- During 2015 to 2018, while I was living in Dubai, I got excited about discovering India little by little in different short trips
- a) Delhi-Agra
- b) Jaipur
- c) Ahmedabad
- d) Goa
- e) Kochi
- f) Trivandrum
- g) Kolkata
1- Delhi
- My first trip to India started with a huge cultural shock: crowded streets, noise, several people living in the streets, cows on the roads...
- Just after landing, I went early in the morning to a local restaurant where I was clearly the only tourist and my breakfast did not help... a cockroach nearby, dishes not very clean... my stomach started being cautious but still happy with the shock I wanted to experience Delhi
- I used mainly metro to move around which is very cheap and pretty safe as there is metal detection in every station
- My priority was to visit Taj Mahal in Agra but I still managed to visit a few places in Delhi, mainly Jama mosque, India Gate and Humayun´s Tomb
- My first stop was Jama mosque, one of the largest mosques in India, from the 17th century
- Later I went to India Gate, a First World War memorial, similar to the Triumphal Arhc of Paris. The park next to it is nice
- My last stop was my favourite of Delhi and the greatest positive surprise of this trip: Humayun´s Tomb
- Built in the 16th century by Islamic Mughal dinasty, commissioned by Humayun´s first wife
- The iconic Taj Mahal, so similar but built several decades later, has its origins in Humayun´s Tomb
- This place is impressive and beautiful, my top recommendation to visit in Delhi
- Just next to Humayun´s Tomb you can find Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, from where there are direct trains to Agra. I bought my ticket right there a few hours before my trip and the price was a joke, just a few euros
ALSO, TRAINS IN INDIA ARE USUALLY DELAYED, SOMETIMES FOR HOURS, SO TAKE CARE IF YOU NEED TO FLY LATER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT
- Train to Agra was another experience: full of people, vendors selling all kind of food, all kinds of smells...
- Best was the three levels of seats that I had never seen before but allowed me to take a lovely nap
- Arrival into Agra was exciting. I arrived at night but still from my hotel terrace I could see a bit of Taj Mahal and dream during that night of my visit to Taj Mahal
- Agra itself is a complete mess, noisy and polluted, what surprised me as I expected something different hosting the famous Taj Mahal
- Next morning, of course, I started visiting Taj Mahal
- The price for foreigners is 1,000 ruppes (approx €14) which is a lot for Indian standards
- Taj Mahal is an architectural masterpiece and looks great. I recommend videos online to undestand why
- Do you appreciate the similarities with Humayun´s Tomb? I found this website and video very interesting about similarities and differences http://www.approachguides.com/blog/taj-mahal-humayun-tomb-delhi-agra-india-video/
- On the negative side, I found Taj Mahal white greyish due to pollution
- In Agra I visited the Red Fort as well (550 ruppees, approx €11), residence of emperors long time ago when Agra was the capital of India
- Main places visited were Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Hanuman or Galtaji or Monkey temple and Nahargarh Fort
- Most places I went walking but Amber Fort and Monkey temple where I took tuk-tuk
- Fort and Palace built at the end of 16th century in the north of Jaipur, one of the main attractions in Jaipur
- You can go by elephant but I did not do it as it is somehow considered an abuse of them
- Palace in downtownn where royal women could observe street festival unnoticed from outside
- My favourite temple in Jaipur, located in the East, ancient Hindu pilgrimage
- Consists of several temples built in the crevice of the hills
- It is also known as Monkey temple due to the presence of many monkeys
- In downtown overlooking the city of Jaipur
- The walk uphill takes almost one hour, but some people go like this, so no complains:
- Views from the top are much nicer than the Palace itself in my opinion
- Besides these main visits, I walked a lot around the city, chaotic as usual in main cities in India
- Lastly, I had the chance to try a lovely vegatarian restaurant with a set menu where waiters where constantly filling different plates on the table.
- I really enjoyed it despite not knowing most of the plates I was eating
- Unfortunately I do not remember the name of the restaurant but I would recommend trying this vegetarian set menu concept so popular in India
c) Ahmedabad
- Being honest, I visited this city by mistake as I was trying to book Islamabad in Pakistan
- However it was one of my best trips to India
- Main places visited: downtown, Rani Ki Vav stepwell, Modhera Sun temple
- Most interesting place I visited in Ahmedabad was Sabarmati Ashram, where Gandhi lived for twelve years
- In this place I started reading about Gandhi. I paid lot of attention in my visit and bought a book about him. His life was full of injustice, threats, pain, difficult moments but also beautiful moments and acts. All together make of Gandhi one of the most important people in the history of India and the world
- Extremely recommended to read about his life. There are several books, autobiographies, documentaries or movies about him
- Rest of Ahmedabad did not impress me much but for the chaos and amount of people sadly living in the streets
- The first night I went to a vegetarian set menu similar to the one I tried in Jaipur and I was lucky to meet Swati, an Indian girl travelling in Ahmedabad
- Thanks to her, I went to an interesting night tour of the city. These free tours are organized several days so check the website for updates (just googling free tour Ahmedabad you will find choices)
- Not only that but she offered to go next day north of Ahmedabad with friends of her to visit some temples
- That following day was one of the most beautiful days of any trip I have ever made
- I visited Rani Ki Vav stepwell and Modhera Sun temple with two local families and I could even be in their home, which was an incredible experience that normally tourist cannot experience (here playing with Swayan, all the best for you )
- Stepwells are ancient subterranean water resources and storage systems common in India
- Not only that, but the decorations inside this particular stepwell were impressive and very sexual by the way
- This place impressed me a lot, highly recommended
Modhera Sun temple:
- 11th century Hindu temple dedicated to the solar deity Surya
- Not as impressive as the mentioned stepwell but nice to visit half way from Ahmedabad
d) Goa
- Compared to other places visisted in India, Goa is more relaxing and has nice beaches to relax
- Also nightlife is popular in Goa
- Portuguese influence
- I recommend renting a scooter to enjoy Goa from less than €10 per day
- Places visited were mainly the coast from Calangute till Anjuna, Old Goa and Dudsagar falls
- From Aguada Fort till Anjuna you can visit several beaches, markets, do some snorkeling, enjoy local food, relax...
- Capital of the Portuguese India
- Several churches and parks can be appreciated here
- If you feel a bit more adventurous, I recommend a day trip till Dudsagar falls
- The drive till the closest village is beautiful and here you need to book a service to cross a flooded area
- You will see several people queueing and lot of vehicles taking people, so no need to book anything neither any tour
- The waterfalls are beautiful with a bridge and a railway line crossing at the top
- Lastlty, in the village nearby you can finish your day with an elephant shower!
- It was a great experience but I am not really proud because I do not know till which extent these elephants are "abused" or not. Anyway, I like to offer the choices and everyone is free to decide
- If you have several days in Goa, I was highly advised to visit Hampi, several hours from Goa, but I did not have enough time to go
e) Kochi
- Smilarly to Goa, Kochi in the state of Kerala is more relaxed than other Indian cities
- Again, I recommend renting a scooter and discover areas nearby
- Places visited include several beaches, Alleppey boathouses and Athirappilly falls
- Nearby Kochi several beaches can be enjoyed
- Driving south from Kochi has beautiful sceneries
- Boathouses are popular in the state of Kerala
- You can spend a night or several nights in one of them but it is expensive
- If you do not have a booking you can negotiate directly with the boathouse owners
- I did not stay overnight but took a public water transport to do some sightseeing
- Kerala is also popular for its beautiful waterfalls
- Northeast from Kochi you can easily find Athirappilly falls, and again the drive is enjoyable
- Continuing the road till Valparai sighseeing is lovely as well with different waterfalls and green fields
- I would like to finish this post with a message I read in this trip at the entrance of Athirappillyfalls
- Also in the state of Kerala, Trivandrum greatly surprised me for its beaches and mountains
- Main places visited were Kovalam, Ponmudi & Varkala
Kovalam beach:
- First place I reached by bus was Kovalam beach, which is nice and quite clean but quite crowded
- There I rented a scooter for the following day
- Reaching Ponmudi early next day was a great surprise as I did not expect such a peaceful and beautiful mountain area
- There is an entrance fee of 200 rps (around 3 euro) but just visiting the area is worth it
- On the way back I stopped by Meenmutty falls, again with rps200 fee
- It was very convenient, and just 20 minute walk. but this place is not that incredible as Ponmudi
Varkala beach:
- Great backpacker area with beautiful beach from the cliff, nicer than Kovalam in my opinion
- Additionally, I have to say the all coastal area from Varkala till Kovalam is wonderful to drive through and beautiful with secluded beaches and nice views of the lakes
- Definitely Trivandrum was one of the places I enjoyed the most in India
- I visited Kolkata for work in September 2017 and I had the opportunity to visit downtown for a day
- I moved around using public transport, which is really cheap (less than 10 rupees most trips) and very busy and chaotic at most times, a real Indian experience
- Main places visited were Eco Park, Park street & Mother House, St Paul´s Cathedral & Victoria Memorial
- Eco Park is a modern park which reminded me of Retiro Park in Madrid, a perfect escape from the city
- Apart from a huge lake it has a Japanese garden and several bars/restaurants
- Take into account that is closed on Mondays!
- Park street is one of the most popular streets in Kolkata with several commercial areas, restaurants and street food
- Nearby you can visit the Mother House, where Mother Teresa lived
- I am not religious but it is interesting to visit her humble room and the museum (free of charge)
- I also recommend to get information about some negative opinions about her and why
- The exact location is a bit tricky, almost 1km far from Park street (in google maps you should type "The Missionaries of Charity" which is the order she created to help sick people around the world
- Anything from food, clothes or donations is appreciated at Mother House
- I intended to donate some clothes but I came across a family living in the street (one of many) a bit earlier and after playing a bit with one of the kids I preferred to give them all I had brought
- Randomly sharing 15 minutes with this family was my best experience in India so far... I left with tears in my eyes
- West of Park street you can reach St Paul´s Cathedral and a bit further Victoria Memorial and its beautiful gardens, probably the cleanest and most touristic part in Kolkata
- As always, hope you enjoy this post and it helps :)
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario