Intriguing India - a week long trip in Summer
- F&F
- Dec 23, 2019
- 14 min read
Updated: Dec 24, 2019
Enjoy our short travel experience to India, a neighboring country from our homeland, Bangladesh. This time, we took the opportunity to leave the kids with Grandma in Bangladesh and go for a week-long trip just by ourselves - me and my husband. Granted that summer is not the best time to go to North India, we still took a chance, knowing that the kids would not be with us and us two could somehow manage to bear the otherwise unbearable heat...
July 12, 2018 - Arrival in Delhi
We reached Delhi pretty late at night, our plane landing at about 11:30 pm. Thankfully, we had already made travel arrangements with a local tourist guide (The Majestic Agra tours) from the Delhi/Agra area, and the driver was scheduled to pick us up at the airport and drop us off to our hotel in Old Delhi, right at the heart of all the mouthwatering street food, the bazaars at Chandni Chowk lined up with colorful shops, the amazing intricate architecture of the Mughal era buildings all around. We had booked our stay in Delhi at the Haveli Dharampura, a restored traditional courtyard home (or more like a palace), from the Mughal periods in the late 1800s since we wanted to get a real (regal) feel for the Mughal period through the amazing architecture of the Haveli, while not giving up on the modern amenities we have unfortunately gotten used to in life. On arrival at our destination though, I must say I was a tad bit disappointed, since the car had to be parked on the main street in front of the police station, a bit far from the entrance to the Haveli, which was inside a very narrow alley, and all the luggage had to be hauled in to the haveli (thankfully we were traveling light!). By the time we reached our destination (which was about 45 minutes away from the Indira Gandhi International Airport) it was way past midnight and the area felt unusually quiet, and a bit eerie, and I was not really impressed with the dirty narrow alleyways and all the trash lying around everywhere in the streets… at one point I was like - did we make a wrong choice booking our stay here?
The arrival at the Haveli however, was a different story altogether. All my feelings of doubt disappeared in a split of a second! It felt like we had gone back in time to an era you can only see in movies - the grand arched gateway entrance to the courtyard, the intricate wood carvings on the main entrance, the lime concrete flooring - it all just felt surreal.
The check-in process at the Haveli was also pretty smooth and we were greeted by friendly faces at the reception. After completing our check-in formalities (copies of all the passports, filling out some forms etc.) we were shown in to our spacious room, the Shahjahan suite - which did not disappoint either! Tired from the flight, we were ready to retire for the night.
July 13, 2018 - Exploring Delhi
In the morning, we decided to go explore the Haveli a bit before heading down to the restaurant for breakfast, which was included with our booking. The entrance to each room in the Haveli is from a balcony overlooking the central courtyard. We went around the balcony area outside our room, admiring the amazing architecture once more, this time in the early morning sunlight. Next, we headed over to the gorgeous rooftop terrace, which offers a fascinating view of the area - the Jama Masjid, the Gurudwara Sis Ganj, the Red Fort and the surrounding areas of Old Delhi.
After taking a few pictures to preserve those memories, we decided to head down for breakfast, feeling hungry already. Breakfast was served in the Lakhori restaurant, located on the ground floor, and like the rest of the Haveli, this place also had the same beautiful ethnic ambiance in the architecture as well as the food that was served. The 3 course breakfast menu comprising of a buffet of mostly western dishes, and Indian food made to order, was simply mouth-watering. It was like street food being served in a more sanitized and regal environment - we ate to our hearts' (and tummies') content… getting ready for a full day of sightseeing ahead.
Sightseeing in Delhi began in the area near our hotel. Our first stop naturally was the Jama Masjid which was literally a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Our tourist guide walked with us from teh hotel lobby and guided us to where the mosque was. The Jama Masjid, built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, is an absolute architectural beauty, built of sandstone and marble, adorned with black onyx.
Upon entry into the mosque, we were amazed at the size of the huge open courtyard which we were told can accommodate about 25 thousand people for prayers. The day was a Friday, which is jumma day, hence the shades were being put up to protect people from the scorching sun in prep for the prayers at noon. We spent an hour or so walking around the mosque, admiring the architectural beauty of the towering minarets and taking a few pictures.
Next, we wanted to get a taste of Old Delhi, especially the Chandni Chowk area and explore the surrounding tangle of alleyways. There was no better way to do this other than hiring a rickshaw - so we did. The rickshaw puller took us for a 30 minute ride in the area, where we saw the colorful shops lined up on the narrow maze of alleys, the street food vendors selling everything starting from vegetables, to fruit juices to jilebis and samosas, and those tangling electric wires dangerously hanging from one side of the street to the other. It was an amazing vibe only to be realized in ancient parts of the town in the Indian subcontinent!
We also saw the famous Paranthe Wali Gali, renowned for its succulent deep-fried stuffed parathas, and known to sell parathas with 40+ different kinds of stuffings(as we were told).
After exploring the Chandni Chowk area, our tourist guide accompanied us to the popular tourist places in Delhi... Our first stop was the monumental sandstone arch known as India Gate, a war memorial located across the eastern end of the Rajpath, formerly known as Kingsway.
Our next stop was Humayun's tomb... This tomb, built in 1570 by the great emperor Akbar (Emperor Humayun's son), is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. This is the first of the grand dynastic mausoleums that were to become synonyms of Mughal architecture, inspiring several major architectural innovations in future, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal .
We next drove past the Parliament building, and the Qutub Minar, not stopping to go in, since we were tight on time.
One thing that pleasantly surprised us in Delhi was the amount of trees in this densely populated metropolitan city. Everywhere we went, we saw lots and lots of trees, quite contrary to all the stuff we read about pollution and what not. The day ended with a heavy downpour of monsoon rains... causing the already bad traffic to become so much more worse. Our guide dropped us off near our hotel late in the afternoon. By then the rains had subsided and we had the evening to roam around the Old Delhi area for ourselves.
The day could not be completed without a trip to Karim's - thanks to facebook and all our friends who recommended this place as a must go for mouthwatering kababs.
Definitely the succulent and spicy kababs at Karim's did not disappoint.
Full and satiated, we now had to satisfy our sweet teeth, so we made a stop to the authentic Jalebi stand (the old famous Jalebi wala) and got a taste of the thick, juicy, crispy and crunchy golden-colored Jalebis made with the aromatic desi ghee - aaahh… what a life!
We were ready to call it a day...
July 14, 2018 - On our way to Agra
Today was our drive from Delhi to Agra - which was also a pre-arranged trip with our travel guide. Right after breakfast at the Haveli, we packed our luggage and loaded the car - our driver was already waiting for us near the police station on the main road. The road to Agra was a scenic one, passing small villages with regular scenes of agricultural lands, but nothing amazing or noteworthy. However, we were really amazed by the quality of the 3 lane expressway connecting the two cities - easily comparable to any highway in the US. The total travel time was about 3.5 hours. On the way to Agra, we had lunch at a rest area located right beside the freeway. The quality of the food was pretty good.
On arrival to Agra, we first checked in to our hotel (Courtyard by Marriott Agra), conveniently located near the Taj Mahal, which was our main point of attraction in this city. After freshening up a bit, we headed out for our afternoon sightseeing.
Our very first stop was the Agra fort, which was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until the capital got moved to Delhi in 1638. This is another piece of marvelous architectural beauty, and a must see in Agra. Below is a picture of the magnificent marble palace of the Musamman Burj, where Shahjahan spent his last few years as a prisoner, gazing at the Taj Mahal from his death bed.
After spending about an hour at the Agra Fort, appreciating the architectural beauty of the Diwan e Khas, Emperor Jahangir's palace built of red sandstone, the Shish Mahal, etc, we headed over to the Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, constructed by Noor Jahan for her father Mirza Ghias Beg. This tomb is fondly referred to as Baby Taj, due to the resemblance in architecture with the Taj Mahal with the white marble and pietra dura inlay.
Our final stop for the evening was Mehtab Bagh - a tranquil and peaceful garden (without the crowds) situated across the Jamuna river and a perfect place to view the magnificent Taj Mahal. The garden itself is nothing amazing, but the main attraction is the backdrop of the Taj. We wanted to time it right so that we could enjoy the gorgeous view of the Taj Mahal in the background in the glowing golden dusk sunlight. This is another must stop for Taj Mahal photography - if you have time, try to not miss this view. Below is a picture taken from Mehtab Bagh.
We spent quite a bit of time in this garden, mostly to enjoy the views of the gorgeous Taj, taking quite a few pictures, until it got a bit too dark for photography. We were now ready to head back to the hotel. We decided to have dinner at the rooftop restaurant (Grills by the Pool) at our hotel and retire for the night early, since we were planning to wake up really early the next day to beat the crowds and the heat at the Taj.
July 15, 2018 - The Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Chand Baori at Abaneri
Today was the day - we were going to spend this day exploring one of the most beautiful architectural creations in history, and one of India's most famous landmarks - the Taj Mahal!! We had less than a day budgeted for the Taj, so the day had to start early - very early. This was also a recommended trick (by fellow travel experts online) to beat the crowds, and get to enjoy this marvelous creation by Emperor Shahjahan in solitude (as much is realistically feasible). Our driver was supposed to be at our hotel for pickup at 5 am, but he was running late. We decided to hire a three wheeler tuk-tuk, since the distance was less than 10 minutes. We arrived at the Taj Mahal by 5:15 am, got our tickets from the ticketing window, and by 5:45 we were already inside.
Nothing can express the feeling of awe that took over when I first set eyes on this massive work of art! Since my childhood I have seen countless photographs of the Taj Mahal, but nothing can attest to what I saw before my own eyes. This was just breathtaking!
It was a very hot an humid day - I would say weather-wise this was the worst day of our trip. Literally dripping with sweat, we spent a good 5-6 hours admiring the intricate carvings of floral patterns and inlays of precious stones arranged into artistic designs both on the exterior and interior of this grand construction.
After our early morning tour of the Taj, we went back to our hotel for a late breakfast, which was a feast in itself. The rest of the day would be our journey to Jaipur, so we needed to load up with ample amounts of food before we started. Once done with breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and started on our way to Jaipur. The plan was to make a couple of stops on the way - Fatehpur Sikri and Chand Baori at Abaneri.
The distance from our hotel to Fatehpur Sikri was about an hour. Fatehpur Sikri is a small city in northern India, just west of Agra, which served as the capital of the Mughal empire for more than a decade in the sixteenth century. The cluster of the red sandstone buildings at the center of the city is its signature. Surrounded by a massive fortification wall, Fatehpur Sikri is made up of two distinct parts - the Jama Masjid (mosque) and the tomb of Sufi saint Salim Chishti located just behind the magnificent Buland Darwaza (Gate of Magnificence), shown in the picture below.
Other points of attraction at the Fatehpur Sikri are - the carved central pillar at the Diwan-E-Khas hall, and the mix of Hindu and Mughal architectural styles at the Jodha Bais Palace.
We spent about an hour and a half walking around Fatehpur Sikri, with our bare foot (required) burning in the scorching sun. We were pretty hungry by this time (the breakfast could only hold up for so long), and were ready to make a food stop. On our way to Rajasthhan, we stopped at a nearby restaurant, Hotel Monarch for lunch. Hunger is the best sauce - the pretty standard food tasted delicious!
The next stop was the Chand Baori at Abaneri - one of the oldest step wells in the Rajasthhan area. Centuries ago, the stepwells were built in the arid zones of Rajasthan to provide water all year through. The steps of the well form a magical maze pattern and the play of light and shadow on this unique geometric structure gives it a captivating look.
About an hour later, we were ready to go on our way to Jaipur, the capital and the largest city of the state of Rajasthhan. Known as the Pink City, this is one of most beautiful cities of India. One highlight on the way to the Pink city was the camel drawn carts on the streets, alongside the cars and auto-rickshaws.
After a long day of travel, at about 6:00 pm in the evening, we checked into our hotel, the Trident. We had a room with an amazing view overlooking the Man Sagar Lake, with a view of the Jal Mahal, a low rise symmetrical palace in the middle of the lake. The lighting on the Jal Mahal in the evening created a mesmerizing and mystical view to stare at from the balcony.
We were ready to end this day, in anticipation of another great one...
July 16, 2018 - Around Jaipur
Today was a day around the vibrant pink city. Our first stop of the morning was the Amber Fort. The weather today was much more pleasant, less humid and there was a mild breeze to cool us off - it felt heavenly after the sweltering heat at the Taj the day before. On our arrival at Amber Fort (also known as Amer Fort), we decided to take a ride on the elephant's back to go all the way up to the fort located high on a hilltop. We had a gorgeous view of the Jaipur city including Maota lake, the Aravalli mountain range and the saffron gardens (Kesar Kyari) as we rode through the winding path on the elephant's back. This reminded me somewhat of the donkey ride I had taken with my daughter in Santorini a few years back, although it was really nothing in comparison (fear-factor wise).
After a 10 minute ride with magnificent views to enjoy, we reached the grandiose fort made of sandstone and marble, with an architectural fusion of Rajput (Hindu) and Mughal (Islamic) styles. Amber Fort consists of a series of four courtyards, palaces, halls, and gardens. At the entrance lies the primary courtyard, known as the Jaleb Chowk.
Heading inside the fort, up the stately staircase from Jaleb Chowk courtyard, we reached the second courtyard that houses the Diwan-e-Aam (Hall of Public Audience) with its many pillars.
The third courtyard, accessed through the ornate mosaic Ganesh Pol, is where the king's private quarters were located. It has two buildings on each end separated by an expansive ornamental garden. Here we marveled over the fort's most exquisite part -- the Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences). Its walls are covered in intricate mirror work, using glass imported from Belgium - this is known as the Sheesh Mahal (Hall of Mirrors), and was built by the king Man Singh in the 16th century to please his demanding queen who wanted to see the stars during the daytime.
After about 2-3 hours at the Amer fort, we made a quick stop to the Hawa Mahal, another palace made of the signature red and pink sandstone, built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. We did not enter the palace, but just looked at it from the street-side shops from across the street.
Today, we got some time to make a quick shopping stop for some souvenirs right outside the city palace. Things were pretty cheap, and I got a few pieces of the traditional Rajasthhan/Jaipur jewelry for myself. Our next stop was the City Palace which was also built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh during his reign. One notable thing we saw at the City Palace were the four Gates to the dance courtyard denoting the four seasons - Autumn, Spring, Summer and Winter. We spent about 30 minutes walking around, taking a few pictures.
Later in the afternoon we started our drive back to Delhi, since this would be our intermediate stop-over before our journey to Shimla the next day. On the way, we had lunch at the Gangaur Midway restaurant right off of the national highway 11. Our favorite Haveli Dharampura hotel in Old Delhi was our destiny for the night. After checking in to the hotel, we went out for our second dinner at Karim's - just could not resist those kebabs for yet another time. Of course, the jalebis needed some love as well, so off we went to get another round...
July 17, 2018 - The amazing road trip to Shimla
Our drive to Shimla started very early in the morning, at about 7 am. After a 7 hour journey, we were finally at our resort (the Woodsmoke Resort and Spa) at 3 pm. The magnificent resort atop a forested ridge at 6200 ft was located in a city named Shoghi, 5 km away from Shimla. The journey by car from Delhi was long and arduous, but the magnificent views of the cloud covered mighty Himalayan mountains and the lush green valleys made this one of the most amazing road trips of our lives...
And finally, when we reached our hotel, that was a surprise on its own, with the majestic views of the mountains, floating clouds and valleys all around, with the resort rooms perched at different levels on the side of the hills…this felt like heaven on earth!
We were just starving, so decided to head out to the resort restaurant for some lunch. Daal tarka and mixed veggies is our staple food for lunch these days, so we ended up ordering the same.
The views from our hotel room were simply to die for. The room had a large window overlooking the valleys, and the views of the clouds on the mountain tops changed by the minute! You could literally spend hours just sitting rocking on the window side rocking chair and look at the floating clouds... we spent the rest of the evening and afternoon relaxing at the resort, and resting after the day-long arduous journey...
July 18, 2018 - A Chillaxin' day at the resort in Shoghi
The original plan for today was to take a trip to the main town of Shimla. However, my husband got a bit sick (stomach bug) and we decided to take it easy and enjoy the resort instead. The day started out as bright and sunny, with deep blue skies...
Soon after breakfast though, the clouds started floating in and the torrents started loud and strong.
This was yet another view of nature that was thoroughly enjoyable sitting indoors. The soothing sound of the raindrops on the tin roof - it was just priceless!
We spent quite a bit of time reading books at the resort library and enjoying the sights and sounds of the rainfall from the window overlooking the valleys - a very tranquil and lazy day to end the vacation. We were in for more surprises though... Before we knew it, the rains disappeared, and the sun started peeking out from behind the clouds... and lo and behold, there was this beautiful rainbow peeking out of the valleys and from behind the mountains right in front of us!
Our trip to Shoghi is one we will cherish for the rest of our lives... Tomorrow we will be leaving for Bangladesh via a flight to Delhi and then Kolkata. Time to say goodbye to this land of beautiful treasures... we hope to be back again someday, to some other part of this beautiful country... till then...
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