Get it INDIA

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I like the idea of maintaining a country's or city's heritage. Unfortunately, The Claridges has taken this a little too far for my liking, at least as far as our room was concerned.

Perhaps some of the rooms have been upgraded over the decades, but our room seemed to be pretty much the same as I imagine it would have looked back in 1952; including the plumbing.

You may have noticed in the previous photos, that the garden was set up for a wedding. Of course, Indian weddings are legendary both for their size and extravagance. Unfortunately for us, more than 20 of the guests decided to have an after-party in a room on our floor, just a couple of doors down the corridor.

The noise of 20+ revelers at 1AM was bad enough, especially as those 1952 walls were never designed to keep noise at bay, but when the loud music and dancing started it was too much. I was told by a staff member the following morning that just about everyone on our side of the hotel had complained, yet it had still taken the duty manager well over an hour to take action.

Eventually the manager opened up the ballroom for them so they could kick-on all night. So somewhere between 2 and 3 AM, our 20+ friends headed down the corridor talking and laughing all the way.

No apology or service recovery was offered by the hotel.
 
Old Delhi

Our first full day in India and, as was to become the norm, our driver, Mob, turned up exactly on time with the car spotless, and himself looking professional in a clean and ironed shirt and trousers, etc. He was accompanied by our guide for the day, Vishy. Turned out Vishy had a Master's degree in history and was excellent. That's Vishy on the left in the photo below...

Raj Ghat

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First stop was the Gandhi Memorial at Raj Ghat. This was the spot where the Mahatma was cremated...

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Then we walked through the Tradesmen's Market. I have to say I like this idea.

No; these guys are not selling tools/hardware. They are tradesmen waiting for a job.

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Need a plumber? The guy next to the pipe is your man. No need to wait; he's ready to follow you and start work straight away.

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What about a team of painters?

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Then back on the rickshaws and we headed deeper into the shopping centre:

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and got stuck in a traffic jam...

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before coming across some upmarket shops:

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Humanyun's Tomb

Our tour price from Magan included our car and driver + guides where required, but not the entrance fees to the monuments (or tips). The entrance fee for foreign residents to Humanyun's Tomb was INR600 (~ $A12).

I can see why the Tomb is often referred to as Delhi's Baby Taj; it is truly exquisite....

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Then we walked through the Tradesmen's Market. I have to say I like this idea.

No; these guys are not selling tools/hardware. They are tradesmen waiting for a job.

View attachment 155700


Need a plumber? The guy next to the pipe is your man. No need to wait; he's ready to follow you and start work straight away.

View attachment 155701

What about a team of painters?

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Then back on the rickshaws and we headed deeper into the shopping centre

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and got stuck in a traffic jam...

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View attachment 155705


Need a plumber? The guy next to the pipe is your man. No need to wait; he's ready to follow you and start work straight away.

View attachment 155701

What about a team of painters?

View attachment 155702

Then back on the rickshaws and we headed deeper into the shopping centre:

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and got stuck in a traffic jam...

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before coming across some upmarket shops:

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Wow, so very different to what we consider is our normal life. Looks like a great experience.
 
So after a busy day in and around Delhi, it was time for dinner. We asked Mr Mob if he could recommend a restaurant and would he join us for dinner. So after a quick freshen up, Mob picked us up from The Claridges and took us to:

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I guess it's time to admit that I stole the title of this thread from a local character in Woolgoolga who has a food van selling Indian food at various festivals, etc. John Arkan...

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When handing your samosas to you, John always says, "Get It India"...

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Without doubt, one of the best Indian meals I've had:)
 
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Gandhi Smriti

Gandhi Smriti - Wikipedia

The Mahatma spent the last 144 days of his life at the Birla House in Delhi and it was here that he was assassinated on 30 January 1948.

The house was owned by the wealthy Birla family and is now a museum to Gandhi's life, and renamed Gandhi Smriti (Gandhi Remembrance)

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The garden at the Birla House

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Gandhi's final walk:

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and the spot where he was assassinated:

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We found this museum/memorial quite fascinating and informative and spent a few hours here going through the exhibits.
 
Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Last stop in Delhi was a large Sikh temple:


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All the locals have been extremely friendly and helpful. This guy took the opportunity to talk to us about the Sikh religion, our time in India, where we were going next, etc., etc.

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