|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 2:09:22 GMT
Have you ever been on a very long train ride? I mean the kind that goes on for 10 hours? (and in some cases maybe even longer - 14 hours plus)? Well it's no fun! Years back when I lived in England, I would commute daily from Kent (where I lived) to London (where I worked). I hated this commute, it was tedious and hard to sit through day after day. Depending on the train, it could take 40 minutes (on a fast train) and an hour and half if you were unlucky enough to only to catch the slow, stops everywhere kind of train. And that's not including delays! Welcome to train travel in India. So there we were on our way to Delhi. I was shocked to hear that it would take us 10 hours. Oh no, really? 10 hours? In fact it was late (as they too often are) and it took a good 12 hours. I guess we were lucky to get a seat, some people didn't have one. I had not come prepared for this and bought nothing to read with me or anything else. It was just as well, the people around me were much more entertaining then any old book or newspaper, to my relief time passed a lot quicker than I had expected. It must have been more boring for my sons as they did not speak Punjabi, but I amused myself by listening to the conversations around me. As usual the train was full of mostly men, I'd say about 90% were men. They talked loud and about everything under the sun. Some played card games to pass the time away. As soon as one person moved (to go to the toilet or to go and sit with a friend elsewhere) someone else took their seat. That is unless the person they were with announced it was already taken. To begin with I felt uncomfortable being surrounded by so many men, but was glad that I seemed accepted in a strange sort of way. After all I was not really a 'true' Indian woman, just a foreigner pretending to be one. And as such I was allowed leeway, kind of like you would give a wayward child. The train was dusty, (well dirty to be honest), and we caught it at 6am - too early for the likes of me, but that was one of the few that was heading for Delhi that day, any later and we would have ended up in the Capital City after dark. Not a good idea. After all once we got there, we would be completely left to our own devices and getting to and finding a hotel was going to a challenge anyway, I could tell. This was all new territory for us now. We better learn fast. I was worried, okay more than worried. I had heard so much about Delhi, and most of it was not good. In fact I was warned more than once to be careful, to stay vigilant, to be aware of scams and taxi drivers who'd charge you the earth or had a habit of taking you anywhere but where you'd ask them to. Watch out for criminals, make sure our belongings were not stolen. Be careful, be careful, be careful.... it kept ringing in my head. As well as the same little voice that kept on saying: "What are you doing? Why are you going to such a dangerous city with you precious sons no less? Are you nuts? Have you completely lost it? You'll never come out of this alive, deyana this is the stupidest thing you have ever done, do you honestly think you can handle this, do you really think you are that tough? no way!" I kept pushing that little voice to the back of head. "Go away, I ain't no sissy! I can do this - there is no turning back". That was not true of course, my family had told me, I could return home (to the village) any time. Any problems at all, just come back. My dear mom was worried as heck, in the next few days I'd spend much time on the phone talking to, reassuring her that we were okay. And if we weren't, I just lied. *We're okay mom, we are not sick, no one tired to mug us, we have a place to sleep for the night". "For God's sake don't go any further, just see the Taj Mahal and don't go anywhere else." She said. "And don't forget the name of the big Sikh temple there, if you can't find anywhere for the night, go there". Hmm... perhaps she was worried because she knew me only too well. I was going to tell her that I was all grown up now, no longer was I the reckless little girl/teenager she had never understood. Instead, I just replied politely "yes, mom, no, mom" and left it at that.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 2:57:07 GMT
I observed the countryside and big and small towns that passed by. I could see large brick and concrete houses dotted around, nice neighborhoods, I thought. Pretty green farms complete with cattle. Small streams and many types of trees.
But also there were many people who seemed to congregate and make their homes around the train lines and train stations. Poor displaced people who put up make shift tents to live in. There were some that were even made of wood and I saw a few that had satellite dishes appearing from the roofs. And next to these shanty abodes would be huge amounts of garbage, sometimes to one side, sometimes scattered wherever. And then there was the smell. The smell of sewage.
The train made many stops, and at each station we'd hear "Chai Chai Cahi" echoed. Not only tea, but coffee and different kinds of snacks and bottled water were being sold. Some of these people who peddled their goods would jump on at one station and go through the train and then get off at another station. There really was no peace or quiet to be had. But this was India, you just had to go with the flow.
I wondered how the man who was accompanying us on this trip (the friend of the family) could stand to do so many hours in the train every day (or was it every other day)? When did he get time to actually do his job here in Delhi and at what time did he set back home again? What a difficult way to make a living I thought.
Eventually we arrived at New Delhi train station. It is one of the busiest stations in the country. We tried to get off the train but found we couldn't as too many people were trying to get on! I saw a man going through the window to try and get in, everyone was pushing and shoving. I couldn't understand what the rush was. I would soon learn, that if traveling by general (3rd class), you had to grab a seat quick or stand maybe for the rest of the journey.
If you wanted to be guaranteed a seat, you had better book a 'sleeper' or first class seat. Sleepers are very popular, but hard to come by, sometimes they have to be booked weeks in advance. But I found out, weeks into our journey, that there ways to get around this (sometimes).
|
|
|
Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 3:07:55 GMT
Good start. I generally don't like travelling by trains in India and especially overnight trains anywhere- 12 hrs is too much!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 14:24:48 GMT
It is and it was. I'm not much of a train traveler either. But unfortunately that is sometimes the only way to get from A to B.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 14:25:14 GMT
We did manage to get a hotel that night, but it was not easy. We had a budget that we had worked out and wanted to try and keep to as much as possible. But, as is always the way, we would end up going quite a bit over budget, but I was prepared for this. The taxi drivers were not co-operative, we had in mind a list of hotels we wanted to stay in, but found out that each taxi driver (or auto-rickshaw driver) had their own ideas where they would rather take you.
Right outside of New Delhi railway station many taxis and auto-rickshaws can be found lined up. They all have 'deals' with the hotels and work on commission. By that I mean, they will insist that only so and so hotel will do, is in our price range, is the best location etc. etc. and they are very reluctant to take you anywhere else. The hotel owners give these drivers commission for bringing in customers. Which means that our hotel room would end up costing quite a bit more than it would if we just found the place ourselves, as these guys are paid from what we are charged for the room.
Also worth remembering they will almost always try and overcharge you for the ride to the hotel (or wherever else you want to go). You have to bargain it down. It's much better to tell them to put on the meter, as these meter charges are set up by the government, they are very reasonable. However we found, these drivers do not like using meters for obvious reasons!
The hotels in Delhi are not cheap. Well, actually, it seemed that way on that first day, but truth is some of them ARE quite cheap, basically you get what you pay for. We weren't looking for posh 5 star hotels, but we did want decent ones, so often we paid quite a bit over then we expected to in order to get these. We needed a large room, with a private bathroom, hopefully with air-conditioning, and room service, a family room always did well for us.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 14:58:35 GMT
So how about some photos you may be asking yourself? Our first hotel in India was called the Rama Inn, it was on a busy street, here are a couple of photos from our third floor room of the street below. We often found that quite nice hotels were situated in not very nice streets. There was a feeling of 'them and us'. A different story for those 'inside' and those who worked and lived 'outside' of the hotel doors. This area would grow on me. After I got over the initial shock of the masses of people, noise, dogs, rickshaws, cows, cars, carts, a camel and an elephant or two, just outside of the hotel doors, I started to relax a bit more and take in the real India. The hotel staff were really nice and the place was owned by a woman. (wow). The roof tops in front of our room. If the building is owned by a hotel, kitchens can often be found on these roof tops. There was one just above our room too, which catered for us and everyone else in the hotel. Whole families live behind and above these commercial dwellings. Perhaps they are the wife and kids and relatives of the shop/restaurant/hotel/business owners or perhaps they just rented permanent rooms there. Each morning I'd see little kids dressed in school uniforms waiting for a small white bus to take them to school. Other than that, and as was the story in many other places, the area was run mostly by men. I never saw a woman waitress all the time I was in the North of India. And it was not until we got to the South (Goa mostly) that I started to see women running their own shops and cafes and working as hotel receptionists.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 19:45:29 GMT
I should mention that there are some rules/laws in place and set out by the Indian government whereas each time a person books into a hotel, and they are from abroad, they must show their passports at the reception desk. Here photocopies (or scans) are taken of passport details and of visas. Often hotels will not have photocopying facilities on the premises and so your passports will be whipped away to some other building elsewhere for the copies done. I never felt comfortable giving over my passport, I think most people feel the same way. What if it doesn't back? Is lost or is stolen? But we didn't have much choice in the matter and thankfully our passports stayed intact and accounted for. Details of our journey, where we come from, where we are going also had to be recorded. Then all this information (I was told) was sent off to the Police Commissioners office. I guess the government wants to keep an eye on who is in the country at any given time. Where to begin exploring Delhi? The hotel manager suggested we should maybe book a guided bus tour of the City. 'Sure okay, why not'? I'll post some of the photos we took on this tour, as well as random imagines caught while walking around the city. I found that the bus tour was too fast moving, in that it really didn't give us enough time to look properly through all the buildings and sites of interest. Weeks later, on our way home, just before we head off back to Canada, we would stay in Delhi again (and at the same hotel too ), and at that time we'd further explore this Capital City. Some images of Delhi: These were taken in an area where the posher and more expensive hotels are located, as well as government and other bigger establishments and buildings are situated: Below, is the Jantar Mantar: 'Jantar Mantar is very popular among tourists and the people of Delhi. The structure is another great masterpiece of Indian architecture which shows the scientific acumen of ancient India. Jantar Manter is situated at Parliament Street, very close to Connaught Place. Jantar Mantar is also called Delhi Observatory. It is maintained by the Jaipur government because it was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1710 A.D.' We found that many of the buildings we would pass on this walk had armed guards at the gates. Also notice how clean and well kept this area of Delhi is. Many international travelers, business men from India and abroad as well as other bigwigs pass through here, so it is well maintained:
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 19:46:40 GMT
|
|
|
Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 21:49:21 GMT
I am surprised that you did not find any radio cabs at the railway station.
Great shots. Looking at the postal code in one of them, you were in New Delhi...somewhere I don't spend a lot of time typically, so nice to go through here.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 21:58:36 GMT
This is excellent so far! Frankly, I have always loved 'endless' train trips. My longest one ever was from Paris to Lisbon in 1971 -- it took 27 hours! By then, you feel that the train is your home, but you didn't have the advantage of the chai sellers at every stop -- you needed to have sufficient provisions with you or be prepared to pay the high fees of the official refreshment cart on board (I would have never considered the restaurant car back then -- way over my budget!).
However, I will admit that I felt less comfortable on long train (and bus) trips in Indonesia, Egypt, Thailand and Vietnam. When the country is a really alien land, it is hard to relax.
It is a constant struggle with taxi drivers to get them to take you where you want. I found that the most efficient lie was to tell them I had already paid for the hotel where I wanted to go. As thieving as they are, most of them feel guilty to try to get you to pay for a place if you have already paid for somewhere else. My other threat was to just tell them 'let me off right now if you can't find the address that I asked for!'
I absolutely love the views from your hotel in Delhi. That is where one feels borderline tugs about what to do -- "I feel safe up here in my room, but down there looks both interesting and dangerous!"
As for the YMCA, in Asia, they run quite a few quite luxurious hotels. I have stayed in their hotels in the past in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. In fact, sometimes, they are over my price range! It is amusing to note that just a couple of days ago, I came across the YMCA hostel in Paris -- I didn't even know that it existed. If I can find it again, I fully intend to take a few photos of it.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 22:41:11 GMT
Radio cabs, ansh? What are they? I never noticed them. Thanks, Kerouac. Since writing about the 12 hour journey to Delhi someone asked me if I have tried the Toronto to British Columbia train. That would take days, it doesn't appeal to me somehow, even though I know the scenery would be amazing. If I have to drive I like to use my own car, there's nothing like the freedom that gives you. Yes, we started to tell taxi and rickshaw drivers the same thing! That we already had a hotel booked, it didn't always stop them from trying to take us elsewhere and more than once we simply left the vehicle. Real interesting knowing that about the YMCA. A had no idea. I'm enjoying writing about my trip, as you can tell I like to write
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on May 12, 2013 2:15:22 GMT
We too were aware that some countries require that the Hotel may take your passport in order to complete their paperwork thus we were prepared when they took them from us in Switzerland and in Belgium through the years.
They have never been taken from us by the Hotels in all the different place we have stayed in France, looked at, things recorded, but never taken away from us.
It is a strange feeling, you feel vulnerable, even though I have a copy with me and copies at home with relatives.
Deyana I know here in Canada it is quite common for 10, or more, hour train rides, from Timmins to Toronto would probably be a 10 hour ride. I have never take a train in Canada, same as until a few months ago, I had never taken the subway here! I think many Canadians are quite used to getting themselves to and from anywhere with their cars wanting to be in control of where and when we stop.
I do think your trip was a pretty brave adventure and understand why your mom and others would be worried about you traveling to some of the places you did. It is all different for a woman to do something like this but knowing the language was probably your biggest strength in my mind. Would you do it again?
|
|
|
Post by anshjain97 on May 12, 2013 3:31:36 GMT
|
|
|
Post by htmb on May 12, 2013 16:01:31 GMT
Deyana, I have been fascinated with your reports. There's a lot of information for my brain to process!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 13:17:52 GMT
ansh, what do all those letters and numbers mean?! mich, I never knew they did similar things over in other counties too. It's been a long time since I traveled anywhere but the US and the UK. It really does make a person feel vulnerable, I mean what would happen if a passport went missing? Can you imagine the hassle of trying to get a new one and, in India, how long would that take? I wouldn't know where to start! I just thank God that ours all came back each time. Yep, same here, I've always driven my own car when traveling around Canada (or the US). Never a train. My step-daughter did take the train across the country, it's a completely different kind of experience. I never knew it took so long just from Timmins to Toronto. We sure live in helluva big country! Would I do the trip again? I would, but not the same route as I took this time. Next time I'd really like to go a little further North to see Kashmir and then more East , maybe even a trip to Tibet, and then East to South of India. I was protected during this whole trip, in many different ways, so it was not really that hard. By that I mean always had my two bodyguards with me (my sons!), my family were just on the other side of the phone line, I spoke the language, or somehow made myself understood in the different dialects there are in India, and I look like the locals, and many of them warmed up to me, especially when they learnt that I was actually born in the country, so that was nice. So all in all, I know I probably had it easier than someone else might have done. htmb, I'm so glad that you are finding my reports about India interesting. I have so many memories of the trip rolling around in my head, sometimes I don't what what to add in or leave out. I hope you continue to follow my journey!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 13:29:41 GMT
We walk further on and find what we are looking for - The Sikh Temple of Delhi. Otherwise known as Gurdwara Bangla Sahib Sikh temple. (My mom would never have forgiven me if we hadn't gone to see this) The temple is situated not far from Connaught Place, New Delhi. 'The grounds include the temple, a kitchen, a large pond, a school and an art gallery. As with all Sikh Gurdwaras, the concept of langar is practiced, and all people, regardless of race or religion may eat in the Gurdwara kitchen (langar hall). The Langar (food) is prepared by gursikhs who work there and also by volunteers who like to help out. At the Gurdwara, visitors are requested to cover their hair and not to wear shoes. Assistance to foreigners and visitors with Guides, head scarves, and shoe-minding service can be found inside the compound and are available free of charge. The complex also houses a higher secondary school, Baba Baghel Singh Museum, a library and a hospital. Air Conditioning has been done inside the Gurudwara and also for the Langar Hall.' So, we give in our shoes at the building provided just for that purpose, as do all the other visitors. I see people who seem to come from near and far. Lots of Europeans as well are visiting today. The complex is huge and again, as soon as I enter he grounds, a feeling of complete peace seems to surround me. Here are a few photos I took of the temple:
|
|
|
Post by anshjain97 on May 13, 2013 16:13:38 GMT
Oh- that's the link for images of the radio cabs. Very long, I know. For specific companies here, look at Meru, EasyCabs, Ola Cabs and Mega Cabs.
|
|
|
Post by anshjain97 on May 13, 2013 16:14:20 GMT
I've not been saying this, but I'm sure you know, your shots and description are great.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 17:01:29 GMT
It really does make a person feel vulnerable, I mean what would happen if a passport went missing? Can you imagine the hassle of trying to get a new one and, in India, how long would that take? I wouldn't know where to start! I just thank God that ours all came back each time. Particularly in the countries of Indochina, I got really used to just knowing that my passport was in a shoebox behind the counter. I think that basically all of the employees are too afraid of the authorities to imagine any sort of passport trafficking -- even just one foreigner making a big stink would probably not only get the place closed down but half the staff thrown in prison. Generally, though, if I was staying anywhere more than two days, I would prefer to get my passport back anyway. They had filled out all of their lengthy forms by then and just assumed that I needed to change money at the bank. However, I had some very tense moments in various airports around the world (including Mumbai) back in the days of paper plane tickets when an employee would take the ticket to do stuff and never come back...! There was nothing dishonest about this. It was along the lines of "I have to see the supervisor about this" (oh, he's not there and I'm going off shift... I'll leave it for my colleague...) -- of course I was never informed about such things. Sometimes, three hours later I would notice somebody wandering around with a ticket that looked like mine -- and jump on him. Okay, I have gone off topic long enough...
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 17:53:17 GMT
I've not been saying this, but I'm sure you know, your shots and description are great. Thanks, ansh. You're a sweetheart
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 18:03:55 GMT
Off topic is fine, Kerouac. I think we learn more from those off-topic conversations then we realize.
Oh wow, what happened to you in Mumbai all those years ago was not good. And what can you do in such a situation? If you cause a ruckus (like we all want to at times), Lord knows what then could happen, probably make the situation worse.
I found that it wasn't just hotels that wanted our passports, my middle boy tried to get a cell phone activated, (it was bought in India - a smart phone, called an iphone), and they wanted his passport then too, it was whipped away, but thankfully came back (Phew!). He never did get it activated in India, reason being we were leaving Delhi the next day and the company (called 'idea') would have needed to contact him before activating and they would not do it unless he was in Delhi at the time. (Long story, but when we came back to Delhi all those weeks later, the telephone shop guy gave him a full refund). And then we destroyed the SIM card to it as well.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 18:06:05 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 18:06:48 GMT
Delhi is a fascinating place. Each day is an adventure and you never quite know what you might see day to day, hour to hour even. Okay, I'll say it - minute to minute! As soon as you leave you hotel room you are in the midst of all kinds of activity. Frank Sinatra claimed that 'New York, New York was the city that never sleeps', well nor does Delhi! Well they do sleep for a few hours anyway, but not for long. The days are packed full. To really get used to being in Delhi I'm sure you need a good 6 months to a year, there is just so much to take in. The ancient with the very modern, the extremely wealthy with the dirt poor, the eye-catching, the good and the bad and the ugly. Images of Delhi - Delhi underground train station. A very modern and well built metro: We took the underground to go and see the Lotus Temple, which was quite aways from our hotel. I was impressed with how it was run, although, as in any public place in a large city in India, it was crowded. I took some more photos of the subway, but (apart from the one above), they did not come out. So if I may I'll add a couple off the net, as I'd really like to show what this underground looks like: Map of the Delhi Metro: [/URL] There are many 'handicraft' shops in Delhi (and in most major cities in India). These stores are run by the government and are there to advertise and sell the better made and higher quality merchandise. Things like silk carpets, beautiful sari's that can take months to make, sandalwood ornaments, gold, silver and precious stones, just to mention a few things. They are never busy though and rickshaw drivers are paid a commission (or sometimes get free gas or 'points' - which goes towards renewing their tuk tuk licences each year). They will rarely admit to this of course, but it's a case of 'you rub my back and I'll rub yours' kind of deal. We were told that no child labor is used in the making of the goods. I had a giggle one time, when we walked in and everyone was laying around in the store sleeping! As soon as we opened the door to go inside they instantly sprung to attention. These workers in these handicraft shops make an easy living really, and they are very well qualified and know what they are talking about. Only problem is they just can't seem to get the customers in. An example of what can be found in side:
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 18:21:36 GMT
More of the City... I quite enjoyed riding on tuk tuks. Call me a kid if you like, but I even found it fun to bargain down the prices. Man, were we good at that by the end of our journey! I must admit though, being a softie that I am, at times I actually gave a few of the drivers more than they asked for. They always looked at me like I must be loony, but with a big smile on their face. There were a few tuk tuk drivers that went out of their way to explain things to us, and were so nice and friendly that I really felt they deserved more - especially when I got talking to them about their kids and families. These drivers are characters, never boring, always entertaining. The rides were always exciting and I still miss them. It amazed me how women (and kids) sat so calmly on the back seat of motorbikes, legs both to one side, not holding on to anything. I guess if you have been doing this all your life it just becomes second nature. I couldn't help but cringe however, whenever I saw a woman sitting on the back with a newborn or very small baby in her arms. Toll booths: The Lotus temple: What is the Lotus temple? 'Like all other Bahá'í Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all regardless of religion, or any other distinction, as emphasized in Bahá'í texts. The Bahá'í laws emphasize that the spirit of the House of Worship be that it is a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions. Inspired by the lotus flower, the design for the House of Worship in New Delhi is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central hall slightly more than 40 meters tall that is capable of holding up to 2,500 people. Since its inauguration to public worship in December 1986, the Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi has, as of late 2002, attracted more than 50 million visitors, making it one of the most visited buildings in the world. Its numbers of visitors during those years surpassed those of the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. On Hindu celebrative days and holy days, it has drawn as many as 150,000 people.'
|
|
|
Post by lugg on May 13, 2013 19:46:20 GMT
For me- this is a quite remarkable report. I really enjoy reading about how you reacted and responded both to the challenges of your journey balanced by the pleasures and excitement you enjoyed along the way. Of course your photos just add to my enjoyment.
Jantar Mantar looks so fascinating, did you / were you able to go inside? The underground train and station look pristine. Is it quite a recent addition to the city?
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on May 13, 2013 20:26:45 GMT
On another day, we take a long auto-rickshaw, (also known as a tuk tuk), ride to the Hare Krishna Temple I was expecting it to look more like an airport!
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 23:44:08 GMT
fumo, I think we were just looking for any excuse at all just to ride on a tuk tuk ;D
lugg, that's a are real compliment for me, thanks for your nice thoughts. Regarding the Jantar Mantar, I didn't get to go inside, it looked like it was closed and our main destination that day was the Sikh temple.
What an interesting structure though.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 1:00:23 GMT
lugg, it looks like the metro was built only in December of 2002. It's quite new. It the 13th largest metro system in the world in terms of length.
I believe that Kolkata, Chennai and also Mumbai have underground train systems too.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 6:12:24 GMT
I hope that they will see fit to rename some of those metro stations in the future.
Dwarka sector 8, Dwarka sector 9, Dwarka sector 10.... Noida sector 16, Noida sector 18.... and so forth. I'm thinking that perhaps that these are in newly developed areas that don't have any characteristic parks, temples or landmarks yet.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on May 14, 2013 6:22:08 GMT
On another day, we take a long auto-rickshaw, (also known as a tuk tuk), ride to the Hare Krishna Temple I was expecting it to look more like an airport! ;D My thoughts exactly -- I hadn't realized it was a real religion.
|
|