48 hours in Delhi

April 29, 2018

In the summer of 2017, I was excited to find an invitation in the mail for the wedding of an Indian colleague, who over time had become a friend. My colleague, originally from the North Indian province of Uttarakhand, was getting married to a Punjabi boy. A love marriage, she stressed. In a country where arranged marriages are deeply embedded in the culture up until today, this was a rather uncommon fact.

Without hesitation, I started to make arrangements for the trip. The wedding was taking place in my friend’s hometown, Dehra Dun, so I decided to fly into Delhi. To my slight embarrassment, I had never visited the Indian capital on all my trips to the country. As such, spending a couple of days there was a must.

The comments I had heard about Delhi prior to my trip were of varied nature. By the end of my stay, I had completely come to understand where the mixed opinions come from. Delhi is chaotic and busy, which is not unusual for an Indian town, but the pleasant hustle and bustle of the towns I am used to has turned into more aggressive behaviour on the roads. The hassle you get as a Western visitor from touts, autorickshaw drivers and street vendors is a lot more adamant and tiring and prices are much steeper. That said, the city holds a large number of great landmarks and sights and it is easy to find a peaceful spot in one of its many gardens or parks.

It was and early morning in February 2018 when my plane touched down in Delhi. I had booked two nights in a small hotel at Connaught Place, perfectly located between Old and New Delhi, and in almost exactly 48 hours, I would be back at the airport for my onward flight to Dehra Dun. If you want to hear how I made most of my two days in the city, keep on reading.

GETTING READY TO ROCK

A rather long taxi ride too me from the airport to Hotel Bright, situated on the central Connaught Square that separates Old and New Delhi. Hotels in Delhi are not cheap and I had picked Bright for its good value combined with the perfect location. The rooms are old and somewhat run down (you get what you pay for), but the friendly staff more than outweigh this.

I had been slightly dazed after the long flight in coach, but the vibe of India and the excitement of exploring a new city, quickly brought my energy back. Shortly after settling into the room, I was ready to go out again. First things first – I had a couple of practical items to sort out. I find having a local SIM card incredibly useful when travelling. The card I had with me from previous trips needed a top up, so my first stop was the Vodafone store. Getting an Indian SIM card can be a bit of a hassle (your hotel will need to issue a “proof of residency”, you’ll need passport photos,…), but it quickly pays off when you want to book a cab, use mobile payment apps or make practical arrangements on the fly).

India is a much a cash-based society, even though mobile pay has seen a boost with the introduction of the PayTM app, and having rupees at hand is essential for paying food, taxi drivers and other incidentals. Additionally, ATMs can be a bit flaky (and it is not uncommon for them to be empty), so getting cash out as soon as you can is a good idea. Despite checking and double checking that my debit card was activated timely for usage in India, I had to make the rounds of four different ATMs before I found one that would allow me to take money out.

EXPLORING CONNAUGHT PLACE

Once the practicalities were settled, I decided to treat myself to a nice sit-down lunch. The receptionist at Hotel Bright had helpfully jotted down a couple of recommendations in the neighbourhood and one of them, Garam Dharam, was just around the corner. I had been told that at dinner time and on weekends, the place gets extremely busy and queues are not unusual, but the Monday lunch shift was very quiet. The food was good, although a bit pricy for lunch in India. But that’s Connaught Place for you.

Indeed, this is the posher part of the city. The main square is surrounded by an inner and outer circle lined with shops and restaurants and the labyrinth of streets is filled with the well-off, young population of Delhi. It was a good place to begin my discovery of town and I spent a couple of hours going around the streets and, admittedly, shopping. Even though I was not specifically looking for anything, I enjoyed visiting the State Emporia, a line-up of shops selling handicrafts from all Indian states. They are run by the government, which means prices are fixed, but quality and origin of the goods are guaranteed. Shopping in the State Emporia. If you are looking for wearable Indian themed clothes or affordable jewellery, do not miss FabIndia. There are many branches of this fair-trade brand and it is on of my favorite stops for small gifts to take home. Finally, I discovered Khadi, an Indian producer of natural healthcare products (I am still enjoying the sandalwood facemask I took home!).

A BLITZ VISIT OF NEW DELHI

After a quick stop at the hotel to freshen up, I decided it was time to explore more. The temperature was starting to drop a little bit and this gave me energy. I love to get around by autorickshaw, as it allows you to cover quite a lot of distance and jump the busy traffic, whilst still feeling like you are outdoors compared to a car. Autorickshaws are plenty (you can get one easily at practically anytime) and relatively cheap (but bargain hard!).

My plan for the afternoon was to visit Humayun’s tomb. The massive complex houses not only the Mughal emperor’s impressive mausoleum, but also those of several family members. The tombs are set in lush landscaped gardens and are listed as World Heritage Site. A small exhibition (which was work-in-progress when I visited) explains the Mughal dynasty and typical architecture. If history is not your thing, still pay a visit and walk on to admire the beauty of the site. Visiting in the late afternoon turned out to be perfect, as crowds were thinning and I got some nice sunset photos.

I could have spent more time enjoying the sights and chilling in the grass, but closing time approached. Given that a lot of people were leaving at the same time, it took me more effort this time to find an autorickshaw and I had to settle for almost twice the fare I’d paid earlier for the same route. I checked my notes for another restaurant recommendation from the hotel manager and asked to be dropped of at Suruchi Veg Restaurant for a lovely North Indian meal.

OLD DELHI CHARM

The best way to explore a city is with a local who really know its heartbeat, so for my second day, going around Old Delhi, I had arranged a guided walk off the beaten track via Street Connections. The guides are former street children who are born and raised in Delhi. They skip the traditional script of Delhi’s history, but instead share their personal story and show you the alleyways and chai shops are not on any map. In three hours, we saw Sikh, Jain and Hindu temples, explored the underbelly of the famous spice market and witnessed bread, fabric and even paper being made in small courtyard factories. A top tip for any visitor to Delhi.

At the end of the tour, I teamed up with two fellow visitors to take an autorickshaw and see Jama masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. The heat and crowd (and craving for lunch!) meant it was a rather short visit. After we parted, I made my way by foot to the Red Fort. The name is derived from the red sandstone walls that surround a number of building of different styles and with different purposes (and mostly not red). Take a least two hours to walk around the spacious grounds and be prepared to queue. Also, don’t make the same mistake I did and make sure you don’t enter the Red Fort hungry. There is one small café that serves sandwiches and cold food none of which are particularly good.

Next on my list was a visit to Raj Ghat, which looked like it was situated just behind the Red Fort, judging by the map. This was my second mistake of the day. It took me around 30 minutes by foot to reach the park on the bank of the river Yamuna and another 20 to find an open gate allowing me to reach the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in 1948. Cremation sites of Gandhi’s family members and government officials are dotted around the park. The walk around there was quiet and peaceful and a huge contrast with the busy road outside.

By the end of this visit, I was completely shattered (and I knew I would have to leave for the airport early the next day), so I treated myself to a taxi back to Connaught Place and decided on dinner in the hotel. Hotel Bright does not have a dining room, so this meant room service. I asked the staff to make their choice on my behalf and was not disappointed by the excellent dahl (lentils) and spinach that was brought to my room.

I shall end with pointing out that 48 hours in Delhi is by no means enough! I could have done with at least one more day, probably two, to do the city justice. Especially my visit of New Delhi felt very hurried and I had to be selective in the sights I was able to see. At the same time, however, getting around in Delhi is tiring, so I was also relieved to escape to the Himalayan foothills for the next leg of my trip.