We had a plan to rise in time for breakfast, which ends at 10.30, then do presents and maybe get a taxi into the centre for a look around. However at 8.30am we got a call from our tour leader wanting to meet at 9 in order to record our details (passport and visa numbers and insurance details.) His name is Bhagi (pronounced Baargy but that’s actually a shortened form) and he had just finished a tour that morning. Seems a nice guy.
Bhagi suggested we get a tour so we had a guide. Good advice. There was also a British family who was keen so we could share the cost. That private city tour started at midday so we had time for presents and the champagne Craig picked up on the way over. An unusual Christmas morning but still fun.
The tour used 2 cars. Us four and the guide in one car, (a young woman named Shristie) and the 3 Brits in the other. We were to mainly spend time in New Delhi which is the British area that is now the centre of government. Very wide boulevards that were packed with cars and auto rickshaws and cars (Shristie says they are not normally called tuk tuks here. The local probably suggested that term to give us a reference.)
It was a public holiday so there were heaps of families out and about doing holiday things. Unfortunately it was another very smoggy day. The previous day was recorded as worst air pollution for 2018 so it wasn’t our imagination. We headed first to Lodhi gardens which are large and beautiful. Quite formal gardens with lots of hedging and wide paths. It also has a number of tombs of Islamic style built during the Mughal occupation centuries ago ( didn’t note the date. Possibly 16th century).

One formerly had blue ceramic tiles over the dome and must have looked spectacular in the sun and moonlight.

It was a popular place with families and social groups picnicking everywhere. We were supposed to visit the Bonsai Garden within Lodhi Gardens also but it was closed being a public holiday. It was very clear that we are persons of interest for many Indians. Both Jen and Mike were asked for selfies with random people. A son took a photo of Mike with his dad who wanted a photo with a European of similar age. There was also quite a bit of surreptitious photo taking. We try to remember to smile a lot so that we don’t ruin their photos. Outside the gardens was the normal collection of auto rickshaws, hawkers and beggars.

Shristie said “no” to one lady trying to sell imitation flowers. She dug into her pocket for something to give and handed over a scrunched up plastic bag which was accepted with a shrug. I’ll try not to rave on too much about the traffic. It was heavy with thousands of autos (auto rickshaws) vying for space with predominantly white, generally battered, mid size cars.

People obey the traffic lights (although they don’t apply after a certain time at night until before about 6am) but I’m not sure why they bother with any lane markings. Getting across lanes and around roundabouts takes a level of confidence and determination. There are hawkers at many of the lights, often with quite small children running through the lanes doing somersaults or handstands for money. Like the dogs that are everywhere, they seem to avoid getting squashed as they weave in and out as the lights change and everything moves.

Many of the traffic islands have small camps, complete with bedding and fires where families are living. We headed through the leafy streets past the prime minister’s house and other political and diplomatic homes to the house where Ghandi lived and was eventually assassinated. It was closed but Shristie gave us a brief history at the gate. I won’t attempt to summarise but it is an interesting story for those that want to look it up.

Then off to the President’s House – evidently the second biggest residence in the world after a palace in Italy (I think).

The side wings are now used for government functions and the President has to make do with the end wing.

My iPhone couldn’t come close to capturing the scale. The gardens are lovely but the pollution meant you couldn’t see them well. There were also flocks of very large bird kites) all over the place. Of course they wouldn’t all fly up when I tried to photograph them!

There’s a boulevard running several kilometres to a copy of the arc de triomphe ( it was meant to be an equivalent of the Champs Élysées) but you could only just see the arch and not at all in the photo.

The pollution is bad at this time of year as there are cold air currents from the north mixed with normal city pollution and smoke from surrounding rural areas where they burn off the wheat stubble after harvest.

We drove around to where the arch is and waited for a while at traffic lights.

The environs were certainly varied and colourful.

With Ghandi’s home closed Shristie improvised and took us to a ‘surprise‘. It was a walled place with some steps up to a gate in the wall and loads of people. Inside it was like a long rectangular chamber with Islamic arches on terraced walls and steps going way down.

It is called Baoli Steps and was a former water reservoir. It formerly had terrible brackish water up to the first floor and was the site of numerous deaths so has a history of being haunted. It was the location for a Bollywood movie a few years ago and is now an attraction. It was certainly interesting. There is a tiny arch at the bottom that opens to abound 1.5m drop into the former well (now dry) and steps all the way down.

No railings or health and safety measures of any description anywhere so you have to exercise some self preservation. We then headed to the Ghandi Museum which was really interesting. Not laid out in a modern style but with loads of period photos and quotes on the walls that tell the story of Ghandi and those he influenced/ affected.

Then it was off to the site where Ghandi was cremated. That’s another large public park area and clearly a place where locals come to pay their respects on special holidays.

We returned to the hotel weary but having seen a very different part of Delhi. I struggled to stay awake during the pre-tour meeting where we met one further group member. There was still another family that didn’t make it to the meeting. Afterwards we walked down the road a bit with Bhagi to a restaurant where we had an excellent and inexpensive meal – 2 chicken curries and some mixed vegetables with naan bread and pickles all washed down with Kingfisher lite beer. We were full at the end and quite pleased the chef had forgotten to cook the lamb curry we also had ordered. I suspect it will be the routine to have breakfast and then not much until dinner as on this most unusual Christmas Day. Bed at 10pm which was 2 hours too late given we have to be up at 4am for a 5am departure to the railway station. ?