My first taste of India in Rajashtan
New Delhi and Agra were the first stops on my India tour before I entered Rajasthan, the impressive Land of Kings. This was not my first trip to the Indian subcontinent, but my first time in India, although I have been to Pakistan and Afghanistan. I have had mixed feelings about going to India because of the things I have heard and my prejudices. Some love it, and others hate it; I must say I did neither. But it was an experience for life. In the following posts, I will try to express my feelings about my journey.
Posts from India
- New Dehli
- Agra
- Fatehpur Sikri
- Jaipur
- Udaipur
- Jodhpur
Did I regret going?
Yes, for the first two days, I thought to myself, “What had I done? This is just horrible.” I arrived early in the morning, and the fog and pollution were very prominent. As you can see in the picture above, this was around nine a.m. I was near the building, but everything was in a mist. I was worried that it would be like this for the whole trip. Secondly, New Delhi is very dirty and noisy, plus all the guys constantly want to “help” me. And give me good advice. None of this came as a surprise, but one hopes for a positive surprise before one goes.
Sisodia dynasty
I will not bore myself or everybody else with all the details of the Rajhas in India. However, the Sisodia dynasty that took over in 1326 left several fantastic buildings as evidence of their greatness. They say there were five or six Rajhas who built extensively, moved capitals around, and put their greatness on the map. The Rajhas that came after just floated on previous greatness. One of the significant buildings is the Red Fort in New Dehli, and another is in Agra.
The medieval vibe
As in Europe in medieval times, kings were constantly competing with other kings, as did in India. That was why so many cities were built as fortresses and on mountaintops, so they were not so easy to conquer. India is full of these cities and fortresses on top, like Badal Mahal Kumbhalgarh, which I visited on my way between Udaipur and Jodhpur.
How I travelled around
Most of my journeys between cities were by train. The train company preferred foreign tourists to travel first class or an equivalent. And I have to say, I have no complaints. On almost all the journeys I took, the trains were on time and reasonably clean. The stations were more of a hassle, but you had to pretend you knew where you were going and not look lost. It is also a good thing to think about that Indian Rail is one of the world’s largest commercial or utility employers, with approximately 1.7 million employees. Where there was no train connection between cities, I rented a driver to transport me.
Indian cooking class
I wanted to find a cooking class I could attend during my travels in India. I found this class in Udaipur and enrolled the evening before it started. Mamta, the chef, was a great teacher. She spoke English very well, so the class was easy to follow. I have to try some of her recipes out now. Interacting with the locals when travelling is always interesting and inspires me greatly.
Undoubtedly, India has so much to offer and plenty to see and experience. My short journey in India does not justify saying I have India; it is such a vast country. However, I think I have seen some of what the country offers, and I will try to share it with you in my upcoming posts.
