Delhi and Mahendranagar from a visitor's viewpoint
on Mel and Steve in Nepal (Nepal), 12/Mar/2009 14:53, 34 days ago
Noise, hustle and bustle! This was our very first impression of Delhi. Most of the noise was accounted for by vehicle horns being blasted almost constantly. This, according to our guides (Steve and Mel) was more to say "I'm here" than to say "get out of my way" In spite of what seemed complete chaos on the roads, there was no sign of road rage and we arrived at our hotel unscathed.The Tibetan quarter, where our lovely hotel was situated, was an absolute delight.Tibetan monks rubbing shoulders with stall holders and touristsalike and the sound of chanting mixed with the heady scent of incense, made a delightful medley of sight, sound and smellinthe colourful, bustling market streets.Tibetan toast for breakfast was brilliant and is a cross between an English bread muffin and an English crumpet .. delicious!Highlights of Delhi are numerous but The Red Fort, the narrow streets of the old bazaar in Chandni Chowk, the Craft Museum, the Lotus Temple and the Hari Krishna Temple were among the favourites. It surprised us how quickly we got used to the traffic and riding in the colourful tuc tucs was great fun.Our couple of days in Delhi shot past and we enjoyed every minute of it, though the wordsOld Delhi Railway Stationcan bring me out in a cold sweat even now!Once on the sleeper train, our onward journey to Nainital went like clockwork, thanks largely to the organisational skills and pre planning of Steve and Mel.Our first morning in Nainital wetted our appetite for the few days ahead. The view of the lake from our hotel balcony was beautiful and we couldn't wait to explore further.Apart from the beauty, the first thing we noticed was the drop in temperature, far more like the cold we'd left in England!The sun soon warmed us up as the day progressed though and we set about enjoying all this lovely place had to offer.The highlight had to be seeing the Himalayas clearly - twice.The first time was after a walk and horse ride to the delightfully named Tiffin Top and the second after a more leisurely ride up to Snow View in the cable car.A magnificent site - the Himalayas I mean, but OK, you two are great as well!Again the market streets drew us along their charm and bustle and more culinary delights were sampled, one of our favouries being dahi, which is very similar to yogurt and comes with a variety of tasty additions like honey and banana॥ yum!Another memorable event happened while we were in Nanital .. a member of our party turned from a youthful 59, to an even more youthful 60! This unremarkable eventwasmarked very grandly by Steve, Mel and Mike with cake + candles, indoor sparklers and other party delights,including presents and cards.THANKS guys, I had a great time! ...Though very sad to leave Nainital, we vowed to return one day if possible and looked forward to travelling on to Nepal and Mel and Steve's home town!The journey went well, again thanks to Steve and Mel and we arrived at the Indian Immigration point and the necessary visa checks.Note to other travellers:-Don't be tempted to take photos at this point!!!A leisurely walk across 'No Man's Land' to the Nepali Immigration point followed, closely watched by various monkeys... spot the monkeys!After a short bus ride, we arrived at Mahendranagar bus station and went to one of Mel and Steve's local eating establishments where we enjoyed a tasty lunch, then a rickshaw ride to their house, much to the a stunned amusement of the locals!The next days passed so quickly and to list everything would be too time consuming. Mel and Steve's home is enchanting and we were made incredibly welcome, not only by Steve and Mel but also their many lovely friends and neighbours. Offers of food, chai (gorgeous sweet, spicy tea) and just to sit, were numerous, greatly appreciated and enjoyed!I bought some, (fairer to say - dozens!) of bindis that will be brilliant on cards!! and many other delights. Lassi, which is a gorgeous, thick drinking yogurt with fruit puree/juice added, was a must!A day in the Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, under the watchful eye of handsome Harendra, was a highlight. We saw a tiger !!! yes, REALLY! and a massive herd of swamp deer, oh and crocodiles!, wild boar, lots of colourful and exciting birds ... are we getting boring? TOUGH!Another highlight was an elephant ride, also in the Suklaphanta Reserve. This was just great!.. can you see the baby elephant?To say we enjoyed our holiday would obviously be an understatement! If we can manage to download photos to the album, you'll all get more idea of the adventure॥ here's hoping1It just remains to say a huge THANKS to all Steve and Mel's friends for making our time in Nepal such a happy and successful one ... Harendra, Ramjana, Suresh to name but a few.Mel and Steve ... you couldn't have done more to make our stay so great. You were the very best guides, travel co-ordinators, translators, dietary supervisors (we didn't haveanytummy problems! .. just thought you'd all like to know that!), financial advisors etc. etc.Hope you all enjoy the photos ... eventually!All the best from England in Springtime.