Incredible India

Sharron in Dehli

We flew with Jet Airways from Heathrow and were lucky enough to get upgraded to Business Class, which was lovely and left us feeling rested on our arrival in Delhi the following morning. We stayed in Dehli, in The Hilton Jankapuri for two nights. Delhi has a population of 16.5 million people so you can only imagine the hustle and bustle! It’s a fascinating place and a real eye opener in terms of how people live, adding to the charm of this unique part of the world. We visited both new and old Delhi including trips to the Parliament Buildings, India Gate and tombs of ancient rulers and Raj Ghat where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. The eternal flame has burnt here since 1947. But the highlight of Delhi for me was a rickshaw ride round Old Delhi that I can best describe as hair-raising, exhilarating, and incredibly memorable!!

After our stay in Delhi we went on to Agra and stayed at The Jaypee Palace for one night, and of course we visited the famous Taj Mahal, which lived up to all the hype and expectation. At first sight it is breath-taking and left me feeling very emotional!!!

We then travelled on to Jaipur visiting Fatehpur Sikri Akbar’s abandoned capital along the way. We stayed at Le Meridien in Jaipur for two nights and visited the City Palace Museum and the Jantar Mantar Observatory, which dates back to the 18th century. The highlight was an elephant ride along the ramparts of Amber Fort. The Fort itself is beautiful with lovely views and rich in history.

Fatehpur Sikri Akbar’s abandoned capital

India is a beautiful country with extremes. It’s rich, evident history dates back from the Mughals to the days of the British Empire and the Raj and with a mixture of people of all different religions living side by side. You will be pleasantly surprised with what India has to offer. Hotels that I recommend for a stay in Dehli are The Oberoi, or my favourite, the Imperial Hotel. It has a great art collection and lots of historic pictures dating back to the days of the Raj and British rule. As for Stays in Arga I suggest the Radisson Blu, which is nearer to the Taj Mahal, or if budget is not a problem the Oberoi where every room has a view of the Taj. All these hotels really live up to their 5 star ratings.