Incredible India: a voyage with Robyn and Sara

Day 2: Delhi

WE MADE IT… arrived Delhi at 9.45 pm (with 2 and a quarter hours to spare). And here we are sitting quietly in the foyer of our hotel, the Oberoi, while multiple staff process our reservation, take our bags to the room etc etc….

When we went through immigration, there was a problem with my visa…they thought it wasn’t granted but I had paperwork to prove that it was! Best part about immigration was that Robyn had to get her biometrics done while people over 70 are exempt from this process! Our car was waiting for us and we arrived at the hotel around 11.30 pm.

And guess what, we’d been upgraded to a room with a separate lounge. …….problem was it had a beautiful king size bed when we wanted twin beds! We got immediate attention from hotel staff who brought in new twin mattresses, while providing us with tea and biscuits in our lounge until the job was done.

First thing this morning, a very enthusiastic Robyn got up at 6.45 pm to be taken to Lodhi Garden for an exclusive Yoga session for our travel group. And it was indeed exclusive…. We thought we would be travellling with another 10 people but there was just Robyn! Turns out that there are only 2 people in our group…Robyn and I!

Our first stop was the Qutub Minar, which is a minaret and tower which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city. It is a UNESCO world heritage site in South Delhi. It was mostly built between 1199 and 1220, contains 399 steps, and is one of the most-frequented heritage spots in the city. Quran-ud-din Aibak initiated construction of the Qutub Minar, but only managed to finish the first level. Successors continued the construction. It is seen as the earliest and best example of a fusion or synthesis of Hindu-Muslim traditions.

Then a visit to the memorial for Mahatma Gandhi but not before a security check (there are security checks everywhere in anticipation of their major Republican celebration on Jan 26 …not something aussies will be doing on the same date!)

Highlight of the day was probably the experience of visiting one of the largest markets in Old Delhi, Chandni Chowk….thousands of people, rickshaws, tut-tuts, motorbikes and cars all competing for space, horns blaring continually…..

This little girl was balancing along a line, with amazing grace and style to earn some money

You’ll have to wait to hear about the rest of day tomorrow!