Alrighty peeps, Here are the highlights of my trip to India as promised. Also have some captions for you guys to read. Also, I hope all you chaps in Brizzy are doing alright with the flood. Keep safe and be well...
Delhi Metro
This is the cleanest and the healthiest way to travel around Delhi. You can escape the air pollution as well the smell of urine on the streets when travelling on a rickshaw. Since sexual harassment was and and still is a big problem in Delhi, the Delhi metro has reserved the 1st coach for females only. No spitting or eating is allowed hence it is fairly clean for India's standard. Pick pockets are notorious esp during peak hours. You just need to stand there and people will push you into the train.
The Red Fort
The Mughal Empire used to encompass the whole of Old delhi, which is a pretty big place. Not as big as the Chinese Empire of course. The empire was surrounded by tall walls and reinforced with forts like these. They have 4 major Gates that allow traders and travellers to enter the empire (i think). One of them is the called the Kashmere Gate which is near the hospital which I was attached to. The Red Fort is one of the very few and the larger forts left in Delhi. I didn't go in because it is ONLY just a FORT plus i need to PAY to see a FORT? no way!
India Gate
The famous India Gate, a war memorial for the soldiers who died in the war during the British Colonization. Its quite a big monument which is situated almost in the centre of Delhi. Its surrounded by grass and it's a great area for picnic for the locals. Locals who cannot afford clubs or farmhouse parties (Yes, Farm house) will choose to sit around the India Gate and spend their New Year's Eve here.
The Lotus Temple
... Its a temple and it looks like a lotus... 'nuff said
The Taj Mahal
I got there after a 4 hr train delay plus an 1 hr lining up and getting harassed by people who said they would sneak me through the lines for 800 rupees. Entrance fees for foreigners are 750 rps, local 20 rps. The line was caused by security checks which are meant to deter potential terrorist attacks. There were about 50,000 visitors that day, the line was freaking long, mostly locals though. But still, looking at it in person is very different than looking at photos.
The workmanship of the structure is absolutely amazing, I went to a shop that demonstrated how did they produce the tiles of marbles which were fitted with precious stones by hand.
For those who don't know, the Taj Mahal was built as a tomb by 1 of the Mughal emperors for his wife as a sign of eternal love. Everything structure in the are signifies something. I can't tell you all of them. But you have to find out yourself.
There were many precious stones + semi-precious stones used to build this building, (eg. emeralds, topaz, sapphires etc) Now not all of them can be found in Agra, India. The empire had to trade and import precious stones like Jades and Onyx i think from other countries to build this structure as well as employing craftsmen from other empires.
Honestly, despite the amazingness, it wasn't worth my suffering of waiting for the to 4 hrs fro another 4 hrs train delay in the COLD. I got back to my hospital at about 3am in the morning that day. And it is DANGEROUS to be out at that time.
-= Peace out =-
Roland Tee
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