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Day 1-2 - Home - Heathrow - Delhi flight 

23/24 January 2020

We had an uneventful night flight, and we landed in Delhi at 6:30am UK time, 12 noon Delhi time. Things were a bit slow to get going, had to go through Immigration, collect our bags, exchange money - you can only get Indian Rupees in India - and wait for all the group to be ready. Things will be quite different this time as we have 39 people in our group..... when we went to China we were just 13!

Day 3 - Delhi to Shimla 25th January 2020

by train, including the "Toy Train".

Day 4- Shimla - 26 January 2020

The Temple we were visiting wasn’t very large, or even that ornate.... it was built in the 1960s, and dedicated to the Monkey god. Inside was a small group of people sitting on the floor, chanting/singing with some sort of musical instrumental being played. There were three shrines, with just one with a priest, taking any offerings of food, flowers etc. We have today a local guide from Shimla telling us about the places we are visiting.

Today has been nice and sunny, with blue sky, but has clouded over during the afternoon. It hasn’t been as cold as we expected, again we have carried around a couple of extra layers all day that we haven’t put on, but it had definitely turned chillier when we were walking back to our hotel.

No of steps walked today 10938

Day 5 - Shimla - 27 January 2020

So, today was supposed to be a free day.....but to start with we had a lecture from a local guide, ..... ‘This morning we enjoy a talk from our guest speaker, Raaja Bhasin, for a detailed insight into the town through its people, history and culture. Raaja was born in Shimla and has written books about the area.’ This was supposed to have been yesterday, but was today.  It was excellent, very interesting and covered the history and formation of India, and then particularly the history of Shimla and the railway, the toy train. He was a very good speaker.

Then most of the group, including us set off on an optional extra..... Alternatively, embark on an optional excursion to the Kufri area of upper Shimla, where you can enjoy incredible views of the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Himalayas, followed by a visit to Wildflower Hall, the former residence of Lord Kitchener - a noted senior British army officer. Now a hotel, this beautiful building sits amidst a verdant forest with incredible views of the surrounding Himalayas. Here, you can enjoy a high tea lunch.

This trip was to go higher up into the foothills of the Himalayas - which translate as Mountains of Snow. We set off in taxis again, they refer to them as jeeps. We went in with the same couple as yesterday, and also Dilip our Indian guide who will be with us for the whole trip was also in our car, which gave us a bit of extra info in places which was interesting.

The start was driving through Shimla, an experience in itself. The road, narrow and twisty goes around the ridge of the mountains, with buildings perched all over the place, cars parked all over the place, sometimes looking more like a scrapyard than a road. In places there was snow piled up on the side of the road. Now and again we had wonderful views out over the valleys and could see all the buildings perched on the hillsides. It was chaos! Pictures taken from car window!

As we got further out into the countryside, climbing all the time, there was more snow piled up, but the road was clear. The army come out and clear the roads as soon as it stops snowing. In places the road was quite rough. As we climbed higher, there were various ‘pull ins’ where local farmers were stationed with tethered yaks, hoping for visitors to stop and pay to have photos with them. We managed a photo of a couple of yaks from the car window!

Our destination was a place where we could walk out to a promontory and have a fantastic view out over the valleys and mountains. In the distance we could see the snow capped mountains of the Himalayas, looking due North towards Tibet and East towards Nepal. Looking down the valleys at the Terraces, we were told that they were mainly apple orchards, the main agriculture here being Apple and vegetable growing. Height here was 8200 feet.

Then it was back to Shimla, by a different route. Our driver stopped at one point so we could look out over a valley, full of lots of colourful buildings.....it almost looked like a Lego model. We were told this side of the mountains was the best side as it got the sun most of the day and so people wanted to live here more and the property was very expensive, whereas the side we were looking at this morning, which had more snow, was cheaper. Expensive means £50k for a flat with parking space.

Back in Shimla we could either go back to our hotel or be dropped off at the bottom of the lifts as yesterday and go up into the Main Street and walk back. Phil and I decided to do that, and Dilip also got out and stayed with us until we were well up into The Mall, which we weren’t expecting.

We walked back up to Christ Church, and although it was busy, The Ridge area and surrounds weren’t as busy as yesterday. By this time it had clouded in somewhat so we were glad to have got lots of photos yesterday. We then walked back to our hotel.

The forecast today had originally been for snow, and then changed to rain....and it was raining, low mist down, little visibility and much colder. We were ushered into this building, and given a somewhat limited guided tour..... all of three rooms on the ground floor, mainly with old photos and explanations on the walls. The Last room/area we went in was the main entrance way...... very high and ornate, all lined in teak. It was the best part that we saw, a shame we didn’t come in the main door instead of exiting by it!

By the time we got outside it had stopped raining, and the mist had cleared a little, so we were able to have a short walk in the garden to get a view of the building, and take photos of course!.

Then it was back in the taxis, back to our hotel and a early lunch there before leaving Shimla. We were travelling by taxis again, back down the mountains and on as far as Chandigarh to catch the evening train back to Delhi. I was sat in the very back of the three rows of seats, but Phil was in the front and is writing his thoughts on the trip down!

We left Shimla in great British weather, the rain and cold! We had a taxi to take us to Chandigarh .... 4 of us in the Car, Kath, Bob, Pat and me! I had the pleasure of the front seat.... Now when you describe driving in India, they say, the Brits drive on the Left, Yanks on the Right and the Indians in the middle or in the gaps left! Well I can confirm this is the case, although our Taxi driver was very adept at it. We over took on corners, when others were coming at us, where we needed to make the gap and any other option almost. I have to say I did not feel unsafe, nor did I break, until we were on the outskirts of Chandigarh. My breaking was as fast as our taxi man and he needed to be quick on many occasions!!!

A 3 lane road led to the town, roughly marked out, but with 5 or 6 lines of traffic in it, both ways..... and then a tuk tuk came up on the outside and squeezed in. Well we needed to turn right, so we stoped correctly.... then three or four cars undertook and also lined up to turn right! We all crossed, like F-India class..... and we filtered in / pushed in.......no scrapes or bumps!

The scenery on the way down was limited to see due to the wet conditions and mist. It was a mix of the urban and some countryside.... the roads were in a poor state of repair, very twisty and some undergoing modernisation, perhaps repair....

It was definitely an experience, I have to say I was pleased to be riding in the front... see it all, near misses, cracking driving and the scenery.....etc.....

We made it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. Despite Great Rail tipping the driver we did as well as in the 4 hour taxi ride he certainly earned it.

I had a look around the station, trains, SAGGA s, coaches, made the mistake of putting my nose in a sleeper carriage, and rode a couple of escalators. Took a few photos...

Now back to Kath for the rest of today.....

We collected our packed teas..... identical cardboard boxes and contents to those we had been given for lunch on the way up. So, once settled on the train most of us tucked into a rather uninspiring sandwich , a rather sticky topped sponge bun and fruit.

The train to Delhi is about 3 hours and then we will get to the same hotel we stayed in our first night.....where hopefully our cases are waiting for us. Looking forward to exploring both Old and New Delhi tomorrow.

Now settled in our room...just gone 11pm. After arriving at Delhi station we got off at Platform 1, climbed the stairs, crossed all 16 platforms, down and across a puddly car park to eventually find our coach.

No of steps walked today 8326

Day 7 - Exploring Old and New Delhi

29 January  2020

Well, what a day! Full of noise and colour! We set off from our hotel in our coach this morning, and Dilip, our Indian guide explained a lot of history of India, the different invaders and rulers over the centuries, and where they built their capitals......mainly using Delhi, but also, Agra, Lehore, Calcutta. The common language, covering all of India is Hindi, but there are also 17 Regional languages, and 1652 local dialects!

Our first stop was at the Jama Masjid, India’s largest Mosque. This was quite impressive, with large gateway entrances on three sides of a large courtyard, and the fourth side the mosque....... it seemed not very deep but long, with a minaret type dome on top. We had to remove our shoes before entering the courtyard, and all the ladies were given kimono type wraps to wear - very flattering! 

After some time looking around here, it was time for our Rickshaw ride - Brilliant! The streets were very narrow and very full and noisy. We were sharing the narrow alleyways with pedestrians, cyclists, other rickshaws, motorcycles..... and on the slightly large roads, cars, tuk tuks , and smallish pick up type vehicles! It was a free for all, with lots of honking - but great fun. The shops and stalls lining the sides of the roads were full of fruit, vegetables, nuts, other foods, beads, clothes, material - all so colourful. Looking upwards at the electric wires running all over the place was quite an eye opener - it certainly wouldn’t pass any UK health and safety measures! The other thing was not too breathe in too deeply, as the smell wasn’t always particularly fragrant. 

Back to the coach again, and we were heading for New Delhi - which was mainly constructed between 1911 and 1931 - as the British capital, and it is still mainly taken up with government owned properties. We passed the Supreme Court, where 1720 judges sit, day and night, and there is a 16 year appeal backlog! Which has improved dramatically over the years from the 25 + years that it was. There have been appeals where the verdict has  been given to the 3rd generation of the claimants family! 

Next stop was a Cottage Industries outlet........ they put these stops in every now and again on these tours - not to make you feel obliged to buy the products, but as they offer refreshments and reasonably clean western style toilets! So, we were all sat down, and a procession of men (didn’t see any women there) came around with ..... hand gel, a paper plate, a paper serviette, a glass of beer, a small bottle of water, a sandwich, a samosa, something else I don’t know what, and a banana. 

Next, the main man explained he was from Kashmir, and they represent lots of people from there who make hand knotted Kashmir carpets. He told us how they are made, and had a small demonstration loom....... then 3 or 4 men kept coming out with different sized carpets and ceremoniously unrolled them on the floor in front of us. 

Depending on the complexity of the design determines how many people work on it. So, a complicated patterned 3 x 4m carpet will take a family of 4 (they have to be over 18 to be allowed to work, and this is very strictly adhered to) two and a half years to make - working about 4 to 5 hours a day on it which is as much as they can manage each day. 

Next came the prices! Ranging anything from about £600 for a small carpet (2 x 4 feet) that had taken about 9 months to make, up to £12000 for a long , complicated runner! 

This afternoons visit was to Humuyan’s Tomb. He was the second Moghul ruler, and tradition dictated rulers should build their own Tombs when they were getting near the end of their life, but he died unexpectedly following a fall down some stairs, rushing to prayers, as a reasonably young man, and hadn’t built a Tomb. Over 20 years later his wife had this Tomb built for him. It is in the process of being restored, but his will take a long time. It was very spectacular, very symmetric in design. Many of his relatives and close important people to him also have their tombs there in the small outer rooms.

Phil stepped closer to the tomb in the centre, and was told off by the Security guard, as the surrounding area is also part of the Tomb. When we went back into that area, he then came over and proceeded to tell us about various parts of the area, and took us off for our own personal tour..... which we had to cut short otherwise we would have been late back to our meeting point! It was all very interesting, and a good taste of what to expect tomorrow at the Taj Mahal.

Also, on first stepping into the outer area of the main tomb, we saw a group of people all huddled together.....I thought they were praying or something..... but no, they were all huddled over a selfie stick taking their faces and the ceiling! Phil then lay down on the floor to get the ceiling, someone - not from our group - then asked him take a photo for them of the ceiling while he was there, and someone else wanted a photo of him lying on the floor!  I said he should have started charging! 

No of steps walked today 6667

Next Day - Day 8 - Delhi - Agra - The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort - by Coach

Day 8 - Delhi to Agra,

The Taj Mahal and Agra Fort

30 January 2020

Well, what a day! We left our hotel bright and early this morning, to catch the fast train to Agra - The Gatimaan Express, India's fastest train. There was an early morning mist, so visibility wasn’t great. We mainly were passing through agricultural areas that were much greener than we were expecting. Every now and again a small village, where the litter problem was very evident!

After a quick stop at our hotel we head off to the Red Fort, or Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was the seat of Mughal rule and administration until 1638. During our guided tour, we see historical sites and artefacts such as the Shish Mahal, a 17th century summer palace with distinctive glass mosaics, and the site of Jahangir's Chain of Justice, an 80-foot gold chain that was used to alert King Jahangir of hypocrisy and injustice. The Red Fort, originating from the 15th century and is considered India's most important fortification. Built on a hill above Agra, its centrepiece is a tower with a marble balcony where Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan spent his last days imprisoned.

This fort, 80% of which is still a working barracks, was very impressive. It was from here that we got our first views of the Taj Mahal. We had a good look around before returning to our hotel for a couple of hours, during which time we popped up to their Observatory Tower  to view the Taj Mahal again.

Then we were heading off for one of the highlights of this trip - the spectacular Taj Mahal, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 in memory of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, this iconic white marble building is a true monument to undying love, and is the world's finest example of Mughal and Persian architecture.

This truly is spectacular...... although, unsurprisingly, crowded. We had a group and individual photos taken and then plenty of free time to wander around and take in the sights. Everything is in complete symmetry.......except the main tomb area, as the Emperor who had it built for his wife, ended up being buried here as well, which was not part of the original plan!

We stayed around watching the building change colour slightly as the sun set before returning to our hotel.

No of steps walked today 14095

Day 9 - Agra to Fatehpur Sikri - Sawai Villas - Ranthambore 31 January

So, we have had a very long day.... a lot of it travelling. Leaving the hotel this morning, we visited a Marble workshop/factory. We had a demonstration of the techniques used to inlay the marble with the semi precious stones, as in the Taj Mahal. It was very interesting.... and then of course there was the opportunity to buy some! Very expensive!

Next onto the coach, being accosted by street sellers in the short space from the door to the coach.

We depart Agra by coach, stopping at Fatehpur Sikri, a perfectly preserved ancient red sandstone city built in the 16th century as India's political capital, but abandoned after only 14 years due to lack of water. Remarkably, the city remains exactly as it was 400 years ago, giving us an excellent insight into how life was during the time of the Mughal Empire.

We had a guided tour of the empty, ghostly buildings, with our guide telling us some of the history of the place, particularly the 3 ‘Palaces’ for the top 3 wives, No3 having a very small room, No2 slightly larger and the No1 wife having a much larger set of rooms.

The coach trip was long, we didn’t arrive until nearly 8pm, so lots of the photos today are taken from the very back seat of the coach. Some of the roads weren’t bad, some weren’t very good at all! We had two very short toilet breaks, the rest of the time was travelling.

Most of the time we were travelling through countryside.....very flat, and remarkably green..... the crops are rape seed, wheat and then corn. Animal wise we saw: dogs(mainly in the towns) , cows, goats, pigs, horses (some being ridden, some pulling traps), camels, and 2 peacocks. All were roaming free - anywhere and everywhere!

There were lots of towns, all busy with markets, stalls and noise. The farmers bring their produce to the towns to sell, get their tractors fixed, and generally seem to hang around chatting to each other.

At one point we got onto what was clearly a new..... or improved road - dual carriageway. However, it soon became apparent it wasn’t finished! We were travelling down our side, and suddenly the traffic in the opposite direction was also on our side! Then we had a bit of ‘off roading’  as a bridge wasn’t complete! All very bumpy, and if you were in the front probably more scary.