The walking tour that wasn't 😃

I had booked a walking tour of Connaught Place, New Delhi, and some local markets this morning, so I got up fairly early and went for breakfast on the roof (it's included in the room rate). I passed on the curries and the pasta and chose to have boiled eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee to set me up for the day.

The British moved their capital to New Delhi from Calcutta in 1911. They set about building grand imperial buildings and spacious boulevards. Architect Edwin Lutyens was behind much of the design. The landmark Connaught Place was fashioned after the Palladian colonnades of Bath in England. When the British were thrown out in 1948, New Delhi remained the seat of national power, as it is today.

The starting point for the tour was a twenty-minute walk from my hotel, so I set off in plenty of time to get there for the 9.40am start time. On the way, I found a chemist and bought some repellent to replace the one that was confiscated yesterday. Then, I started getting messages asking where I was and why I was late. It was 9.15! I messaged back to say I was on my way, but it didn't feel like a good start to the tour. My feelings were correct!

When I got to the meeting point, I was greeted by my guide and tuk-tuk driver, Pau, and another guy. We all got in the tuk-tuk and did a circle around Connaught Place. There was very little explanation about what I was seeing. We stopped to see Agrasen Ki Baoli, a 14th century stepwell built to solve the problem of low water levels in Delhi's plain. Pau's mate, who came with me, couldn't answer any of my questions, so I did my own research later. This baoli was once in the countryside until the city grew up around it. There are 103 steps to the bottom, flanked by arched niches. Delhi one had over 100 baolis. Only 30 survive today.

Back in the tuk-tuk, we drove to Central Park and straight past it, despite the fact that a walk around it was on the itinerary. We drove to Jhandewalan Hanuman Temple. Pau wasn't going to stop, but I asked him to and I went inside. The temple is famous for its 34-metre-tall Hanuman statue. You enter through a demon's mouth into a fake cave filled with tacky deities and gurus wanting to bless you for payment. I had the obligatory blessing and cord tied around my wrist, took some photos, and left. 

We drove on to a textile emporium, where I was subjected to the usual hard sell. I was really angry by this point. When I escaped, I confronted Pau and told him that this is not what I'd booked. I had booked a guided walking tour from Connaught Place. It was sold as 'a heritage walk with local markets'. So far, it had been none of those things. Pau seemed surprised by what I was telling him. I said I still needed to see Jantar Mantar and Janpath Market, both places on the itinerary that I wanted to visit. He said, 'OK, we'll drive to Jantar Mantar and then we'll walk.'Leggi altro