Saturday morning we had a bit of a sleep in as Lynda and Gary informed us nothing happens in India before 11, then Gary and Emma took us to see the India we were expecting.
Into Old Delhi we went, first stop was at the Red Fort – surrounded by an 18-m high wall Gary told us how the moat used to be filled with crocodiles and dangerous snakes to stop any unwanted visitors. The fort today is still partially occupied by the military.

Doing as tourists do we jumped in a rickshaw and explored Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi’s main shopping street. We rode through the spice market, which would clear anyone’s sinuses and we hopped off to have a look around. Lucky we were with locals as up we went some questionable stairs winding past peoples apartments to the most incredible view over the busy streets.
Next we stopped at the Monty’s spice man, where there was every kind of spice and mix you could dream of and hundreds of teas. I couldn’t go past the Lychee tea as Sean picked up some spices to try and replicate the taste of India at home.


Back on the rickshaw we headed down the colourful wedding lane and down silver alley where I managed to pick up some silver rings for $14 each could have gone crazy but limited myself as this is our first city. We had lunch at one of Gary’s favourite spots Karims, we got lots of funny looks as the only white people in the back of the alley restaurant. Our first experience of Indian food was not a disappointment, especially for Sean who inhaled a full tandoori chicken.
Next stop was the impressive India gate, a 42-m tall stone memorial arch which pays tribute to around 90,000 Indian army soldiers who died fighting for their country in all conflicts. Down Rajpath we saw Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s House) but only from a distance as on the 26th of January is one of India’s biggest festivals – Republic Day – where a spectacular military parade runs down the Rajpath, the preparations are already beginning and this year is bigger than ever as President Obama is the official guest of the ceremony.



In the afternoon we headed to Ghandi’s Museum. This is the place where Mahatma Ghandi was assassinated on the 30th of January 1948. You can follow the last 48 hours of Ghandi’s life and follow the concrete footsteps which lead you to the spot where Ghandi died. The museum was fairly busy but extremely quiet. A very eerie place with photographs, quotes and painting covering every wall.




On the way home we stopped into the Australian High Commission to see where the Monty’s spend most of their time. It was absolutely beautiful, you could have sworn you were in Australia and we both had this weird feeling of pride that ‘our place’ was so amazing.

Then came the dinner disaster, of course I was the first one to suffer the inevitable Delhi belly! The Mont’s took us to their favourite restaurant in town but this was slightly ruined by the fact that as soon as I walked in the door I was running to the toilet for a good vom! Straight back home and into bed I went, but spent all night running back to the bathroom bringing everything back up – a slight tarnish on an otherwise amazing day.
Sunday morning I woke up feeling queasy and tired but didn’t want to miss anything so headed out of the main city with Lynda & Emma to Qutb Minar a 73-m high victory tower erected by sultan Qutb-ud-din in 1193 to proclaim his supremacy over his rivals. The five storey monument was completed by his successors as he was only able to complete one storey before his death. We also explored the surrounding ruins while being asked for many photographs by many of Sean’s adoring fans.


Lynda then took us to my favourite place so far Hauz Khas (I just wish I wasn’t feeling so terrible so I really could have taken it all in). The village is filled with boutiques, bars, restaurants and quirky shops. We had tea at Elma’s, a funky cafe up a few flights of stairs (like all the places in Hauz Khas) then got lost in the laneways of beautiful shops – again nothing like I had pictured for India. Before we headed home we went to a rooftop pub called Imperfecto for drinks and pizza, another funky place filled with sand and a water feature running down the middle, blowing my mind that places like this exist in India.



Another quiet night in as I was still feeling queasy and we were to have an early start in the morning as we are now on our way to Agra to see the icon of India and we can’t wait!
