India- Delhi

I wasn't planning on going to India. But due to some unexpected openings in the diary, and a job which is basically a zero hours contract, it seemed like an opportunity had come up and I had to act upon it.

Feeling far too terrified to travel to India completely solo, I decided to go with www.gadventures.com

(https://www.gadventures.com/trips/india-and-nepal-adventure/AHDN/?srsltid=AfmBOoqvKRte8-P0TAXAPj59dGklPg4VSYqQQVHvtLbspR-vx_L9Ba-v) - the exact trip I booked- in order to follow an itinerary, have all the complicated transfers sorted, tickets to numerous forts sorted, and some direction, as I wouldn't really know where to begin. India is a vast, vast land of many languages, cultures, sounds and smells and it definitely isn't for the faint hearted. If and when I return to India, I will definitely be more knowledgeable and more confident to traverse the country without a company. I think going with G Adventures was a perfect way to see the highlights quickly and get a real idea of the country.

No. 1 - Getting a VISA

As a UK citizen, you need a tourist visa to travel to India. There are different travel options you can go for, and the website to use is: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/tvoa.html

Always make sure you use the correct/official visa website. If in doubt, use the gov.uk website to source it (UK Citizens) or your own country's government site. Least I got that bit right!

As I am extremely impatient, I wanted to apply for a visa as soon as I was able to, so that I knew it would be approved in time. You are not allowed to apply for the visa until 30 days before your trip. You then fill out a lengthy 10 page form, albeit online. You also need to submit photographs, which need to be a teeny sized (I used online compression apps for images) Success! I was granted the visa in as little as a day, maybe 36 hours. Whatever it was, it was fast.

However, I soon realized my error when I checked my travel dates. Once your visa is granted, you have 30 days in which to use it and enter India. As I was so organised, I actually wouldn't be landing until 31 days later, hence my visa would be rejected and I'd be sent packing.

I tried to apply for another visa, but then was told it was too late. I could change my flight, but the cost of this was more than the total flight itself. So...I had to book a totally new flight so I could land in Mumbai one day earlier than planned. Moral of the tale is: Don't be organised. Leave it a few weeks!

OK, so the boring Visa stuff out of the way. Let's have a look at what 8 days in India with G Adventures gets you.

Day 1- ARRIVAL LHR-MUM-DEL (Virgin Airlines, I paid roughly 800 GBP for a return flight, Oct 2024)

As I entered the country one day earlier than expected, I booked accommodation for myself in New Delhi.

I was picked up by a female taxi driver, who was organised through G Adventures. Nothing prepares you for all the cows in the road, and how everyone just drives around them. It's great.

My two night stay would be in the Karol Bagh neighbourhood of central Delhi. I stayed the first night at 'Hotel Pooja Palace' and the next night at the G Adventures chosen hotel 'Hotel Perfect' this would soon become the joke, as it was far from perfect. My first night was intense; terrified to eat anything after all the food poisoning scare stories, I foolishly walked the streets (in uncomfortable flip flops) looking for a western style Indian restaurant, and also getting followed by men. To be fair, they were friendly enough, but when you're jet lagged, hungry and vulnerable it's probably not what you really want. I found 'Haldirams' https://www.haldiram.com/, a fast food/sit in place which serves Indian comfort foods and snacks from all over the country. Here I got my first mattar paneer, and I was very happy with that.

Also just to eat, sit down, and get some Wi-Fi. I was in India just two weeks before Diwali and the festival of Navaratri was going on. This meant loud concerts and music being played throughout a lot of the night, so my first night, I was treated to a live disco outside my bedroom. It was great, but not when you're exhausted and just flown half way round the world.

Day 2- Delhi

Having connected with a fellow traveler on my trip, she invited me to spend the morning with her and a guide around the highlights of Delhi. We saw some wonderful sights which I'll list here and would recommend:

2. Gandhi Smriti Museum- This museum is Gandhi's former home and also where he was tragically assassinated. It is a fantastic memorial museum, and as I embarrassingly did not know much about the man, I learnt so much from this place.

Ugrasen Ki Baoli- a 10th century stepwell- great place for photos- go early to beat the crowds!

3. India Gate- A place for photos, so many tourists, mostly from India itself. A nice place to see.

4. Humayun's Tomb- An amazing sandstone made tomb for Mughal Emperor Humayun, built in 1752. Beautiful sight and gardens to explore.

I did these sights on a morning tour, so you can squeeze a lot in if you don't have much time in Delhi. My go to for booking short tours like these are www.getyourguide.com

Day 3- Old Delhi and onwards to Agra

I met the whole group the previous night and had dinner in a restaurant called Hooters (no, not that one) which I imagine caters mainly for guides who need to take western tourists out for dinner. And they have booze. So that did nicely, a gin and tonic and another paneer curry later (god I love paneer)

We first visited a charitable enterprise called Salaam Baalak Trust https://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/ - a charity who takes in and cares for street children of Delhi.

After this we were taken to Jama Masjid, one of India's largest mosques. India is home to 204 million Muslims, and is the world's largest Muslim- minority population. Here you need to remove your shoes and leave them on the steps, also making sure your head is covered (for a woman.)

We had a snack at Chandi Chowk market (the snack being a spicy chickpea snack, sorry I don't have the name)

After some exploration here, we headed to the next place of worship, the gurdwara! This really was a lovely experience, seeing the huge machine that goes into feeding worshippers, and the kindness that is shown towards everybody there.

Next up- the long drive to Agra. 3.5 hours with google maps eye, but this is India, and traffic, congestion, cows, they're all going to slow you right down. We stopped at the "Jolly Go" services where, I'm ashamed to admit, I did have a coffee from Starbucks and Burger King. I mean, its interesting to see the difference right? And remember, no beef in India, so a chicken whopper was what I got to try! ( I later had a mutton whopper on the trip, I'd say that was a better choice.)