India > Cycling through Old Delhi

India - Cycling through Delhi

It’s a little past six in the morning when I meet Bert at the edge of the old city. Bert is Dutch and is guiding me this morning on a bike tour through old Delhi. I grab an orange-colored bicycle and place my water bottle in the KLM-sponsored basket at the front. Before we set off, Bert explains a few safety rules. The most important is probably to always ride on the left. The bike tour is scheduled early in the morning because the streets of Delhi are relatively quiet at this time. We start cycling. Bert rides in front, Radjesh follows at the back. As soon as I cross the busy road, I enter the old city. “This is Meat Street,” Bert tells me. Buffalos and goats are slaughtered here. I also see how the meat is hung for the stalls, processed, and loaded onto carts. I follow Bert further to Chawri Bazar. It’s really fun cycling through the narrow streets. I attract a lot of attention, although I realize that at least three groups per week take this route. At the Spicy Market, I stop for a moment. A staircase leads me to a rooftop edge, giving me a view over the market’s supply activity. In the grimy stairwell, the air is filled with the scent of spices. The smell of cloves immediately hits my lungs. It’s surprising that no one bothers to clean this up. After a short tea break, I cycle past the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid and return to the Muslim quarter of the old city, where breakfast is ready. Finally, I ride back to the starting point via New Delhi. I notice that at this hour, the roads are already much busier. I have to be especially careful in the narrow streets to avoid colliding with anyone, and I carefully dodge passing rickshaws. Around noon, I load my luggage into the minibus with Harish (“I call him Harry”). Harry is the driver for the extra days to Agra. The eight of us set off for Agra today. The other travelers will return to the Netherlands tomorrow morning. It’s a four- to five-hour drive to Agra. A new highway between Delhi and Agra opened last week, and it’s temporarily toll-free. Harry doesn’t want to take this road yet. It’s very busy during these first days, and he would have to take a detour to get the required papers. I’ll see how I get to Agra. As Harry drives the minibus out of Delhi, I close my eyes for a while and also read all the travel information about Agra and the Taj Mahal. On the way, Harry triumphantly mentions that he heard there is a long traffic jam on the new highway near Agra. By late afternoon, I arrive in Agra. I look around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Taj Mahal, but I don’t succeed.

India - The sunset gives the Taj Mahal special colors

When I reach the hotel, I still haven’t seen this magnificent building. In the evening, I decide to have dinner near the South Gate of the Taj Mahal, where several rooftop restaurants are located. I choose one from which I can get a good view of the Taj. When I reach the top, I find it belongs to a private individual who set up a small terrace. At least there is cold beer and a view of the Taj. I enjoy the sunset and the colors on the dome, already excited that I will visit the Taj Mahal tomorrow. The food, however, turns out to be disappointing. It tastes bland and lacks the characteristic Indian spices. The daughter in the kitchen probably catered too much to the tourists.