March 4, 2012
Kulala Lumpur
Rissa, Mhae, and I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the night of March 3. We stayed at Corus hotel where we had a nice view of the Petronas tower (without an 's') in our room.
We were supposed to leave the next day for New Delhi but our afternoon flight was moved to 5 am on the following day. We decided that we would just spend the night at the airport to save money. So, after meeting Marlon at the Petronas mall where we aimlessly wandered the whole day, we went to the airport.
At the last minute, we decided we wanted a hotel room after all so we can rest well and freshen up before the flight. Unfortunately, all the cheap hotel rooms around the airport were booked. We ended up staying at Starbucks to rest. We got to take shower at the airport lounge though.
Day 2
March 5, 2012
New Delhi
Arriving at Indira Gandhi International Airport, I conjured up the following images: streets filled with reek of rotten food, animal waste, and what have you, filthy motel rooms with the mandatory bed bugs and cockroaches, restaurants with questionable hygiene, and other unpleasant things I saw in the movie Slumdog Millionaire. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a huge, modern, and very appealing airport. I already got introduced to the vibrant culture of India and I have not even started the actual sightseeing.
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| Restrooms in the airport |
We wasted no time and asked our tour guide and driver to
bring us to some of the well-known places around Delhi. Our first stop was at Qutb Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 73 meter high minaret was built in 1200 AD by Mughals after defeating Delhi's last Hindu empire.
We then went to India gate, a 42 meter high monument that pays reverence to the soldiers who lost their lives during World War 1 and Afghan war.
Our next stop was at Humayun's tomb, one of the most beautiful Mughal monuments. This was built in 1556, 14 years after the death of Emperor Humayun, the son of the founder of Mogal empire.
At around 2 PM, we started our long drive to Agra, which is around 4-5 hours away from New Delhi. We reached Sikandara complex a few minutes before its closing time at 6 PM. This complex contains Akbar's tomb.
After a long day and a good 1 hour looking for the hotel, we checked-in at Hotel Sidhartha, which is a few meters away from Taj Mahal. At 800 INR per room, we were not expecting anything fancy and that exactly was what we got. I think I have seen a more comfortable servant's quarter. But it did not matter as we were dead tired.
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| a closeup look of the minaret |
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| some detailed carvings in the complex |
We then went to India gate, a 42 meter high monument that pays reverence to the soldiers who lost their lives during World War 1 and Afghan war.
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| names of the soldiers are written on the walls |
Our next stop was at Humayun's tomb, one of the most beautiful Mughal monuments. This was built in 1556, 14 years after the death of Emperor Humayun, the son of the founder of Mogal empire.
At around 2 PM, we started our long drive to Agra, which is around 4-5 hours away from New Delhi. We reached Sikandara complex a few minutes before its closing time at 6 PM. This complex contains Akbar's tomb.
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| the tomb is laid with beautiful and colorful patterns |
After a long day and a good 1 hour looking for the hotel, we checked-in at Hotel Sidhartha, which is a few meters away from Taj Mahal. At 800 INR per room, we were not expecting anything fancy and that exactly was what we got. I think I have seen a more comfortable servant's quarter. But it did not matter as we were dead tired.
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| dinner at the hotel |
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