Delhi - The erstwhile Khandavaprastha to the capital of 100 years

Delhi – A Travellers Delight – From Khandavaprastha to The Capital of 100 years!!!

Barring all complaints Delhi brims with business and its own charm and grace. Exactly a month after starting my vacation in end of December 2012, I would love to pen down my travel experiences. This might be a time pass for readers to just go through what’s so exotic about these locations or otherwise might serve as the most silly travel tip that I may be capable rendering off.

Dec 22 2012:

We started from Chennai to Delhi on an early morning Indigo flight around 6.40 AM. Ever since my first flight journey with Indigo for my Honeymoon trip, I am really obsessed with their “ON TIME” caption and the safe take-off and landing experiences. Although we experience a few jerks during the travel into clouds, otherwise, I find Indigo as the safe and ideal choice for flight journeys.

We reached Delhi around 9.20AM sharp and out to the second on familiar Delhi airport in 45 minutes later. The simplest accommodation we opted for was in Dakshin Delhi Kalibari Association (DDKA) which owns and runs a Kali temple in South Delhi area RK Puram. RK Puram is the closest option to Airport. Taxis as on 2012 costs around 150Rs.

We then moved in to DDKA accommodation. Please do not go with high end expectations. The rooms are plain simple with a double cot and fair enough bathrooms but no room heaters. Rooms here cost you around 500 for NON AC and you might have to call them and book the rooms and also send a DD for confirmation.

http://www.dakshindelhikalibari.com/

If you are looking at a comfort and cozy and very clean accommodation, please opt for some good hotels in Karol Bagh as this is a very basic lodging facility and you would find quite a number of people smoking around as well. But bus connectivity is pretty good as you have DTC VOLVO buses plying through all routes. Sarojini market is also within a radius of 5Kms and very easily accessible by buses (two buses to opt for) else autos may cost you 70 Rs. (Rates as on 2012). We had stayed again Hotel Radiance in Karol Bagh area while our return visit to delhi which costs around Rs. 1300 per day and food is quite delicious with decent rooms. You could try that too. But please do not ask hoteliers to send cabs as they hire and send the world’s dirtiest and deadliest cab with rash and unmannered drivers some times.

Sarojini Market:

Sarojini market to speak about is a fairy tale shopping paradise. You get everything here from cosmetics to electronics. You have pathway shops to malls. You will find everything starting from as low as 50 Rs to 50000 Rs. It depends on your capacity to bargain. Please watch well as pathway shops mostly will have second hand items as well. So you might have to have a wolf’s eye before purchasing anything. It’s closed on Mondays and opens from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 09:00 PM. But the best time to visit is on Wednesday or Thursday when the fresh stock is out. And try to go as early as possible, early bird catches all the best pieces.

AMAR JYOTI restaurant at Sarojini nagar is quite a good option for south indian again very expensive.

Amar Jyoti, Sarojini Nagar
Cuisines: North Indian
Restaurant Style: Family Style
Address: Shop No. 186, Sarojini Nagar Market, Sarojini Nagar, Near Koutons Showroom, New Delhi-110023
Phone: +91-11-24530304, 24673304

http://vanitynoapologies.com/2012/01/complete-low-down-on-thrift-shopping.html

Malai Mandir:

The one that attracts you in the closest vicinity of RK Puram Sector 7 is Malai Mandir also called as Uttara Swamimalai. This is a murugan temple built in Tamil Dravidian style and also Tamil customaries followed. It also includes a huge meditation hall, a Navagraha sanctum, a Meenakshi Sannidhi and also a Shiva temple. It’s a wonderful place to spend some worthy evening once a month.

Do not afford to miss it while you are in Delhi. A nice airy place with a divine ambience and the enthusiasm catches up when you see a lot of Tamils there in a place where you smell Hindi everywhere. J

Swami Narayan Akshardham:

Swami Narayan Akshardham is crowned to boast of the Indian culture, heritage and tradition of ancient times. Every minute detail is captured and will captivate you. Describing it in words is an injustice and I wonder why so much money was spent on it to only crown it as India’s standing heritage citer. The millions of money spent by Swami Narayan sampradhay NRI’s and people can very well be utilized for upliftment of poor. I know speaking is easy. But nevertheless it’s a monument of grace and charm and is a sight to behold. Worth a watch. Spending time here is the only way you can cherish it and do justice.

Though I went to Akshardham temple on 30^th of Dec 2012, I’d prefer to cover it up in this Delhi section itself. We left to Swami Narayan Akshardham temple in Delhi on 30/12/2012.

It holds some of the world’s most beautiful ram, seetha and Krishna idols and the marble flooring and huge rock carvings and single stone carvings leave you mesmerized. Though the crowd inside is little disturbing, the giant view of acres of beauty its magnificient sculptures will undoubtedly leave you in a fairy tale dream city. There is strict security measures with absolute no entry for mobiles and cameras. So the only source of pictures are best bet that is available in the internet only.

There is a huge canteen for refreshment and snacks where you get everything from north Indian to south Indian delicacies. Stop by to relish a few cuisines. Food at cafeteria is real good and nominal in cost, considering the cost in and around hotels in Delhi. Do try your choices with a variety of North, South Indian Thalis, Chinese and Chat items. Pretty good.

Use the Delhi Metro wherever you would want to go, as it would help you explore places understand the route and also mingle with the localities. It is a pleasant experience. Not always a car or taxi travel will be helpful or please you. Please go to Akshardham with at least 6 hours in plan. You would love to walk through the gardens, museums, book stalls, organic products stalls and cafeteria. Please understand the security is as tight as Agra and you would have to spend a minimum of 1 hour on security check before entering the main entrance. Avoid bags, cameras, mobile phones. Only small wallets with money is allowed and not even hand bags. If taken you will have to leave it in the cloak room which will eat more of your security check time.

Chandni Chowk:

Chandni chowk is an age old market place in erstwhile old delhi where you can find old delhi charm though with nasty bumpy roads and mad crowd but also has its shops with colonial british and mughal time buildings and the huge red fort is pretty close a walkable distance from this market. The cycle rikshaws available here are very economical. For people who will walk through their nostalgia of having commuted in cycle rikshaws can hire one at best bargain and travel through the market depths. Wollen blankets, quilts, sweaters, and the jilebi a local delicacy is one of the most sought after dish in this area. It is fried in pure ghee and available instantly as hot as possible. Do not miss it at any cost.

Karol Bagh:

Karol Bagh is yet another shopping market of new delhi. This is a well organized market with everything at a walkable distance. The metro station is also quite close by to karol bagh from where metro to almost all parts of delhi and connecting metro can be acquired. The Balaji restaurant serves south Indian cuisine. But beware of very costly bills. Either have your wallets full or atm cards handy as you never know bill may cost you more than 500 for even two or three items. Food is delicious and ambience is also good. A must try option for south Indians staying in karol bagh area. Hotel radiance is where we stayed and is one of the economical option for your stay at Rs. 1300 per day. The rotis and dhal that the restaurant provides is more than enough to satiate your apetite again at a reasonable price compared to other hotels but not a nominal price though compared to south Indian restaurants. That makes sense that anything out of your territory gains significance and cost factor as they are sought after in external territory.

Try out different kinds of hand bags wallets, kurtis, fur pillows here. Fur hand bags in good quality can be found in Delhi Raj nagar area. This is hearsay as I have still not been to this area and it is on my next travel itinerary to delhi.

Delhi still has a lot to offer and I am in the process of experimenting and exploring. As and when I keep finding new facts and explore more about delhi I will treat you both visually and factually. For now it’s a bye-bye to Delhi.