We arrived at Delhi airport about 21:00hrs and then had a mad-cap ride in a beat-up van with a crazy driver (traffic everywhere, traffic jams, diesel fumes in your throat) into Delhi & our hotel..what an introduction ! We had pre-booked the taxi with the hotel(cost about 400 rupees) Definitely recommend pre-booking a taxi via your hotel otherwise you may have problems at the Airport and you may well get ripped off trying to get transport into Delhi(about 10miles away). Our hotel was in the Karol Bargh district(shopping and markets area), good area for walking around and only a short auto-rickshaw ride into the town centre(about 40 rupees).
DAYS 1 & 2...Delhi
Cycle-rickshaw traffic
Street Market
Lots of hawkers(always very pleasant) in the nearby streets. Crazy auto-rickshaw ride into Connaught Place (Delhi's major central area) - was like wacky races weaving in and out of the traffic. Driver tried to get us to go to a local emporium down a succession of side streets..without success(he would have been paid commission if we had gone in). 2 elephants walking up the main road, shopping malls, arcades, some western shops etc at Connaught Place, victorian buildings, subways, beggars (a shock to your system when you first see them) Group visit to Red Fort on Day2 - very crowded on this sunday, rural people in town for major agricultural fair. Our group became the centre of attraction(see picture top right) mainly because of the young girls with us- groups of lads followed us around. Massive crowds in Delhi, visit to spice market and walk around narrow streets. Visit to Sikh Temple- wash feet before entering, no shoes and heads had to be covered. Helped with chapatti preparation - volunteeers provide 1000 or more free meals every day and for us today. Visit to largest mosque in India. Back to hotel (after another crazy rickshaw ride) for a rest.Wedding procession outside hotel last night - funeral procession tonight. Outside the Red Fort with watching crowds
Red Fort (& corrugated fencing and rubbish!)
DAY 3, 4 ...Delhi to Lucknow
La Martiniere School
Smart cycle rickshaw
One of many Lucknow Palaces
Up at 05:30hrs for taxi ride to very busy Delhi station and for 6 hr train journey to Lucknow - comfy a/c carriages with breakfast and drinks provided. Flat farmlands, scattered housing becoming greener nearer Lucknow. Men toilet squatting by rail lines - Jo saw 3 in quick succession! Lucknow was cleaner, less traffic, lots of parkland, palaces and history attached to it. 'Singing Johnny' was our guide - "come", "follow me" being his favourite expessions. Some very impressive abandoned palaces and other buidlings, hardly any restoration work in progress. Massive tourist potential here. Evening dinner in the gardens of the very opulent old Raj Carlton Hotel. Huge wedding reception going on in the gardens: lighted(by trolley generators) parade bringing the groom to the reception; he sits on throne with people coming up and giving gifts(mainly money). His bride is in the hotel. Very impressive setting. Next day we took cycle rickshaws to destroyed British Residency from the 1857 mutiny and seige and then on to La Martiniere school, Rudyard Kipling was educated here and his book Kim involved the school - old college type interiors. A wander around some of the busy main streets: street dentists selling teeth, one man having a tooth pulled out on the pavement. We quite liked Lucknow: we appeared to the only westerners about and attracted some attention but no real hassle; people very friendly There's lots of interest in the the town. 18:00hrs train to Varanasi; we should have arrived 22:45hrs but after a number of unscheduled stops and starts in the middle of nowhere it was nearly 01:00hrs when we got off the train to a crowded station with people sleeping everywhere but mainly in the main reception hall and a cow standing at the exit with people having to go around it. Had our first cup of chai today - bought on the platform for 3 rupees in an earthenware cup which you then throw away - usually on the lines looking at what everybody else was doing.
