India for first-timers
India was a country I'd wanted to visit for as long as I can remember and it would take many months to do the whole country justice - probably a year or more. But in the 10 days I had to spare I chose Delhi as my starting point and wasn't disappointed. The city is divided into two very distinct centres - New Delhi with it's wide boulevards, mansions and embassies to the south and Mughal Old Delhi with it's overcrowded frenzy of narrow streets and alleys to the north. Delhi isn't a beautiful city but it is an exciting one and after a while you get to see past the peeling paint and realise that you are in one of the great cities of the world. I loved the noise and the smells and the volume of people. Some cities are renowned for people watching - Paris, Milan, Monte Carlo etc but people watching in India is on a totally different level - this is travelling at its best.
There are more than 1,300 listed monuments in Delhi however the must see sights on my agenda included :-
Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) - The largest mosque in India capable of holding 25,000 people Lal Qila (Red Fort) - A huge structure surrounded by 1.5 miles of red sandstone wall up to 110 feet high. India Gate - India's main war memorial to World War 1 Connaught Place - New Delhi's commercial centre Raj Ghat - A serene park south of the Red Fort which marks the site of Mahatma Gandhi's cremation.
This is only a small sample and there are enough attractions to fill a fortnight's stay.
For me, a major element of any trip to a new country is the food and India was no exception. I couldn't wait to sample real Indian cuisine. However, India isn't Thailand or Malaysia where you can happily munch your way around outdoor food vendors at any time of day or night. In India this can be a very bad idea and even the locals warned us off sampling backstreet food. There are probably a few exceptions but the best restaurants are run by the hotels and they offer food from all over the subcontinent.
There are numerous hotels in Delhi and some of the best hotels in the world are to be found in India. There are some great standard luxury options, notably the Taj Mahal, The Oberoi and the Shangri-La. There tends to be only 2 standards - superbly run international hotels, and everything else. Unfortunately there is little to offer in the 3-4 star range. I stayed at the Taj Mahal which I can highly recommend. It's well located and has all the modern amenities you'd expect of a 5 star hotel. We tried not to use the hotel's own transport as this can cost up to 4 times as much as a local taxi. Instead we took advantage of the local auto-rickshaw! It can be a bit of a triple A ride but I found it's the cheapest, fastest and most exhilarating way to get around.
Delhi is fabulous and is a great springboard to the rest of India. From here the golden triangle route taking in Agra in Jaipur is the most popular trip but it's just a starting point. The opportunities are endless. Enjoy - I did!