The Lure of India has always beckoned. As an artist, the colours, the culture, the costumes, the diversity attracted me like a magnet!
Our travel company advised us that we would be:
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impressed
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bewildered
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fascinated
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depressed
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thrilled
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frustrated
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inspired
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and amazed.
Never a truer statement was made!
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This is just a taste of what we encountered on our visit to India and I hope you will enjoy the visit with me.
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Injections, medications, visas all in order before we set off on our adventure!
After a seven hour flight from Dublin to Dubai, followed by three and half hours to Delhi, then throw in a time difference of plus five and a half hours = exhaustion!
We begin our cultural visit to UNESCO World Heritage Sites Qutub Minar, the world’s tallest brick minaret and Humayan’s Tomb dating back to 1193
Qutub Minar made of sandstone and marble elegantly reaches towards the sky. It dates back to 1192 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a 240 ft tower in five stories – How could they possibly have built such a tall and magnificent structure back in those days?
We really had some fun when we took a ride around Delhi in a rickshaw and got a real taste of India and the streets of old Delhi.
There were fruit traders, barbers, ear-wax removal, faith healers, people sleeping, people washing – mayhem and chaos. All life was on those streets – marginalised lives and daily survivors.
We didn’t dare to enter the market – it was enormous and felt we would definitely get lost in such a chaotic environment but it was great to observe from the bus. There were shoes and more shoes and even more shoes again!
We took a visit to the buriel site of Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Because of Gandhi’s allegiance to Pakistan, some Indians thought Gandhi was too accommodating. Among them was Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, who assassinated Gandhi on 30 January 1948 by firing three bullets into his chest. What a shame!
Raj Ghat
We also visited the Jama Masjid Mosque which dates back to 1644 and it took over 5000 workers to construct.
Did you know that there are 36 (28 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed) World Heritage Sites in India that are recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of August 2017.
Stay tuned for the next instalment of my trip to India where I will tell you about the visit to the magnificent Taj Mahal.
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