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After a long flight we land at Delhi Airport. Ralph then has to go through the rigmarole
of getting a customs note for his video camera - and we get our first taste of the Indian
paranoia about video cameras. They don't ask if you are carrying a gun, drugs or a bomb.
Oh no. But "Have you got a video camera?" If the answer is yes, they want to see it,
check its number, then write all the details down in the back of your passport. Then write
it all down again on a form in duplicate. Getting through passport control and customs was quite something! Having already filled in a form on the plane with passport details, reason for visit, where from, by what flight, how long you intend to stay, and where, and so on and on ...... well, all those details are checked against your passport, written down, and studiously pondered upon. By the time they had checked the whole plane, it seemed to have taken hours. (worse then getting into China or Israel). We reckon it was all planned; to delay you with bureaucracy, so that when you go to retrieve your luggage - which isn't there, you won't realise how long it has taken to arrive. We think they are unloading the cases two at a time, on a sack barrow!! We were welcomed by the rep from Pettitt's, the company we had booked with. "Welcome to India", he said and put garlands of flowers round our necks. The drive to the hotel was 'interesting'. The driver went through every red light we came to. Some were flashing, some weren't, but it didn't seem to make any difference. We booked into the Oberoi Maidens Hotel in Old Delhi.
 Oberoi Maidens Hotel We cashed some money. The exchange rate in 1990 was 28.45 rupees to the pound. In April 2000 the exchange rate is 69.25 rupees to the pound. We went on a shopping trip into New Delhi. What a hairy trip that was!! It makes driving in Nairobi look like a model of disciplined restraint!! But it was fun, and we certailnly got the flavour and feel of India. We bought a couple of books by Jim Corbett - "My India" and "The Man-eating Leopard." Anyone interested in Indian or African hunters, particulaly hunters after man-eating big cats, will find Jim Corbett very readable and exciting. Just outside the hotel is a lovely old Victorian post box.
 Victorian Post Box The next morning we went to explore Delhi. Our first stop was to Gandhi's memorial. We walked all around the outside then we took off our shoes and walked down to the cenotaph. There is a continuous procession of people coming and going. A lot of them were throwing rose petals on the memorial. |
 Gandhi's Memorial |
 throwing rose petals |
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We then went on to the Red Fort. This was not a building at all, but a whole walled city.
Entering the Red Fort, Ralph was told he couldn't use his video camera. This was the first
time - but it certainly wasn't the last! - that he would be told this during the three weeks
we were in India. We entered through the Lahore Gate which is the main gate to the fort. It takes its name from the fact that it faces towards Lahore, now in Pakistan. You find yourself in a vaulted arcade, now given over to small shops. This was once the Meena Bazaar, the shopping centre for ladies of the court. The Red Fort was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (A.D. 1628-58) as a Royal residence. The Red Fort has a perimeter of 2.41 km. An oblong octagon on plan, the Fort has two principal gates along its western and southern sides respectively. Outside the ramparts runs a moat, originally connected with the River Yamuna. The palaces lie along the eastern (river) side of the fort.
 The Red Fort The Red Fort dates from the very peak of Moghul power. When the emperor rode out on elephant back into the streets of old Delhi it was a display of pomp and power at its most magnificent. The 'Hall of Public Audiences' was where the emperor would sit to hear disputes from his subjects. 'The Hall of Private Audiences' was the luxurious chamber where the emperor would hold private meetings. The Hall of Private Audience is where the original Peacock Throne used to be until it was stolen by the Persians. Running right through this area was a system of shallow artificial waterways - something, apparently, that the old Moghuls were very partial to. There is no water in them now, but the bottoms of the channels were cleverly tiled in such a way as to give the impression of running water. You could imagine how effective this must have been when there actually was water running there.
 Artificial Waterways
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