Posted by Arriving in New Delhi Airport via Singapore after a two hour delay and it was both humid and manic with a bit of chaos around getting the buses away but once done with 50 people in tow to the REA leadership forum 25 we finally got to the Leila Palace Hotel around 10pm. After checkin and a bit it of supper and a drink it off to bed in a daze. The 5 hour time difference and it felt every bit like 3am which turned into an advantage the next morning when i awaoke to it stiill being dark at 6am. So off to the roof for solo swim in the pool whilst watching the expamsive city come to life.
The Leila palace is pretty swanky and the same for the breakfast so we were all well rested and fed before we headed off for the first group session that morning. After lunch it was off to the buses for a trip into Old Delhi and the Shikh temple of Gurdwaras Bangla Sahib, and then wendured a trick of broken down buses and the threat of walking when the took tooks came to the rescue, of course all staged but good fun and then off to Old Delhi we went past the Government centre of town from the old British Raj days which is still the main admin centre today.
The food production at the temple is extraordinary and tey feed 10’s of thousands of people a day.
We all got decked out in our turbans and thoughtfully and respectfully approached the temple complex which did not allow photograps of the inner area.
As expected the streets were a buzz with chaos that just somehow seemed to work so our transport changed three times as we got deeper and deeper into the centre where we finally walked around with our guides to explore as much as we could and sample the “safe” street food along the way.
we saw monkeys of varying sizes everywhere and some like above were daunting in their strength and prowess.
Our first night out and a few of us got the outfit date wrong and we fronted up in full regalia which was meant for the next night but at least we stood out in the crowd. Chicha was great and the suprise of the night was Brett Lee joining us for diner and then announcing that he will be joining us for a cricket game the next day.
It was good being away with some good friends and collegues from the leading Agencies and groups across Australia again.
We had a long drive the next morning to the outskirts of Delhi the next day but it was worth as we enjoyed a great talk with Brett and former Australian womens Cricket captain Lisa Sthalekar whose life story was truly extraordinary. The next few hours was spent in fierce competition with the children from the orphanage we were supporting and they whipped us clearly.
That night we were taken back into Old Delhi to an outstanding old merchant mansion turned resturant for fabulous food and entertaining
Nice view of the Jama Masjid mosque at night from the roof top
An early start the next day with an old rattler , supposed express train to Agra and the Taj Mahal..first class of course circa 1950, but a great chance to catch up with good friends for some great chatter in the two hour journey there and back
The Taj was everything you would expect from one of mans great creations and of course it came with the crowds but as you would not expect it was organised and manageable plus we got a cracker of a day to see it.
Every nook amnd cranny was pure detail and craftmanship to the max aloing with the surrounding building where the contrast of white marble and both pink marble and red sandstone was a stunning contrast beside the river position.
A great crew of people from REA and residential, commercial and development Real Estate in Australia. The next stop was Agra and the Red fort , palace and defences of the Mughal Emperors/Khans and thier Indian empires .
The red sandstone is captivating but these walls did not stop the british taking control over such a huge empire and such massive armies due to internal conflicts.
The Various palaces were small but stunning in detail as the Emperors lived a very open plan style of life where the indoors and the outdoors relied on colling and stone to have clear airflow.
it took us a while to go from the Taj to the Red fort but in reality it was very close by.
The detailing of the designs were stunning and the islamic influence from persia through the middle east to the east is evident everywhere. And the new boss of Agra looks on below..
Old Delhi railway station on a normal evening was nuts.
Witrh a late night flight i got to visit some extra sights including the Swaminarayan Akshardhal temple which is a hindu sect of unification and this extensive temple is a flurry of eclectic and mixed design that went crazy .
We visted the 2nd counsin of the Taj, the tomb of Humayun and were equally impressed with what was created in the extensive grounds that has all kinds of tombs for both Hindu and muslin leaders alike.
And finally back to the hotel and a swim before heading to the airport. Just 4 days in Delhi and it was an amazing experience.
