Wah Taj - Our Trip To Agra

Like I said, last weekend was heritage weekend. My last post was on our Friday night visit to Red Fort. The next morning we got up ambitiously at 6.00 am thinking we will leave by 7.00 am but alas we could leave only by 8.00 am. Now everyone will tell you that Agra is about 200 kms away (true) and the drive takes four hours (false). This seems possible only if you leave the city (probably) before 7.00 or maybe on a Sunday. Since it was a Saturday, we caught the morning work traffic as well as the jams at Badarpur and Ballabgadh and hence took 5 hours. The route we took was Ring Road towards Ashram, right under the Nafed House flyover and then straight down the NH2.

The roads were pretty good once we cleared Faridabad. The drive, while peaceful, is not very scenic. It reminded me of the Bangalore - Chennai route via Hosur Road. The traffic was fairly disciplined and we didn't have any close calls. We were carrying enough snacks / juice / sandwiches so we didn't make any stops save one at the McDonald's before Agra. My suggestion would be to stop here and finish lunch as once you enter Agra city, it becomes quite congested and difficult to spot a hotel. We just had a coffee here which was a mistake as it was very sweet. Since we reached Agra by around 1.00 pm, we decided to have lunch first. We spotted signboards of ITC, Trident and Oberoi which seemed to be in the same direction as the Taj Mahal so we stopped at the first one we came across - ITC The Mughal. The buffet was priced at Rs 850 a head and was quite good with Chinese and Indian Cuisine.

After lunch, we took directions from the hotel staff and were on our way. As you reach the Taj, you will be forced to park your car and take a battery operated 10 seater buggy/ auto / horse carriage. The buggy is the cheapest option at Rs 10 and is very convenient. Dont forget to buy the entry tickets next to the parking lot at Rs 100 a pop. Well, we entered through the West Gate and took a few pics of the main gateway - Darwaza-i-Rauza and then entered through to see the Taj Mahal. Man, was I blown away!!! I didn't go with great expectations as I was like - Yeah ok, how great can it be? This was amazing though. From far it looks very pretty and as you come closer, it becomes exquisite. From every angle, it looks great and I kept stopping every few minutes and admiring it. Once we took a circuit of the Taj, we entered in to see the tombs. The inside was extremely crowded and noisy. Also it is very gloomy inside so we didn't spend too much time but quickly exited. There are two buildings flanking the Taj which are also quite nice.

By the time we were done seeing the Taj Mahal, it was around 3.30 pm so we decided to chuck going to Fatehpur Sikri as it is around 40 kms and proceeded to Agra Fort. At the Taj, I did not feel the need for a guide but here I certainly felt that a guide would have helped. Though there were plenty touting themselves, we did not take one and did the tour ourselves. Luckily, there were notices at the important spots. Lot of interesting spots here so we had a good time. We finished in an hour or so and headed back to Delhi after a cup of chai outside the Fort. The return journey took us about four hours so it was not too bad. The few key things I would change on my next trip would be that I would definitely do an overnighter. Probably leave in the afternoon and check in to a resort for the night. Start with Taj Mahal, then Agra Fort, lunch and on to Fatehpur Sikri. Then head back home. Also, I'd do some research on a guide for Agra Fort and maybe Fatehpur Sikri. The other thought that kept playing in my mind was the legend that Shah Jahan was to have built a black marble Taj Mahal on the opposite banks of the Yamuna. That would have been truly awesome!!!

Sound And Light Show - Red Fort

This weekend was heritage weekend as my Dad is in town. On Thursday and Friday, he went by himself to the usual tourist attractions - Red Fort, Humayuns Tomb, Qutub Minar and the likes. Since I was eager to join him, I suggested that we hit the Red Fort for the sound and light show. I did a dip check with my colleagues. They said that it had been a long time since they had seen it, however it was pretty good. I also called the number provided on the Delhi Tourism website and they told me the timings were 7 - 8 pm for the Hindi show and 8.30 - 9.30 pm for the English show (which was the one we went for).

First of all, I was surprised to know that it was fairly centrally located. If you are coming from CP, then you head to Barakhamba Road, go past the first rountana - gol chakkar, take a left at the first signal and go straight down. It is about 2-3 kilometers down that road. At Dhariyagung, the road becomes narrow and crowded and there is quite a bit of traffic. You will find two ould guard posts on the way, made of stones (like they have in fortresses). This means you are on the right track. The chaos continues till suddenly Red Fort looms on your right. Now the question comes - where do I find parking? I was hoping against hope that there would be parking outside the Red Fort for visitors with big signs pointing the way but no such luck. When I crossed the first signal after seeing the Red Fort, I suddenly spotted an MCD authorised parking on the left and swung in. There was plenty of space and I easily found a spot bit there was no attendant and not much lighting so I fear for the safety of car parked there. After all, Delhi is supposed to have the highest number of car thefts. The parking is about 5 minutes walk from the entry point so it was quite convenient.

On nearing the entry point, I was mighty impressed by the Red Fort. It looks long and massive and hulking in the night lights, just like a fort should be. I wouldn't have been surprised if some sentries in old armor stopped me with the cry 'Halt! Who goes there, friend or foe?'(just kidding, probably would have tucked tail and run away crying ghosts). Instead, there were quite a few armed soldiers on duty, looking very bored. The show is hosted in an open area which has the Moti Mahal on the left and the Diwan-I-Khas and three other buildings in front. The walk from the entry point to here is about 5 minutes and is a nice buildup to the show. The show started before time with how Shah Jahan built the Red Fort. Then it goes on to describe how it passed through the times into the hands of various rulers, the British and the freedom struggle. It is a dramatised version with lots of dialogues and songs and hence is a little short on the information. To sum up,

Setting - benches with backrest, pleasant at this time, some mosquitoes, no water or food is sold
Sound part - good quality, well enunciated, painfully loud at times
Light part - the buildings described above are lit up at various times, initially eye-catching but gets repetitive

Overall, my recommendation is that one should go for the show to see the Red Fort by night. Let your imagination run wild a bit when you are in. Don't expect too much of the show itself but you might enjoy the lighting effect of the buildings. Lastly, if you are able to make it early, do check out the Hindi show as I think the dialogues will have much better flow and impact. Do let me know how it turned out.

If You Need Stuff In Delhi

The purpose of this piece is to help you find stuff in Delhi. There is not much I can add now as it has been only three months but I figure that I can keep updating it periodically. I hope I am that resolute. It is still easier for me to do it than say a guy who has been staying in Delhi all his life and has so much more to write, right!! Yeah yeah I know I am a regular do-gooder, just without the cape and all

South Indian Food in Connaught Place (CP)
I was thrilled when I saw a Saravanna Bhavan in CP. Due to the Kaveri water problem (at least that's my theory) there were no Saravana Bhavans in Bangalore and so I was really happy to see one here. Man, did I get a shock when I saw the prices. I mean Rs 40 for a cup of coffee is really expensive. I know the rentals in CP must be among the highest in the country but still... Now there is a roadside joint on Jantar Mantar road which is run by malayalees and serves similar fare. Delhi is, as you may know, famous for roadside food (and if you are moving here / just moved, you will be told this a countless times) . Now this place is quite dinghy and often there is a pool of scum water floating nearby. However, I can vouch for the quality of the food having eaten there. I would rate the food a 3 out of 5 as the sambar is not sweet, there is enough spice in the food and it is served piping hot. So if you have a strong stomach, do try this place out. There is a Kwality Walls ice-cream cart always parked next to this joint so you can cool your mouth off after that.

Kerala House - Connaught Place
Hey, I am a South Indian who is missing home food. Obviously, I will crow about my achievements in finding these places. Amazingly, this place is also on Jantar Mantar Road, diagonally opposite Patel Chowk. Another dinghy place but decent Kerala food. The lunch fare is unlimited thali with red rice, sambar, rasam, butter milk, two veggies dishes, 1 papaddom and lime pickle. This is at a reasonable rate of Rs 30/-. You can also buy fish fry (which is quite good) and fish curry again at Rs 30. Hey, I have heard good stuff about Andhra Bhawan as well so will head out there one of these days.

Big Chill
The first thing that struck me when I walked into the place was the amazing posters that were framed on the walls. Not originals but very good quality prints. I had a good time checking out them out. If you are an old movie buff then you will enjoy this a lot. The food is continental and quite good. There is quite a bit of variety with pasta, pizzas and the usual conti fare. The desserts are very good. In fact, they are so good that you will feel like having one just by yourself. So starve yourself a bit before giving so you can give it your best shot.

Anupama Sweets - Kailash Colony Market
I really like samosas and I found this place in Kailash Colony market where the samosas are good. My wife likes the chaat too (if I ever started a chaat shop, I would call it Dimaag Mat Chaat :-) The place is quite basic. It reminds me of the Udipi restaurants in Mumbai but a bit posher. The service levels are a bit slow and the people behind the counters are very insolent so go when you are chilled out. I am yet to eat their sweet selction as well as their dosas and idlis so will update at the earliest.

I need to find a place in South Delhi which sells idli batter cause I am tired of eating bread for breakfast every morning. Also, need to find a shop in South Delhi that sells Kerala masalas, pootu podi etc. Sigh sigh, it will take me some time to get settled. I like Delhi though. I think it is a jugadu place where you can manage the stuff you want but you gotta be a little tougher, little more aggressive but still chilled out. Go figure!!!