Prelude
To explain this journey I need to take you back, back to the land of Oz (there is indeed nowhere like home) and a time when I was doing the daily grind at the hallowed halls of Retravision. There in the office next to me is a young chap from the sub-continent named Praveen. Many months ago, before the company's demise there was suggestion that I should come to India to witness his brother's wedding. 'Twas a pipe dream at that time but I always kept it in the back of my mind.
So we now come back to the present and I see the date approaching for this wedding and start playing online to see if there was a decent fare available to New Delhi. I had never been to India let alone an Indian wedding. It had also been one of my dreams to see the Taj Mahal - who knew dreams could come true. After much searching I found a fare from Frankfurt on Air India on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This just topped off the entire event for me as you could imagine. Then it was the next tricky task of convincing S that he should come with me. Some gentle persuasion/coercion/pleading made him see sense and it was on. Next step, easy, book the flights....done!
What should have been the first step but became the second step was getting my visa for India. Even though it is a Commonwealth country almost everyone requires a visa before arrival (except the Finnish, Singaporeans and New Zealanders - go figure - obviously no reciprocal visa required). So I did what I thought was the logical thing and completed the forms online and send my British passport to the Indian Embassy in Bern. I had heaps of time so it will be back well before the departure date. It was received the next day with a query as to where my residency permit was - I do not have one of course. This meant they could not process it. They suggested London - OK. So I went through the process again and got ready to send it and then thought I had better do some checking.
I managed to find a visa service company in London (through my credit card) who advised that I would need to use a UK address and not my Swiss address - phew slight crisis averted. So off I went with my form to the trusty Swiss Post Office to be told that they could not send an overnight courier to a business address only to an embassy. The courier they offered would take 4-6 days. I was turning into a very grumpy smurf by this time as this was just getting far too difficult. In the end I used UPS (which was at a hefty cost but they did come and collect it) to get it to London.
It was an anxious few days but I then received the news that all was well and my passport would make it back in time. I am sure S would remind me of some of the grumpy things I said which included "we are not going to India" and "Switzerland is unhelpful and backward". As you can see I was terribly balanced through this whole process. Would you believe I want to go back to Russia soon which means another visa application process!
After all of that it meant we could head off safely in the knowledge that we had all of the right documents. Lesson learnt....to be more calm and less of an old nana. I think I have too much time on my hands!
28 November 2012 - Departure Day
All was set. We had packed the night before and the luggage was in S's car. We agreed to meet near S's office in the late afternoon - should all go like clockwork. A couple of things went against us....my train ran late - the driver was duly terminated as Swiss trains never run late! It was also peak hour and raining. Traffic was terrible and what should have taken one hour took about one and three quarter hours. Poor S was quite tense in the car and there was discussion on what we would do if we missed our first flight. I think he was more worried that I would turn!
We did make it but with about five minutes to spare. We went from check-in to security to gate and boarded. Took a little time to calm down after we realised how fine we had cut it. Well we settled into out little Lufthansa jet for the short hop to FRA. We made it on time and then got bussed to the terminal and it was off to the lounge.
As you can imagine, once I had calmed down, I was quite excited at the prospect of being on a new jet (the eco-friendly brand spanking new Boeing 787 Dreamliner) and a new airline (Air India). Boarding was a bit slow and then the entire computer system crashed which led to a delay of about an hour. That would be fine except Air India is one of those carriers which does not serve alcohol on the ground (Malaysian and Japan Airlines are the same). It was all looking a bit grim as we sat for ages but thankfully the crew saw sense and broke their rules.
Anyway, here are a few pictures.....brace yourself for airline porn...don't get too excited...keep that box of tissues close by...
Very spacious business class
The very large windows with electronic shutter which changes the colour of the glass
Champagne!
S smiling - he cannot believe he agreed to come on an Air India flight
The meal....well, it tasted good but did resemble an economy meal from 1975. Still, imagine what they got behind the curtain.
My impressions of Air India....they were fine. The service was OK but not that attentive. It is clear that they are a bit cash strapped - there was doubt they would get the 787's. The 787 itself was pretty cool but could most punters tell the difference, I doubt it. Have to say that the air conditioning was great as the air is nowhere near as dry as on other aircraft. Would I fly them again, yes, but I will not rush back.
Anyway, we landed on time and then it was time to find the driver to take us to the hotel. This was done easily and we stepped outside to a nice cool Delhi morning. Now I should say that I was bracing myself a little as so many people had given mixed reports on India indicating you would either love it or hate it. I was a bit nervous about dealing with the poverty although I accept that there is not much of that in a five star hotel! I have to say India was just wonderful and not at all intimidating. The traffic is insane but if you have been to Cairo or Jakarta then it is about the same. So my recommendation - go to India!
Enough of my work for India tourism and back to our journey. The hotel limousine was, wait for it....a Toyota Camry. It did have leather seats but had seen better days. We were warmly met at the Hyatt hotel and taken to our club room.
The room was fine, stock standard Hyatt decor, until the bed broke. I will not explain or go into any details on how this happened other than there was a mighty crack, no not my butt. Reported it to the staff and they said they would rectify.....how embarrassing.
The new room
Thankfully we were escaping the hotel. S was off to his office in Delhi and I was meeting Praveen to catch up and find some traditional dress for the wedding. Praveen, the lovely kind man that he is, had organised a driver for our use whilst in town. So off I went in Delhi traffic to stores unknown in the depths of South Delhi. All found very easily and we had fun choosing my ensemble for the wedding - I just had to remember that it was not my big day! Was great to catch up with Praveen and swap tales. It was also the first time I had heard him speak his native language - neat!
Dinner was back in the hotel that night with one of S's colleagues and the food at the hotel's Indian restaurant was divine.
I guess you are all wondering about the bed? Well when we returned to the hotel it was still not quite fixed. They did not replace the bed but repaired it. I was a bit nervous about it and we elected to change rooms On the up side we ended up in a refurbished room which was a bit nicer. Regretfully I did not get a photo of the broken bed frame but proud to have reported it to you here.
29 November 2012 - Touring and wedding
After a decent sleep and waking up with the bed still intact it was time to see a bit of Delhi. Had heard and was recommended to see the Red Fort which was our first stop. It is in fact not a fort but was a palace that housed about 3,000 people. We both loved it. It was a magical place and it is difficult to picture it in its hey day but it would have been, well, palatial! This is a must see in Delhi and grab one of the audio tours for INR 200 as well. The fort was built by the same bloke who built the Taj Mahal - he was into big displays....perhaps he was compensating for something else?
Outside wall view
Royal squirrel
Main entrance
Close up of the wall. The floral decorations were originally covered in gold.
Some general views of some of the buildings
We then headed off from here and had a wander through a local mosque perched on a hill with beautiful views across the city. Ever noticed how religious places of worship often have the best sites in any city? This one has a view across to the Red Fort.
It was then back in the car and off to the next site which was the Ghandi Museum. I did not take any photos here as it just did not seem right. This was the place where Ghandi spent his last 144 days and was assassinated and also well worth a visit.
Back to the hotel to prepare ourselves for the wedding. Praveen had kindly invited up to the family home so we could enjoy some of the rituals of the groom. It was a very colourful and noisy affair with lots of dancing. Who knew Praveen liked to shake his bootie so much!
I should point out that this part of the wedding started about 7:00 pm and was followed by a visit to the temple, a ride on a horse (by the groom) and then about 9:30 pm we all get back in the cars to head to the wedding venue. Praveen and his lovely wife Puja (who looked gorgeous in her sari) came with us in the car which allowed us to ask questions about the festivities which of course had been going for days. I think the wedding family survive on about four hours sleep a night leading up to the wedding. The interesting thing for me was that the groom would arrive to much fanfare, loud music and another horse (no more elephants these days) at the venue. The the guests do a lot of dancing (yes, even we did it much to the delight of the rest of the guests - can't wait to see that video!!) and it takes about one hour for the groom to get to the venue. He then exchanges gifts with the bride's family and then has to negotiate his way in with the bride's sister. All this time the bride is nowhere to be seen (I think she is at the salon) and it is now about 11:00 pm and they are still not even married.
So we get into a beautiful venue and there is food everywhere and drinks and wonderful decorations. S and I wandered around (ate and drank, it is a wedding after all) and took in the atmosphere. The groom heads to a stage where he sits and waits patiently. We took the opportunity to get some happy snaps.
At about midnight the bride arrived resplendent in a red bejewelled dress which weighed about 20 kilogrammes. No wonder she only appears late. Who would want to carry that all day!! She finally got to join the groom on stage but remember they are still not married! The most interesting thing I noticed was that the bride was mostly ignored when she entered - so different from a Christian wedding. Imagine the tantrums in Australia if the bride was ignored! Or even worse, the footage on "My Gypsy Wedding"!
The ceremony happens at about 3:00 am when most guests have left and that is when they are finally married.
We left about 1:00 am-ish and headed back to the hotel after an amazing night. What an honour to be able to be part of this so a heart felt thank you to Praveen, Puja and their families.
30 November 2012 - Agra and the Taj Mahal
After a relatively late night it was an early-ish start to make our way to Agra. We had a friendly driver again for the three hour drive on the new expressway.
On entering Agra you are struck by what I had thought of as "the real India". It was definitely poorer, there were random cows (I have missed them) on the street. And then you turn up at the Oberoi Hotel Agra which is a complete study in luxury and opulence - truly it is a tale of two cities and slight pangs of guilt washed over me. I dread to think the comparison to our one night's accommodation to the average salary of the locals.
So, trying to push this all out of my mind we are met by a team of people. We chose this hotel for one reason and that is that it has views of the Taj Mahal from every room - just too cool for school.
Time to suffer to some pictures of the hotel....including the whacky turn down service of towels sculpted into swans and a rose!
Main mission today was to see the temple built out of love, the Taj Mahal. As you probably know it is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal (courtesy of Wikipedia). S did inform me that he would not build such a mausoleum for me (sad face) so I suggested spending it on me in life instead (happy face)!.
We got shuttled to the entrance in a golf buggy where we met our guide and then proceeded through the site. We had "VIP Foreigner" tickets which cost INR 750 compared to the locals who pay INR 20. What this extra payment gets you is immediate entrance and not queueing for about three hours to get into the mausoleum itself.
Can I just say that all the wondrous things they say about the Taj Mahal are true. It is spectacular. Only seeing it can do it justice but I hope you get some idea from the photos.
Couple of things of note. Firstly we had to have the "traditional" photo of holding the dome! The four towers on each corner lean outwards slightly. This was done in case there was an earthquake that the towers would fall outwards. The Taj marble changes colour as the light changes and it took 22 years to build.
After a couple of hours of being "wowed" we headed back toward the hotel and we taken by our trusty guide to, you guessed it, a shop! Grrrrr! This one sold carved and inlaid marble. To my surprise S got a little excited by this and found items to purchase. Some haggling later we had four items of marble - all gifts. I have to say the pieces were stunning and the craftsmanship amazing.
By now it was dark and time to get back to the hotel. S decided he had to test the pool before dinner. That is his head you can see above the water.
Dinner was in their Indian restaurant and was just OK. The service was great though. Even when I refused dessert, the waiter insisted and brought some Indian dessert.
2 December 2012 - Back to Delhi
So it was time to hit the highway once more and head back to the big smoke. Hooray for my phone which let me play games as a certain S spent most of the trip snoozing!
We were headed now for the Oberoi Hotel Delhi where we were checking in and Praveen and Puja were checking out. They had a night in the hotel for their wedding anniversary which is, coincidentally the same now as his brother's!
At check-in we were told we had a lovely upgrade to a nice suite - well I will be the judge of that! OK, they were right...the Kipling Suite was very nice. Time to suffer......
We met Praveen and Puja back in the lobby and then headed to the Sheraton Hotel to have lunch at the famed Bukhara restaurant serving northern Indian cuisine. And what a treat it was! All the food melted in your mouth and you got to wear bibs!
We bid Praveen and Puja a fond farewell and we headed back to the Oberoi to digest - there were only a few hours until the next meal! Not sure we were up to eating again but the lure of famed Peking Duck at the hotel's Chinese restaurant was too strong. This was washed down with some lovely Moet champagne and then deep fried ice cream out on the terrace overlooking the city. Ah, this is living!
3 December 2012 - All about me (well, isn't it always?)
Why all about me? What should be different to any other day? Well, this one I get to claim as it is my birthday. I had technically already received my birthday present in the form of a suitcase - a lovely Rimowa from the Lufthansa 787-8i collection - mmmmm - luggage porn! It was allowed to come with us to India. These are the before photos as it got a bit bashed around as you would expect on its travels. It did need something QF on it though.
Little birthday treat was organised by S....
And for me, what better way to spend a birthday than flying. Yes, this was a travelling day and were were to be back on the Air India Dreamliner.
There was some tension at check-in as they could not find my booking, even though we had checked in the night before online! We were then escorted through security to the "lounge". Now I was surprised by this lounge which was essentially a bar - you would think I would be happy! It was pretty crap! So we went in search of a Priority Pass Lounge which we have access to and this was much better.
Then it was off to the jet to see what they had in store for us - would the service be different? Well, apart from some drinks being served from the trolley it was about the same. That said the flight attendant looking after us took us for the couple of lushes that we are and kept our champagne topped up - bless him! The crew, after some prodding by S I suspect, gave me a bottle of wine and a card for my special day. Sadly we had to give the wine up at security - damn those liquid and gels rules!
Well, that is it folks....the Delhi Diary! What an amazing few days. Full of new sights and experiences. Thank you so much again to Praveen, Puja and their families for their incredible hospitality.
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