Ok...so this post isn't actually about Pune. The third weekend I was here, I decided to get out of Pune and make a trip out to Delhi and Agra. The trip started with a flight out of Pune airport, which was quite the experience. Pune airport is a military airport that has opened itself up to limited commercial flights a few times a day. It's a tiny airport that is still very utilitarian at best, as evidenced by the fact that there are 4 shops today, and 6 gates. It was like a midwest airport, but surprisingly with a few long haul flights. Aside from going to other cities in India, they fly nonstop flights to Singapore, Dubai, and Frankfurt out of Pune.
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| Pune airport...there are all of 4 gates... |
My flight started right after work on Saturday morning. I got to the airport, and immediately was lost. Apparently you're not allowed in the airport without a paper itinerary, which I didn't have. Jet Airways will print one out for you for Rs. 100, which is kinda dumb. Once you get inside, your itinerary gets replaced by a boarding pass anyways. The food in the airport left a lot to be desired... the samosa was microwaved and handed to me on a greasy sheet, which wasn't all that good. Of course, I didn't realize that there was actually a meal service on the flight, which is pretty good considering the whole flight was 2 hrs.
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| Delhi airport...pretty impressive |
The minute I got off the aircraft…the humidity and heat hit me. OMG what did I get myself into?? I absolutely did not prepare myself for what was to come. By the time I got to the hotel (even with an airport transfer) I was sweating bullets. The forecast was 45C (115F) and at least 50-70% humidity…it was going to be a heated 2 days.
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| ISKON Temple |
I had one day in Delhi, so I figured I’d make the most of it. Half an hour after checking in and a quick shower later, I was on my way to see the old city. The first stop was a temple of course (one of many). While there are quite a few, the temples here are always quite impressive in terms of design and size. The first temple was the ISKON temple…the home of the Hare Krishnas. It was quite a sight. I had to get used to taking off my shoes, which was not something I was used to (especially given that a good chunk of it was outdoors and it was freakin hot. Good thing I learned to walk fast and the bottoms of my feet weren’t really burned that badly.
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| Gandhi Memorial |
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| India Gate |
There was a succession of places where shoes were required to be set aside. After this was the Gandhi Memorial, which also require shoes to be taken off. After that I headed over to the government center. There was India Gate, the parliament building, and also the president’s house. None of these buildings actually gave access, so it was a lot of standing outside taking pictures.
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| paratha with different kinds of side-curries |
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| parantha wada |
After that I headed over to old Delhi, which is closed off to cars and auto-rickshaws. I ended up getting a bicycle rickshaw to give me a tour of the old town. I stopped by the parantha alley, where some of these parantha places have been there for over 100 years. Quite possibly the best vegetarian meal I've ever had, it featured the parantha (a sort of fried or baked pancake filled with stuff like spinach or cheese) along with a bunch of side-curries like a pumpkin or potato curry.
After that was a detour through the old Delhi spice market, where the scent of all the different kinds of spices filled the humid air. A quick glance around, and you can see why this place is iconic. There are so many different people from housewives to cooks here shopping for spices for their curries (or masalas or biryanis or other stuff).
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| Humayun's Tomb...the architectural inspiration for the taj mahal |
My last stop of the day was Humayun's Tomb. This place was the architectural inspiration for the Taj Mahal, as Humayun was the great grandfather of Shah Jahan, the Indian Mughal Emperor that built the Taj Mahal. This place was incredible – you can see so many of the architectural features that the Taj Mahal have, and it's cool to see in person the day before heading out to Agra to see the Taj. I was able to walk around the courtyard and see the labyrinth of waterways and fountains that wind around the gardens around the tomb. The actual mausoleum had a few people buried there, I'm assuming the family of Humayun as well. It was quite the place to visit to cap off a journey through New and Old Delhi. Tomorrow, Agra!
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