoyed the afternoon out. 

Tigers in Ranthambore 

This is how close we were!

Active and playful kitties 

Views and other wildlife at Ranthambore NP

The next morning we had an early safari but it was not nearly as enjoyable. Certain zones are closed on different days and we were in a different part of the park. Our guide that day was terrible and not pointing out anything, he had a really bad attitude, was really unfortunate and disappointing. We didn’t see much that morning. As we arrived in the park, a large male tiger walked past in the thick grass and we saw part of him walking past but he soon disappeared and we didn’t see any other cats. Anyway. We had a wonderful afternoon the day before. 

This was the longest travel day of the trip. From Ranthambore we made our way to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, but stopped at several places along the way. The first stop was the Abhaneri Stepwell. Also known as Chang Baori, it is one of the deepest and largest stepwells in India extending 30m into the ground. It was built over 1000 years ago and is constructed in an upside down pyramid style and has 3500 steps cascading 13 stories into a large tank. It’s a really beautiful stepwell and well worth the stop! 

The impressive stepwell in Abhaneri 

The next and last stop for the day was the Fatehpur Sikri Fort. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the fort was commissioned by Emperor Akbar in 1571. It is made of red sandstone in a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles and was completed in 1573.  This fort is expansive with a lot of detail and things to see. It is my favourite of all the forts we saw. Definitely worth the hour drive from Agra. It was also sadly the place we were harassed the most and tarnished an otherwise wonderful visit. 

The beautiful red sandstone fort in Fatehpur Sikri 

We finally made it to Agra and enjoyed a quiet evening after a long day and got ready for visiting the Taj Mahal in the morning! 

See you next time for the last leg of our time in India! 

Sneak Preview

India: Solo in Delhi

India. How to describe you? So many sights, sounds and smells all rolled into one. Just one sentence, and just one trip, cannot do you justice. 

Humayan's Tomb in Nizamuddin, South Delhi

Justin had a work trip to India that ended as the annual Lunar New Week of Tet started. It’s very difficult to find a pet sitter over Tet so we decided not to travel over Tet this year. Since Milo passed at the end of December, I was able to join Justin for some days and then we would travel around a bit during the week of holiday. We went back and forth on where to go and settled on the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra with Ranthambore National Park squeezed in inbetween, somewhat of a detour but boy was it worthwhile. We were glad we didn’t go to Varanasi as we had originally considered since the Kumbh Mela was taking place nearby with millions of people attending. We had no idea and were glad we already decided not to go that way. 

The best priced flight was to Delhi on the Tuesday night the week before Tet. Justin had such a hectic first week of his work trip, it was very intense with many things not going to schedule. The second week was somewhat better, however he was originally supposed to be in Delhi when I arrived but he only arrived on Thursday evening. Either way he would have been working that week so I had 3 days on my own in Delhi. A somewhat nerve wracking thought. It went better than expected and of the three cities we visited, I oddly felt the safest in Delhi. 

My flight landed quite late and it took a while to get out of the airport. Money drawn, sim card purchased and activated, uber finally worked out, I arrived at the hotel at around 01:00 on Wednesday morning. However, the road to the hotel was blocked off for some reason and the uber driver wanted me to get out and walk down the road in the dark with my heavy bags at 1 am in the morning. Uhm, that’s a no. In the end, it was a short detour to go around the block which he did eventually oblige and at no point did I feel unsafe or threatened. Was just a weird experience. The hotel was more average than expected and I wondered what kind of neighbourhood it was... more would be revealed the next day, but a fitful night of dogs barking and not much sleep followed. 

I was quite nervous about safety and being a solo female traveler in Delhi and so booked some group tours. Booking tours was not as straightforward as other places and took much more time and effort to arrange. Top tips: the photos and reviews online are quite often fake and way more positive than they should be. View with caution and a healthy dose of suspicion. And be prepared to go with the flow. We weren’t even sure if we were confirmed on some of the tours even though we had already paid but just showed up anyway to see what would happen (Ranthambore safaris I’m looking at you). In the end it was all fine but took a lot of time, energy and more stress than normal to arrange. Most travellers we came across had booked everything through a travel agent. It probably cost a bit more but there is some wisdom in that and any future trip to India we will probably lean towards that. 

The first day I booked a full day bus tour to see the main sights and get the lay of the land. I was expecting a slightly bigger group (there were only 6 of us and I was the only foreigner lol) and a slightly more comfortable bus (not a decommissioned public transport bus lol), but at least it had air conditioning. The whole tour was only $7 so I guess I couldn’t expect more. I made friends with a young guy from Kerala who had come to Delhi to go to a car show and he kindly looked out for me through the day, thank you. We also didn’t realise that it was Republic Day on the coming Sunday. A lot of roads and main attractions in Old Delhi were closed the whole week ahead in preparation for a big annual parade. Fortunately we had planned a day of Delhi sightseeing the following Saturday and not the first Saturday so we didn’t really miss anything. 

First chai!

Some of the sights were just a drive past and some we could go into. Sights seen and visited included India Gate, several government buildings, memorials of previous leaders and politicians, Raj Ghat (a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi), Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, the Lotus Temple, and Akshardham Temple. I had a chuckle when the tour guide told us that the ground floor of the police headquarters is permanently reserved for Bollywood filming. 

The highlight of the day was Humayun’s Tomb. Completed in 1572, Humayan’s Tomb is the tomb of Emperor Humayun and was the first structure to use red sandstone on such a large scale. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, it was the first garden tomb in India and set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture which culminated in the Taj Mahal in Agra. The tomb is situated on the Yamuna River close to the burial site of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. According to the guide, a lot of people choose to be buried close to a Sufi saint so this area is a popular choice in Delhi. The tomb grounds are expansive at 27 ha with an additional 53 ha buffer zone. The gardens have a charbagh design: four quadrants with pools and channels. The Tomb itself is radially symmetrical with eight chambers branching off from a central octagon. From the garden one can have impressive uninterrupted views of this beautiful symmetrical red building. Definitely a highlight in Delhi. 

Grounds and another tomb at Humayan's Tomb

Humayan's Tomb

It was a good first day but also difficult as I clearly stood out as a foreigner and people stared at me A LOT. Something we would have to get used to over the whole trip. A real highlight for me on this first day was all the school kids on a trip to Humayan’s Tomb. They were so friendly and giggly and just being kids and having a good time. They also stared at foreigners lol, but in a very innocent way. I loved waving, saying hi, and high fiving them. They really cheered me up on an interesting first day. And going forward into the trip I always greeted the school kids, especially the girls. They were thrilled to say hi to a foreigner. 

I chose to skip visiting the last stop of Akshardham Temple and headed back to the hotel using the metro for the first time. Shout out to the very kind guy at the metro station for going out of his way to help me activate and load credit to a metro card and for showing me how to navigate the airport style security. A quick stop at a (very random) supermarket (where a guy asked me to buy him a Snickers since they were on a 3 for 2 special and then also asked for a selfie lol. Can’t make this stuff up.) to stock up on some water and simple snacks, I was back at the hotel well before sunset. Which was just as well since shortly after arriving back some very loud music started playing followed by an hour of gunfire in the street. No jokes. I called reception to clarify what was going on and apparently there was some kind of festival and people were celebrating with gunfire. Lovely neighbourhood. I was glad I was safely back and not trying to navigate my way through gunfire after a dinner out. 

After a long and interesting (and not always for the right reasons) first day, it was a very early night! 

On the Thursday, I had booked an early morning cycle tour with Delhi by Cycle. Originally started by a Dutch guy, Delhi by Cycle host some lovely cycle and walking tours through Old Delhi, New Delhi, and South Delhi. Due to Republic Day closures, my first choice of tour was not available so I joined the Nizamuddin Tour instead and was pleasantly surprised, it’s actually one of their best tours. The tour started with a cycle past the Humayan’s Tomb gardens down to the train tracks and past the Sikh temple Gurudwara Damdama Sahib; a beautiful, quiet and leafy green area. It was really quiet and peaceful so early in the morning, and quite fresh being January. The tour took us though some of the affluent areas of Nizamuddin with its wide street and fancy houses. And also through the village of Basti Hazrat Nizamuddin with its narrow and winding one-bicycle-width alleys that grew up around the burial site of Sufti saint Nizamuddin Auliya and eventually became part of Delhi. The village was full of people quietly going about their morning business and not minding us coming through on bicycles, quite welcoming in fact. Such a contrast of areas in one suburb. We stopped for a chai tea and matthi, a flaky biscuit and typical tea time snack, in the Basti area and also went up to the rooftop of the NGO Hope Project for a view over the suburb. The tour continued through the Lodhi Art District with interesting paintings and murals on several walls around the area to Lodhi Gardens, a beautiful garden with two tombs, so many birds, and the sweetest little squirrels! The lovely guides produced picnic blankets and a wonderful local breakfast picnic. It was my first taste of real Indian food and goodness, was it delicious! We enjoyed potato samosas with tamarind sauce and another spicy sauce, a kind of fried sandwich, a juicy coriander cake, another traditional sweet, bananas, and a kind of peanut brittle but different. It was all amazing! We have samosas in South Africa but the ones in India are different and way better. Thank you Delhi by Cycle for a very enjoyable morning! The guides were so lovely and went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The main guide even walked me to the nearest metro station and made sure I got on the correct train, so very kind. Thank you. I highly recommend this tour, you will see places and parts of Delhi you will never see on your own. 

View from the top of the NGO Hope Project in Basti Hazrat Nizumaddin

Street art in the Lodhi Art District

Tomb in Lodhi Gardens

Wonderful picnic in Lodhi Gardens with Delhi by Cycle

Metro station art

From the cycle tour, I took the violet metro line to Janpath and then a tuk tuk to Ugrasen ki Boali. The metro is so easy to use and well connected, and I always felt safe. The first carriage in the direction of the train is a ladies only carriage and I always stood there. My first tuk tuk! Tuk tuks are also the best form of road transport and so cheap. Feel free to pick one up on the street but be prepared to haggle a price, or book on the Uber app for a fixed price. Ugrasen ki Baoli is a 60 m long and 15 m wide historical stepwell in New Delhi. It has 3 levels with arched niches on both sides and 108 steps and was likely rebuilt in the 14th century. I really enjoyed visiting this stepwell. It was shady and cool, and so peaceful and calm. I sat here for about 30 min just recharging. An oasis in the city and definitely worth visiting. 

First tuk tuk ride!

The stepwell Ugrasen ki Baoli in New Delhi

From the stepwell, I took a tuk tuk to nearby Connaught Place: one of the main business and commercial centres in New Delhi with a park in the middle of a series of concentric circles of colonnaded Georgian style buildings. Everything I had read online made CP sound unsafe and that this area should be avoided. I think that is true at night but in the daytime it was ok, unsavoury but ok. I enjoyed browsing at the Oxford bookstore and a hot drink at Starbucks. And then it was time to take the metro back to the hotel just in time for Justin to arrive, yay! 

During my online research for this trip, Karim’s came up a lot as a safe place for foreigners to eat (and Haldiram’s, more about that below). Karim’s is now a chain of restaurants but the first one was started in West Nizamuddin in Delhi by the cook of the royal court. There are now several restaurants all over the city and the menu offers both vegetarian and non-vegeterian options. There was a Karim’s near our hotel so we went there for dinner. We shared the dhal makhani and naan bread. Was so yummy! 

Dinner at Karim's

The Friday was still a work day for Justin before our trip started. He was supposed to have a meeting at Connaught Place but it got cancelled. Since our hotel was so average and not conducive to work there for the whole day, he found a suitable cafe at CP anyway and sat there for the day. I joined for a morning tea and snack and then went to join a walking tour of Old Delhi. 

I came across a site called GuruWalk where local people give free guided tours in cities all around the world. Free is also a bit misleading, while there is no upfront payment for the tour, you are expected to tip upwards of $10 per person and they are not shy to remind you lol. I’ve always been skeptical of free walking tours but actually it was pretty good and some people in the group have used this app all over and said it’s always been good. So, here’s to a potential new travel discovery! 

The meeting point for the tour was Gate 1 of Lal Quila metro station. Our guide was a lovely young man who had grown up in Delhi and we were a lovely mixed international group of 7 people. The first stop was a Jain temple right near the metro. It is the oldest and best known Jain temple in Delhi, and although we didn’t go there, is well known for its bird hospital. From there we walked to a sikh temple that has a large kitchen and feeds from 10 000 to 40 000 people a day! The meals are all for free and they rely completely on donations and volunteers. It was really moving walking around the kitchen watching people give their time and resources to help those in need. The volunteers are from all walks of life including a lot of retired people, there was a lovely sense of community and feeling useful, serving to meet people’s needs more than just a meal. 

Volunteers rolling rotis in the communal kitchen

Kitchen at the Sikh temple where upwards of 10 000 people a day are given a free meal

From the temples, our guide led us through the narrow winding streets of Chandni Chowk market. At first glance the market appears to be just one straight road, but is in fact a labyrinth of alleyways crammed with all kinds of shops. I felt safer walking here than I expected to but all the same probably wouldn’t venture here on my own. After a while we stopped to try parathas at a local paratha shop. I shared a mixed veg paratha and a paneer paratha with someone in the group. Oh my gosh, so so good! And it came with a side of sauces and veg curries included. The paneer one is a firm favourite. 

Interesting colourful doorways in the narrow alleys of the Chandni Chowk market

The paratha shop in Chandni Chowk market Old Delhi

The group on the GuruWalk walking tour. There were people from Israel, Spain, France, UK and me from SA, and the local guide from Delhi at the end of the table.

Parathas!

Mixed veg in the foreground and paneer in the back, served with various veg curries and sauces.

Next stop was a chai tea break further down the main street and then down to the spice market at the end of the road. A quick walk through a mosque and then on to a lovely hole in the wall lassi shop. The easiest way to describe lassi is as drinking yoghurt. They come as sweet, salted or with fruit most popularly with mango. I tried a mango lassi, oh my gosh so good! A meal in a glass lol. I wouldn’t normally eat and drink in the market but we felt safe with the guide showing us where to go. And with that, the tour ended. 

Chai tea shop

Spice market

View overlooking the spice market

Our guide explaining something at the spice market lookout point

First mango lassi!

I need to work on my selfie skills, apparently I look worried lol.

I made my way back to Connaught Place and had a tea at the bookshop while waiting for Justin to finish the workday. We decided to have dinner at CP before heading back to the hotel and thought we’d try Haldiram’s. Haldiram’s started in 1937 as a sweet shop and today has grown into a national restaurant chain. Tourists are often encouraged to eat here as a safe way of trying some of the street food options and also the many varieties of Indian sweets. There is also a retail section where one can purchase pre-packaged sweets and stores at the airport to satisfy a last craving. We shared a vegetarian Tali plate and also some street snacks, and of course a lassi. Definitely a good option if you are not sure where to eat or what to try. 

Veg tali tasting plate at Haldiram's, with extra naan lol

Street snack food

From CP it was back to the hotel to get packed and ready for our trip starting the next morning. 

A lot of people have asked me how was your trip, what was it like. It’s such a hard question to answer. We had so many mixed experiences. There are people haggling you and trying to rip you off, but there are also some really kind, friendly and helpful people. Just like everywhere. My typical answer is, it was good, a lot more intense than where we currently live in Vietnam, but good. 

On my first day in Delhi, I had to be at the bus pick up point at 08:00. After about 5 hours of very broken sleep, I chose the easy option of an Uber to get there. Our Uber rides always automatically go off the credit card so I was slightly confused when the uber driver asked for cash for the ride. Took me a moment to realise he was just taking a chance. It was only around $1.20 for the ride but still. At the first stop of the day I bought a chai tea (first chai!) for 10 rupees, the guy wasn’t very impressed that I gave him a 100 rupee note (his choices were 100 or 500 since it was my first purchase after arriving). I don’t usually check the change but decided to out of curiosity what the currency looks like and discovered he had given me a random unidentifiable non-Indian coin mixed in among the change. He was not happy when I pointed out his ‘mistake’. Need to keep your eyesies open and have your wits about you. 

Having said that though, there were also some really kind people that went out of their way to help me. Like the guy at the metro station that spent about 10 or 15 minute helping me to activate and load a metro card with credit, and show me how to navigate the airport style security at the metro. The lady at the bookshop who ordered in a book for me and messaged when it came in. All the kind people who helped me with directions. The super kind guide from the cycle tour that walked me to the metro station and even went part way on the metro with me. 

So just like everywhere really. Some good and some less good experiences mixed together with interesting sights and some good meals. 

See you next time for the start of our trip around the Golden Triangle!

In Loving Memory

Dear Milo, 

I didn’t know it was your last week. Your last day. The last few hours. If I did, I would have kept you home and not taken you to the vet for the tests that led to the end. I would have held you tight and not handed you over. 

But I think what happened would have happened anyway. And I’m glad you were not alone. I’m glad we were at the vet and they could help even though it was limited and couldn’t save you. I’m glad you were not alone at night or when we were out. I’m glad I was holding you as you crossed over. I hope you know I was holding you, talking to you, and Daddy was rubbing your little head. I hope you know you were not alone. 

We didn’t know how icky you were. And even if we did, there was nothing that could be done to help you. Maybe it’s better we didn’t know. But I’m sorry you carried your secret alone my dear boy. And I’m sorry for all the needle sticks and meds in your last two weeks. All the prodding and poking broke my heart but you were such a little champ. Well done my little one. 

Thank you my boy for being the most precious bunny that there ever was. The perfect mix of sweet and sassy. We are so glad you came to live with us and we wouldn’t change anything about you. You brought us so much joy and taught me so much about love, trust and forgiveness. Earning the trust of a bunny is the most beautiful thing. Thank you for loving and trusting us. You have spoiled us for any future bun or pet. 

The house is so very empty and quiet without you. For a small bunny and quiet animal, you sure took up a lot of space lol. And we wouldn’t have it any other way. It was so very hard picking up all your things. The house is so very empty. 

We miss your dramatic tunnel entries, hearing you munch on your rau muong, seeing your happiness when fresh veggies arrive and especially carrot treats, checking in on you and finding you completely passed out sleeping like you are dead giving me a small panic attack each time. They way you would koppie bump us as you hopped passed. Your happy binkies and zoomies in active hour. The way you would cuddle us on the big bed, your precious kisses and how you would get so relaxed you would fall asleep with us and snorkle. How you would dig on the bed, chew the blankets, and play with your toys. You were so patient when I brushed you and when we trimmed your nails. The goodest boy. How you would show your displeasure and grunt at us and dig on your food. The softness of your fur and finding it everywhere. Your lion mane that made you look like a punk. Finding your whiskers. Seeing you lying long bunny, a loaf, or splooting. Walking past and rubbing your little head while you snoozled in your tunnel and seeing how much pleasure it brought you. We think you were a happy bun and you knew you were loved and that brings us comfort.

We will love and miss you forever my dear boy. You will forever live in our hearts. We had you cremated and one day we will plant you in the garden with a flowering plant, maybe a rose or something. For now you are at home here with us and it comforts us. 

I know you are in heaven now. I know you have found Grandpa and all the pets that have gone before. You are perfect and whole and will never be sick again. And I know we will see you again. Until then. 

Thank you my darling boy for everything. Binky free, eat all the carrots, and be happy.

Love, Mommy and Daddy xxx