So that whole resetting my internal clock thing, it wasn't happening today. Along with the previously cancelled food tour I had also booked a day trip down to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. As this was advertised as a sunrise tour an early departure was required - a 3am early departure.
As promised the hire car was at the hotel to pick me up at 3am sharp. And we were off through the calm and quiet streets... ya right, even at 3am there were moments of high insanity on the streets getting out of the city.
Once out on the motorway though it was smooth sailing the 2-1/2 hours down to Agra. As we got close to the city on one side of the road was the rising red ball of the rising sun while on the left the pale gray orb of the setting moon. This peaceful scene accentuated with the hazy dew of the morning air plus a bunch of smoke from the very much active medieval brick ovens dotting the landscape.
Once into the city a quick stop was made to pickup the local guide and then off to the Taj Mahal. Not having much in the way of expectations here I was fittingly impressed with the scale of the site - it is a lot bigger than what it looks like in pictures.
In my short time here I've quickly noticed that Indians really like to experience and are very prideful of their history. And that they really really like photographic proof that they really like to experience their history. No exaggeration; I observed a bushful sack full of selfie sticks being fully devored within minutes of the vendor emptying the contents from his back onto the ground. And at all the historical locations I have visited there are swarms of "professional" photographers who for a price will gladly take your picture dramatically posed in front of that site's feature. And then an even more dramatic pose, and then another but this time a little to the right, and one more but now look dreamily off into the distance...
After breakfast (included in the price of the tour) and a stop at the obligatory craft market (anyone need an inlayed black marble chess board) the tour ended at the Agra Fort. Where the Red Fort was dissapointing the Agra Fort exceeded any expectations. With some small remaments of past neglect the sense of past grandeur was mostly perserved.
Then it was back to the car for the 3-hour ride to the hotel where some of the other riders had begun to arrive. And we receive word of several substantial incoming travel delays.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
Acclimatizing June 29 2018
As I woke up Plan A for Friday had been cancelled via email claiming that the guide had fallen ill. I had booked a mid-day walking and eating tour through Old Delhi and the Spice Market for my first steps though the city. Read into this what you will but upon arrival the night before I had an email from the tour operator asking if I would mind changing my booking from Friday to Saturday. He promised more food sampling opportunities as there were more people booked on the Saturday tour- implying that I was the only one booked for Friday. With another commitment already for the Saturday I deferred asking to keep the original booking. Which left me Friday morning with Plan B. Actually there was no Plan B, just Google maps and a general need to go out and experience the city.
Given the opportunity I do like arriving a few days early to get acclimated. Usually its just a need to reset my internal clock and get a sense of the place, but sometimes the weather needs adjusting to too such as here in New Delhi. The Red Fort area seemed a likely contender so after securing a pocketful of Rupees (1 USD = 68.4561 INR) I chanced a ride on the local subway.
Travelling the 3 stops (20 INR) on the clean modern marvel that is the New Delhi underground I entered the streets adjacent to Old Delhi neighborhood. The acclimatizing commenced immediately through the sites and sounds but mostly the smell of the streets.
Navigating my way through the masses I found my into the fort. Bit of a dissapointment as it was mostly roped off and inaccessible for what was claimed to be reconstruction but all I saw was a whole load of neglect and disrepair. Regardless the park like setting was nice and the various palaces and other edifices were impressive enough.
Walking back in the general direction of the hotel I soon realized that as the whitest guy on the streets of New Delhi I must have appeared to be in in need of some extraordinary assistance. While the population of the city as a whole were most friendly a particular cohort was also proving to be persistently helpful. Constant ascertasions that I would be much better being delivered to my destination wherever it may be in the comfort of whatever mechanical or human powered contraption was being offered. And that besides my ulitmate destination there were so many other places to go, especially shopping places. And neither sidewalks nor opposite flowing traffic was an impediment to these offers of help that I so desperately needed according to the oh so helpful.
Amazingly I made it safely back to the hotel unaided where what was supposed to be a quick refreshing rest turned into a deep extended nap. Needless to say, the time zone acclimatizing would not be dealt with today, or is that yesterday... maybe it's tomorrow already.
Given the opportunity I do like arriving a few days early to get acclimated. Usually its just a need to reset my internal clock and get a sense of the place, but sometimes the weather needs adjusting to too such as here in New Delhi. The Red Fort area seemed a likely contender so after securing a pocketful of Rupees (1 USD = 68.4561 INR) I chanced a ride on the local subway.
Travelling the 3 stops (20 INR) on the clean modern marvel that is the New Delhi underground I entered the streets adjacent to Old Delhi neighborhood. The acclimatizing commenced immediately through the sites and sounds but mostly the smell of the streets.
Navigating my way through the masses I found my into the fort. Bit of a dissapointment as it was mostly roped off and inaccessible for what was claimed to be reconstruction but all I saw was a whole load of neglect and disrepair. Regardless the park like setting was nice and the various palaces and other edifices were impressive enough.
Walking back in the general direction of the hotel I soon realized that as the whitest guy on the streets of New Delhi I must have appeared to be in in need of some extraordinary assistance. While the population of the city as a whole were most friendly a particular cohort was also proving to be persistently helpful. Constant ascertasions that I would be much better being delivered to my destination wherever it may be in the comfort of whatever mechanical or human powered contraption was being offered. And that besides my ulitmate destination there were so many other places to go, especially shopping places. And neither sidewalks nor opposite flowing traffic was an impediment to these offers of help that I so desperately needed according to the oh so helpful.
Amazingly I made it safely back to the hotel unaided where what was supposed to be a quick refreshing rest turned into a deep extended nap. Needless to say, the time zone acclimatizing would not be dealt with today, or is that yesterday... maybe it's tomorrow already.
Day Of The Long Nights. June 26 - June 28 2018
Note to self, sometimes just making a list isn't enough... sometimes it helps if you check it a time or two too. Ya, even though it was written down several places; when I transferred the essentials into my minimalist travel wallet I forgot to grab my drivers license. An issue that made it's self apparent when I checked into the Vancouver Airport hotel the night before my morning flight. After one email back to the home office citing specific instructions on locating and international express shipping options and another to the tour operator explaining my situation I foolishly tried to sleep. Part way through that failed experiment having run through a multitude of scenarios my phone announced the receipt of an email. It was from the tour operator suggesting that this was not the end of the world and the digital copy I had should suffice. With a second email off to the home office with the stand down instructions a few hours of sleep were found.
My flight to India involved a short layover in Toronto with the first flight departing Vancouver just after it's scheduled time of noon. Which was unfortunate as the Brazil-Serbia match had just started when I had to leave the lounge and get to the gate. Oh well, wasn't like it was something important like a Sounders-Timbers match #100.
A short visit to the lounge at the international departures pier in Toronto was about all I was allowed before boarding started for the scheduled 10:30pm departure of the second leg. The flight to New Delhi was originally cited as 13 hours and 50 minutes but as we sat at the gate that time oscillated from 12 hours and change to 15 hours on the seat back flight monitors. Regardless, I was going to be leaving Toronto Wednesday night and landing in New Delhi Thursday night.
Waking from a typical restless airplane "sleep" somewhere over Turkmenistan it appeared that we had made good time with a prospective arrival time some 30 minutes earlier than advertised. And it all looked good right up to the point that we fly right by New Delhi and another hour was added to the flight time. We then spent the next 20 minutes circling at an altitude of 5971m and then another 20 minutes in that same holding pattern at 3457m. We eventually straightened out and started through one of the slowest descents I can remember being on.
With the customs card filled in and visa in hand I dutifully got in line at the first class/business class booth. Unfortunately it turned out that my electronically provisioned visa meant I was ineligible for this particular privilege of the ticket class and I actually was supposed to have gone all the way down to the end of the arrivals lounge where my visa would be processed. Signs would have helped - end of commentary.
After clearing immigration and picking up my bags the hotel shuttle driver was exactly where he was promised to be. And for the next 45 minutes I got a small taste of New Delhi traffic... Of which I will have to rank right up there with Istanbul, Tehran, Lanzhou and Boston.
My flight to India involved a short layover in Toronto with the first flight departing Vancouver just after it's scheduled time of noon. Which was unfortunate as the Brazil-Serbia match had just started when I had to leave the lounge and get to the gate. Oh well, wasn't like it was something important like a Sounders-Timbers match #100.
A short visit to the lounge at the international departures pier in Toronto was about all I was allowed before boarding started for the scheduled 10:30pm departure of the second leg. The flight to New Delhi was originally cited as 13 hours and 50 minutes but as we sat at the gate that time oscillated from 12 hours and change to 15 hours on the seat back flight monitors. Regardless, I was going to be leaving Toronto Wednesday night and landing in New Delhi Thursday night.
Waking from a typical restless airplane "sleep" somewhere over Turkmenistan it appeared that we had made good time with a prospective arrival time some 30 minutes earlier than advertised. And it all looked good right up to the point that we fly right by New Delhi and another hour was added to the flight time. We then spent the next 20 minutes circling at an altitude of 5971m and then another 20 minutes in that same holding pattern at 3457m. We eventually straightened out and started through one of the slowest descents I can remember being on.
With the customs card filled in and visa in hand I dutifully got in line at the first class/business class booth. Unfortunately it turned out that my electronically provisioned visa meant I was ineligible for this particular privilege of the ticket class and I actually was supposed to have gone all the way down to the end of the arrivals lounge where my visa would be processed. Signs would have helped - end of commentary.
After clearing immigration and picking up my bags the hotel shuttle driver was exactly where he was promised to be. And for the next 45 minutes I got a small taste of New Delhi traffic... Of which I will have to rank right up there with Istanbul, Tehran, Lanzhou and Boston.
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