We are striking out on our own today! After breakfast we meet Maggi & Richard in the lobby and make our way to the metro to get into New Delhi. We are staying out at the airport, so the metro makes much more sense than trying to get an Uber to take us anywhere – we can be in town in about 15 minutes vs. the hour it took us last time. Bhanu (who is at that time, on a train headed back to Jaipur) has briefed us on the metro and where to get off to go to the 2 sites we want to visit. So, faithfully following his instructions, we walk to the metro, buy our tickets and head to the Shivaji Stadium metro station (which he pronounced so differently that I had to look it up on the map a couple of times before I realized what he actually said!).
All goes according to plan, and we are whisked into town without delay. Alighting the metro station, we think about getting an Uber, but there are a bunch of Tuk Tuks at the station, so we begin to negotiate with them. One guy just won’t budge and is asking too much, we offer a fair price (far more than an Uber would cost!), and he won’t take it, he also tries to tell us the Humayan Tomb isn’t open until around 11, so he will have to take us on another tour – uh, no, it’s open from dawn to dusk, so thanks anyway. We walk away. Another guy comes running after us and tells us he will take us for our proffered price. Ok, we’ll hop right into the little 3 person max Tuk Tuk – yes, we are 4! Richard gets the shotgun seat this morning, sharing the little seat with the driver so he sees up close and personal all the shucks and jives the driver takes getting around massive traffic circles and jockeying through other Tuk Tuk queues. He does get us to the tomb without incident though, so all is well.
Paying our “tourist” fee (cash only), we enter into the 66 acre gardens that hold the tomb complex. The main tomb was built by Humayan’s widow who wanted to memorialize her husband in a grand fashion. Yet another predecessor of the Taj Mahal, this tomb was built on a plinth and is the first structure to use the red sandstone in this massive manner. The architecture and the gardens are also the first use of Persian influence seen in India, and much more extravagant than previous Mughal rulers’ resting places. The sheer enormity of the place is really astonishing. The entryway provides a long view to the main tomb, with gates accessing other minor tombs (such as the widow who commissioned the entire project and other royalty) off to the side. Again, the architecture is astounding – the red sandstone used in almost a mosaic fashion against white marble slabs makes for a beautiful contrast in colors and designs. And the sheer scope of the tomb is just hard to believe. All these structures are just massive. The manpower necessary to build structures this large and ornate in the 1500’s must have just been enormous. It is a beautiful morning to be strolling through the grounds and it is not quite so busy yet that we can’t take our time and absorb the enormity of the buildings, the tombs and the surrounding gardens.
Climbing the steep stairs to the tomb, we get our close up view of the designs and sturdy construction. Outside on the plinth we can see out to the Yamuna river and another Sikh temple in the distance. Inside the tomb, the Emperor's tomb is in the exact center of the building, with rooms branching off the center at angles, all containing tombs of the Emperor’s children and grandchildren, related to Shah Jahan of Taj Mahal fame. Gorgeous.
One of the fascinating features of the property is the Barber’s tomb. It is the only tomb wihtin the main tomb gardens (all other tombs sit outside gates to the main garden area) and obviously holds a place of importance. There is a little plaque that isn’t very informative, outside the tomb, so the only thing we can figure is that the royal barber was a trusted servant, since he held a knife to the Emperor’s neck every day. Sort of makes sense! This tomb sits up on a raised platform as well, and once we climb the stairs and enter, there is a guard there giving a tour to some other tourists. We wander around, looking at the 2 sarcophagi inside the tomb (the barber and his wife), when the guard comes back and gives us the run down. He gives us tons of details, which I can’t remember now, and of course at the end, wants payment. We just thank him and walk away, because we’re actually inured to this behavior now – and well – heck – we didn’t ask for the tour.
On the way back to the entrance, we walk through the far side of the gardens with incredible views of the main tomb. We watch as a horde of workers hand clean and scrub the water ways that lead all through the gardens, and finally hit the main pathway, happy we got here early because it is starting to get really busy. As we make our way through the last gate, a huge group of school children head our way and when they see us, they break out in a chorus of hello’s, namaste’s, hi’s, and just generally screaming, shouting and waving at us. And this continues on our walk out of the gardens, as there are hundreds of school children all lined up waiting to go into the tombs, and all are waving and greeting us as we walk by. Heartstrings pulled.
Now comes the Tuk Tuk negotiation. In the parking lot we find a couple of Tuk Tuk drivers and Ed begins the negotiations. We finally all agree on a price, and we hop into another 3 person Tuk Tuk, Ed taking the shotgun seat this time. Maggi, Richard and I are in the back, taking selfies and generally just sort of whooping it up. The drive is trying to convince Ed that we need to go on a tour, or a trip to the Emporium (that darn Emporium just won’t go away), Maggi is jokingly saying, “well, if you find a little place…” while I’m trying to strangle her – all the while we are careening through the streets of Delhi, narrowly missing cars, buses and other Tuk Tuks as we make our way back to to Bangla Sahib and the Gurudwara Sikh temple.
We arrive unscathed, and navigate our way inside the temple. We’re not sure where to go or what to do, if there is a fee or not, so we just sort of wander through the lanes leading to the temple and follow the tourist information signs. We finally stumble upon the shoe depository, leaving our shoes in a big basket with the admonition not to forget our token number (which is printed quite clearly on the token they give us, so I’m a little confused as to why there are so many signs with the warnings), then finding the stairs to the temple proper. Maggi and I have our scarves wrapped about our heads, and Ed uses one of my extra scarves to fashion a turban on his while Richard uses my handkerchief to cover the top of his head. We wash our feet in the little water trough at the bottom of the stairs, then carefully climb the marble stairs (holding on to the hand rails to avoid slipping) to get to the plaza outside the temple entrance. There we find a basket full of cloth to use as a makeshift head covering, which Richard dives into, finding a snazzy red and gold flecked scarf to use instead of my dinky handkerchief. We are ready to go.
The plaza outside the entrance is covered in carpet, and people who are hanging about, either relaxing or sharing snacks and meals. It’s a really interesting atmosphere, almost park like, but with carpet, not grass. We meander about, watching people pay for something, but we decided we didn’t have to pay to go inside – which turned out to be the right move. We freely walking inside (where no photos are allowed) to see people praying and making offerings to the care takers in the middle of the temple. It seems like there is some special ceremony going on, but maybe it is just the normal Sunday afternoon offerings that we are witnessing. Outside once again, we arrive at the holy pond – the Sarovar - which is what I had wanted to visit on our first day in Delhi when we were following the “tout.” It is all that I had hoped for, this gorgeous glistening pool of clean, clear water – with our adorable turbaned boys standing in the forefront. (If there is any way to upload a picture here I will do it – Google and Livewriter be damned!!!)
Meandering back to the shoe drop, we stop for a few photos on the plaza outside the temple, then navigate back down the stair case to our shoes. Upon leaving, we pass a portico where people are beginning to line up to gain entry into a room there. Later (Google is our friend), we find out that this is where the daily free vegetarian lunch is served. The Gurudwara temple serves over 10,000 lunches daily – to anyone and everyone. This follows along with the basic Sikh tenet that everyone is equal (the Sikh sect actually broke away from Hinduism in Punjab in the 15th century due to the caste system), and it may also flow from the creation of this temple, which followed a huge outbreak of cholera and small pox. At the time, the 8th guru went out into the community and spread holy water from the Sarovar, curing the masses. The temple was built in this guru’s honor.
Walking out toward the main road, we exit through filigreed marble gates and soon find ourselves in the hustle and bustle of Delhi, heading to Connaught Place. We pass the metro station, looking quite different than this morning, bustling with people going to and for, past the “famous” monkey temple (not so famous, and not so interesting), navigate our way through a makeshift market before the tunnel we use to cross under the main intersection, arriving at Lord of the Drinks! Hey, if you find something you like….
It is fairly early, so we are the first customers, but no matter, we are treated royally and seated in a back corner of the restaurant in a cozy booth for 4. Our waiter is adorable and ends up telling us his life story, about his wife, his honeymoon, you name it! In the meantime, we do manage to order drinks and food. Ed and Richard get the tikka masala chicken sandwich (I think that was what it was – but whatever it was called, it was not what they expected – white bread with chopped chicken in some sort of sauce/marinade), Maggi got the veggie burger and proclaimed it excellent, I got the mushroom and cheese rolls which were described as “stuffed with Philadelphia and wild mushroom.” Yeah, gotta have that Philadelphia! They were actually really good, sort of like a fried eggroll with mushrooms and cheese inside (I’m not vouching for the Philadelphia here…it was cheese…that’s all I’m saying!).
We had a wonderful time, eating, drinking, talking, quizzing the waiter, it was all lovely – and then the sweet waiter brought us all little desserts – some sort of really super sweet and delectable fried round thing on a spoon. It was the perfect ending for a perfect last day together here in India.
We’re perfectly comfortable here now, walking back through the tunnel under the intersection, through the make-shift market and on down to the metro station. We hop the train, and make it back to the Aerocity station and our hotel without incident. But now it is time to say goodbye – which is never easy under any circumstances, and today even more so after our incredible adventure through India and Nepal. We have had the most wonderful time, and it just doesn’t right that Maggi and Richard aren’t continuing on our journey together. So, we hug and kiss and try not to shed a tear or two as we all wish each other safe travels and the promise of seeing each other again soon.
Up the elevator we go, to our separate rooms to try to nap a bit before our late night flights to home countries or other far flung destinations.
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