Join Our Mailing List

Web Resources

INDIAN GUIDE BOOKS

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Printable Version of Full Newsletter.

DELHI TOUR GUIDE
I arranged a tour guide through India Safaris. Ms. Neelam Rajmalani (Nraj0705@yahoo .com) arrived right on time with a well-dressed, attentive driver in a clean car. On the way to our first stop, she told us a lot about the history of India and how people are greeted here with a Namaste. Namaste literally means "I bow to you." The word is derived from Sanskrit and is commonly accompanied by a slight bow with the hands pressed together (palms touching and fingers pointed upwards) in front of the chest.

RANDOM THINGS I LEARNED

Delhi has more than 350 roundabouts.
In India, they still arrange marriages and there's a less than 2% divorce rate.
There are between 15 and 20 accidents a day in Delhi and about five are fatal.

JAMA MASJID (FRIDAY MOSQUE)
The streets are completely chaotic. The constant cacophony of horns and sirens became like an anthem of the city. Everyone is beeping their horn, there are street beggars, vendors, whole families on a moped, people carrying supplies on their heads, kids pushing rickshaws, elephants, animals wandering aimlessly, funeral processions, wedding processions � you name it, you might encounter it on the streets of Delhi. By the time we arrived at our first stop, my head was spinning and I didn't want to get out of the car. For one thing, there were children tapping on the car window, begging for money as they followed us all the way down the street in the slow moving traffic. It's illegal to give them money and it's absolutely heart wrenching to turn your head and ignore them. But if you look them in the eye, you're in for a long, painful goodbye. It's incredibly difficult but because you're accosted at every turn, it's best to not even acknowledge them. If you give money to one person, you will get the same reaction as if you'd fed a lone pigeon. In the blink of an eye, there will be twenty more on your sleeve.

INSIDE THE MOSQUE
Walking up the three flights of red sandstone steps of the Jama Masjid really makes you feel like you're in a foreign country � and out of shape! Jama Masjid is also known as the Friday Mosque for its Friday noon prayer service (Friday is the Muslim holy day). The courtyard of the mosque is huge and can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers! Jama Masjid is one of the best-known mosques in India and is the largest mosque in Asia. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal. The mosque took six years to build and was completed in 1656 AD. The three black and white marble domes that cover the prayer hall are majestic. It's free to enter but everyone has to take their shoes off. A guy standing outside will watch your shoes for 10 rupees ($0.20USD). But since I spent a lot of money for my orthotics, I always pull them out and carry them. For more on the Jama Masjid, click here.

KINARI BAZAAR
Jama Masjid is situated right next to the Chandni Chowk, which is a popular street in Old Delhi. Ms. Neelam arranged for two trishaws to take the three of us down the narrow alley of Kinari Bazaar. If you think the regular streets are crazy, just wait until you cruise down the Kinari Bazaar � it's really bizarre! The place is packed with shoppers, street vendors, hawkers, shops, businesses, animals� Entering the alleyway, my driver pointed up to the low-lying wires, which reminded me of Episode 7 in this year's Amazing Race (if you are in the U.S. you can watch it here). I read that Kinari Bazaar is a favorite for locals to shop for their wedding supplies and there was even a wedding procession with a band making its way through the jostling crowd. See the video below for a better visual. When the 30-minute trishaw ride was over, I asked our guide how much it cost. It was 100 rupees ($2 USD) per person. Is that crazy or what? In New York City, a trishaw ride cost me $10 for an eight-minute ride this summer.

RAJ GHAT
Our next stop was Raj Ghat, which loosely translates to the King's Court and is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 � January 30, 1948) was India's most important political and spiritual leader. He led the way of the Indian independence movement and believed in total non-violence, which inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Unfortunately, Gandhi was shot and killed during one of his nightly public walks on the grounds of the Birla Bhavan, here in New Delhi. Raj Ghat is the spot where he was cremated one day after his assassination. There's a black marble platform that marks the exact spot and an eternal flame. The memorial has the epitaph He Ram, (literally 'O' Ram', but also translated to 'O God'), believed to be Gandhi's last words. The park is free to enter but again there's a 10 Rupee charge to leave your shoes guarded. FYI: If there's a foreign dignitary in town, it's customary for them to stop here and pay their respects by laying flowers or wreaths on the platform. There's also a commemorative ceremony held every Friday and prayer sessions are held on Gandhi's birth and death anniversaries. For more information, click here.

CHICKEN INN
Our guide took us to lunch at the Chicken Inn. You know it's a tourist trap when there's a security guard out front, more street hawkers than you can count and a tour group of pale Englishmen waiting to go in. While walking up, a Yogi-looking man with a red turban asked if I wanted to take a picture of him and his two pet cobras, which were in a closed basket. When I said yes, he lifted the lids and played his flute until the venomous reptile danced. The shots were worth the 100 Rupee price but I kindly passed on sitting next to him so he could put the creature around my neck. Normally I wouldn't welcome a touristy restaurant but since I was in India, starving and this was my first lunch, I wanted to be sure I didn't get sick. The Chicken Inn was perfect even thought they serve both Indian and Chinese food (what the heck?). Of course, we had Indian food! Our meal consisted of one order of butter chicken, three orders of naan bread, one roti, a serving of raita (a cucumber yogurt dish to cool the palate), a Fanta, a Coke and a bottle of water for 1400 ($29 USD). The tip isn't included and it's customary to give 10%.

HUMAYUN'S TOMB
No trip to Delhi would be complete without seeing Humayun's Tomb. It's like a mini Taj Mahal but without the four minarets. In fact, Humayun's Tomb is what inspired the Taj and several other major architectural innovations to be built. Humayun's Tomb was built in 1570 (62 years before the Taj Mahal) and is an elegant example of early Mughal architecture. Humayun's Tomb is one-third smaller than the Taj Mahal and it was commissioned by Hamida Banu Begum, a widower, for her husband, the second Mughal emperor. Humayun's Tomb took 10 years to build (the Taj Mahal took 22) and like the Taj Mahal, Humayun's Tomb is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it has a Persian-style garden. It costs 250 rupees ($5 USD) per person to get in.

SHOPPING
No tour would be complete without going to a shop that's exclusively for tourists. I would have passed but since I was with Natalie, we went to Mughal Bazaar. The place didn't have any customers so when we walked in, all the different shopkeepers perked up. The main sales guy was an amazing salesman � he knew when to lay off but kept instilling key words to create a need for us to buy Indian presents to take home. On cue, his workers brought out tea encouraged us to look around. There really wasn't much pressure to buy and I did end up getting a painting. Natalie bought a scarf and a garnet necklace to take home.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Before I sign off for the week, I thought I would share a quote from India's father: "Civilization is the encouragement of differences." -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948).

VIDEO
Here's a Johnny Jet video of my trip to New Delhi. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.

NEXT WEEK
Next week: A dream of a lifetime is fulfilled! Stay tuned!

1 | 2 | << PREVIOUS PAGE | 4

Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Jet Airways.

*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!

Copyright 2009 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Pictures From

The Trip