A Family Affair: Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, and Lucknow in 10 Days (Part I)

Summary: My parent’s first 5 days in India were spent in Delhi and Jaipur. We did the normal touristy things, though made a point to chill in air-conditioned venues in the heat of mid-day.

My parents recently decided to visit India “on their way” to Hong Kong. After my experience with Varanasi, having a good time was secondary to not getting sick.

The photostory of our trip can be seen here. In short, the trip was full of juxtapositions, of new experiences. The longer version is as follows:

Day 1, Delhi: Killed time by meandering through the mean streets of Delhi, soaking the non-Lucknow atmosphere. Collected the parentals in the evening with a makeshift airport pickup sign and fake flowers. Night consisted of unpacking the goodies they brought over (it was like the Christmas I never had!) and unwinding.

Day 2, Delhi: Old Delhi, including Red Fort, lunch at Karim’s (amazing!), Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Barista (café) at Connaught Place to cool down, Janpath Market, India Gate, and dinner at Saravana Bhavan (a South Indian restaurant with a branch in NorCal). I’m trying to give them all sorts of experiences here, including what Southern India has to offer.

Day 3, Delhi: World Heritage Sites galore! Qutb Minar, Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb, early dinner at Pindi Restaurant, Paharganj (backpacker’s hideout). Basically we vegetated for a few hours at Qutb Minar, enjoying the grass, the trees, and the breeze. Lotus Temple was closed so we took pictures from outside. Humayun’s Tomb was a glamorous prelude to the Taj Mahal. And, I was able to talk the guy into selling me a local (aka cheaper) ticket, using my broken Hindi (the first of many attempts to come)!

Day 4, Jaipur: Train, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, shopping, dinner at Choki Dhani. The day of luxury. Took the Shatabdi Express to Jaipur (What service! What copious amounts of food!), and vegetated in our 5-star hotel room (courtesy of Starwood points from my stint at Monitor) before finally venturing out into the Pink City, where we were stereotypical tourists, sightseeing, photo-taking, and shopping. Choki Dhani is a recreated Rajasthani village and resort, with a traditional Rajasthani meal and all sorts of fun, festive, cultural, and bizarre performances. It was like going to a middle-school carnival.

Day 5, Jaipur: Breakfast, Amber Fort / Palace, nap, dinner at Handi. Breakfast is worth noting because it was an incredible 5-star hotel buffet breakfast, on the house! (I must’ve eaten half my weight in yogurt, mushrooms, and fruit.) Spent a few hours at Amber Fort, being harassed by guys who learned enough Chinese to sell us things (yi bai kuai), where even my Hindi couldn’t save us (Nahi chahie! Jao! Choro!). We wanted to also see Jaigarh Fort, a 1 km walk from Amber, but different things (i.e., heat) precluded it, so we instead went back to the air-conditioned hotel room with the dangerously comfortable beds and napped. The only thing reason we got ourselves up for dinner was the thought of waking up hungry in the middle of the night (not to mention a lost chance at continuing our culinary adventure).

I pause here, because I need a breather before I try to relive Day 6.