Golden Inside the
Triangle
Hayley Richardson gets a real taste of India and enjoys some genuine Indian hospitality‌
travel
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When my friend asked if I’d like to accompany him on his trip to India to visit his family, two things instantly jumped to mind – hot weather (in November!) and hot food. While I salivated over the idea of two weeks in a curry coma, Anil suggested we also travelled to the north, as well as Chennai and Hyderabad (both situated in the south of India, where his family live) and do the famous ‘golden triangle’ route of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, taking in the illustrious Taj Mahal. Great, I thought – copious food, sun and a wonder of the world. I was sold. And so our adventure began. Having gone for the cheaper option of an indirect flight via Abu Dhabi with Etihad (BA do fly direct) we landed at 4am in a very humid Chennai, the capital city of the south-eastern state of Tamil Nadu. I’ll admit I was a little concerned – I hadn’t factored rain into the plan, and was somewhat ill-equipped in the clothes department for such conditions (perhaps a little naive given we were visiting in the middle of the monsoon period). However, after a solid power nap we woke to pale grey (but dry!) skies and headed off on the tourist trail.
Chennai (also known as ‘Madras’ and home to that infamous curry) is the sixth most populous city in India, located on the Coromandel coast off the Bay of Bengal. To introduce us to the culture and history of the state, Anil’s sister Chitra and her husband took us to ‘Dakshin Chitra’, a heritage centre around 35km from Chennai in Muttukadu village (you can get there by taking the Mamallapuram bus from the city). The village presents accurately reconstructed, historically traditional houses and streets, as well as model temples and popular arts and crafts from four south Indian states – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. There was also an array of ‘demo booths’, exhibiting some of southern India’s traditional handicrafts such as silk weaving, kalamkari (hand-painted textiles) and mendhi – or ‘henna’ – where intricate patterns are typically applied to women’s hands and feet, usually before a wedding or a festival. I decided it’d be a great idea to have this done on my right hand, only to realise I wasn’t able to eat or do anything until it dried. I also had my fortune told by a green parrot (assisted by a man with the longest bright pink nails I have ever seen), who
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travel accurately deduced that I enjoy travel, that I will live to 84, will find my true love by the age of 26 (which doesn’t give me much time!) and, more controversially, that I should have been born a man. Following this cultural feast we headed to the Crocodile Bank, which doubles up as India’s leading institution for reptile and amphibian conservation, research and education. It was established with the aim of saving three native Indian endangered species of crocodile—the marsh (or mugger) crocodile, the saltwater crocodile, and the gharial, which at the time of founding of the trust were all nearing extinction. Judging by the amount of crocs there I’d wager that there’s now a greater risk of overcrowding!
I had to give one young boy a few rupees purely for his enormous false moustache and cheeky grin! During my stay I was very fortunate to be staying with ‘family’, as the Indian culture is incredibly hospitable. We were driven everywhere (handy given there didn’t appear to be many pavements!) and fed like kings at the very best restaurants (evident by the incredible quality of the food, and as I came to realise, the state of the toilets). We dined one evening at the ‘Taj Coromandel’ – one of Chennai’s bestknown landmarks and the city’s only member of the exclusive “Leading Hotels of the World” Taj Resort chain. The hotel itself was very grand – their smartly dressed staff met us at the entrance and whilst one parked our car for us, the others ushered us inside, holding open the doors as we went. I felt like royalty! And the food lived up to the hype - the charcoal tandoori chicken, biriyani and butter chicken dishes were all exceptional (I’d always recommend the ‘boneless’ option and avoid the mutton, wherever you are!). In terms of cost, this was at the top end of spectrum - the dinner was 5400 rupees for 5 people (roughly £13 a head). I’d also recommend ‘Kabul’ restaurant – a popular little venue for many locals with reasonable prices, delicious tandoori and south Indian curry dishes and a delectable garlic naan! Chennai is a great destination for shopping. While you can pick up more traditional wares as well as cheap designer clothes from outlet stores in the city, its new ‘Express Avenue’ Mall was voted ‘Most Admired Shopping Centre of the Year’ at the 2011 NDTV Hindu Lifestyle awards. It houses some of the biggest brands from around the world, as well as top restaurants and entertainment facilities. We also visited the famous Indian chain ‘Raymonds’, where Anil had a suit custom made along with five shirts for £100. In terms
of nightlife, Chennai has a great range of bars and nightclubs. However, alcohol cannot be served after 11pm, so our nights usually started early to compensate! Whilst I was very privileged to experience this kind of lifestyle in India, it certainly made the massive class and social divides so prevalent in the country even more overt. Whilst tucking into a tender coconut on the edge of the road I was mobbed by beggars, the majority of which were women and young children. It’s heartbreaking – you want to help them, but unfortunately as soon as you are seen to give to one, you then become a target. Upsetting as it is, you have to turn a blind eye and walk away. Our next stop was Delhi – the first destination in our golden triangle route. We flew in from Chennai with Jet Airways and were greeted by Lankan, our driver whom we had previously booked after reading a recommendation on a Lonely Planet forum. I’d highly recommend this as a means of transport for the triangle – for a modest 13,000 rupees (around £200), Lankan took us everywhere we wanted to go and patiently waited for us while we explored. You can pick up a driver at the airport on the day for a potentially lower price, however we had limited time and were keen to get on the road straight away. To be honest we couldn’t be bothered with the agro of bartering for a better price! On our tour of the capital we visited the Qutb complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which boasts the majestic Qutb Minar, the tallest minaret (a distinctive feature of Islamic mosques) and second highest tower in India. The complex dates back to 1192 and is one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. Many of the surrounding ruins (including the Quwwat-ulIslam mosque and numerous tombs) are incredibly well preserved, especially as most are composed of sandstone. Entry to all tourist attractions (excluding the Taj Mahal) was 250 rupees (£3) for ‘Foreigners’ (though my friend got away with the ‘local’ rate of 10 rupees!). I’d also strongly recommend wearing trousers – the number of times my legs were eyeballed suggests that shorts aren’t really the ‘done thing’, as that doesn’t happen so often at home! We also visited the magnificent ‘Gate of India’ (akin to the Parisian Arc de Triomphe), the stunning Parliament buildings and a traditional Hindu temple, with intricate carvings and beautiful marble architecture.
Driving between the tourist sites, we found our eyes were glued to the window. At each traffic light our car was approached, either by beggars or tradesmen and women selling the most bizarre goods and ‘souvenirs’. A couple of times we were treated to an energetic dance performance by some young children. I had to give one little boy a few rupees purely for his enormous false moustache and cheeky grin! One small niggle about our driver was that we did get taken to the tourist ‘hot spots’ for lunch despite our protestations, as they are provided with a free meal as commission! Unfortunately this meant higher prices and the food wasn’t up to the standard we were used to (though perhaps we’d been spoilt!).
travel We booked ahead for all our hotels using Expedia.co.uk, after checking them out on Trip Advisor. All were middle of the range and reasonably priced, and all provided a comfortable nights sleep. The Wood Castle Hotel in Delhi was delightful - despite its somewhat ‘backstreet ghetto’ location – with friendly staff and a decent restaurant. Our next stop was Jaipur, ‘the pink city’, renowned as one of the finest planned cities of India and located in the semi-desert lands of Rajasthan. In 1876 during the regime of Sawai Ram Singh, the whole city was painted pink in honour of a visit from The Prince of Wales; a characteristic that remains to this day. Once the home of royalty itself, the city was, in my opinion, the prettiest we visited. It was also the most eccentric, with intricately painted elephants and camels used as means of transport and hundreds of cows nonchalantly wandering by the side of the road. Lankan drove us high up into the hills (taking in spectacular views of the Jal Mahal or ‘Water Palace’ along the way) to the Nahargarh Fort and Madhvendra Palace. Though the previously grand interiors of these buildings have been somewhat left to ruin, the extensive views of the vast cityscape take your breath away.
Unfortunately, having gotten away with it thus far and feeling quite smug, in Jaipur I was hit by the infamous ‘Delhi belly’. I have my suspicions it was the ice cubes in my alcohol-free ‘Strawberry Surprise’ cocktail I had with dinner. Either that or the ‘surprise’ was a day spent flitting between bedroom and bathroom. Luckily by the following day I had recovered, as next stop was Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. We picked up our guide, Javed (on recommendation from Lankan) en-route who took us to the ticket booth (located a good mile away from the site itself) and once again Anil scored on the ‘local’ ticket rate front. While he paid a meagre 20 rupees, I had to fork out 750! Still, £9 isn’t a bad price to see a wonder of the world... Before we entered, Javed told us to avoid all photographers and give him our camera. Somewhat dubiously I handed it over, yet he proved an absolute star and set us up in all the ‘official’ poses, getting us all the same shots as the professionals for free! He was a fantastic guide, very knowledgeable, refused to let anyone push in front of us and made the whole afternoon run smoothly. We visited on a Sunday so it was very busy (I’d recommend going early in the week if feasible). The Taj Mahal isn’t a wonder of the world for nothing. It’s difficult to paint the majesty of it in words. There’s an almost mythical eeriness to it; even surrounded by hordes of people it stands tall, glorious, its white marble and precious stones shimmering in the late afternoon sun. Everything about the Taj Mahal is symbolic. Completed in 1653 after 22 years of construction, it was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th child. As a result it has ‘16’ gardens with ‘53’ fountains, and 22 domes atop of the North Gate (the main entry point). The interior of the mosque has 6 rooms, to symbolise each living child, and 8 arches to symbolise those they lost. There are 14 chapters of the Quran inscribed on the exterior walls (one for each child) and the lines towards the top are larger to give the illusion when read from below that they are all the same size.
Much to Anil’s amusement I was approached by multiple families who wanted pictures with me. They were very trusting as they would thrust their children into my arms while they set up their cameras. Clearly they’d never seen a blonde, white girl before, and like the beggars, once you say yes to one you start to see a queue forming. I couldn’t understand it – I felt like I was upstaging the Taj Mahal! After returning to Delhi (all drives between the cities took approximately 5.5 hours) we then flew down to Hyderabad to visit Anil’s Aunty ‘Sweety’ and Uncle Ravi. They live in the Secunderabad region, and their driver took us on a tour of the city. I was instantly struck by how much cleaner this city was. From what I’d seen of India so far, piles of rubbish at the side of the road and the odd dead dog was pretty standard, whereas Hyderabad was relatively tidy. We visited Charminar, a landmark monument built in 1591 on the east bank of the Musi river which is seen today as the global icon of Hyderabad. It consists of four ornate minarets attached and supported by four grand arches and visitors are welcomed to climb to the top to enjoy the view of the surrounding city. Next door is the Laad Bazaar, a busy, bustling market selling all sorts, from glittering bangles and sarees to crockery and souvenir bric-à-brac. We then spent a few hours wandering around the Salar Jung Museum, a repository of rare objects, art and antiques from around the world, collected over the years by the Salar Jung family (a noble dynasty who ruled the state from 1720-1948). Among many eccentric artefacts is the ‘musical clock’, bought from Cook and Kelvy of England. Every hour, a timekeeper emerges from the upper deck of the clock to strike a gong as many times as it is the hours of the day. You’d be amazed at the crowds this draws in every hour – luckily we caught it on our way past. The following day we visited Golkonda Fort, a ruined city and former capital of the kingdom of Golkonda which dates back to the twelfth century. Having eaten my weight in Aunty Sweety’s ‘Chicken 65’ the walk to the top was a welcome adventure; the city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (400 ft) high. We stayed at the top to watch the sunset, then meandered our way down to watch the famous Golkonda ‘light and sound’ show, which tells the story (in English) of the rich history of the fort and battles that took place in the very grounds in which we were sitting. That evening we ate at Nan King, a ‘shabby chic’ Indochinese restaurant which served delicious ‘wet noodles’, Chicken Lollypop and Chicken Manchuria. No booze however... On our last day in Hyderabad we took a drive to Eat Street – an area akin to the London Southbank, though somewhat less busy and cosmopolitan! Situated on the banks of Lake Hussain Sagar, during peak season this area is buzzing with families enjoying its expansive eateries and ice cream parlours. There are also boat trips from here to statue of the Gautam Buddha in the middle of the lake, built in 1992 as part of the Buddha Poornima Project to boost the prosperity of the lake and its surrounding area whilst promoting peace and perseverance. It was time to leave Hyderabad and make our final stop in Chennai before heading back to the cold, wintry UK. The weather had been kind to us and the transition was going to be arduous. Luckily, Anil’s sister and her husband owned a beautiful beach house down the coast (near the stunning resort of Fisherman’s Cove) and we headed down there for a bit of R&R. The beaches in Chennai were a touch unkempt, so it was nice to go for a swim on cleaner shores! The night before we left we headed to an Indian ‘pre-wedding’ party at the Accord hotel, where we threw some shapes to some Bollywood classics! All in all, the trip was spectacular. The culture, the architecture, the FOOD is quite unlike anywhere I’ve ever experience before, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for the trip of a lifetime.