Max in India Part 1: When I Thought I Would Never Visit India...Until Just Recently!

It all started way back in October when my good friend Hazriq invited me if Steffy and I could join him on his trip to India in December. I vividly remember I did not even think carefully about it (considering the fact that we had about 2 months or less to plan ahead) and for experience sake I said with a no-nonsense resounding YES!

...and when Steffy said YES! too, I already knew somehow or rather this trip would become an awesome one. One of those trips we will cherish for the rest of our lives :D

What can I say about India in my own words? Three words. Colourful. Vibrant. Busy. If you see almost every woman in their sarees or punjabis, vehicles blowing horns (a proper substitution of the word ‘honking’) pretty much all the time when you are on the road and sooner or later you know that the drivers do it on purpose, children or teenagers wanting to take a photo with you because you look foreign enough to them in hopes of you publishing it somewhere realizing that they are one step closer to become famous or whatever; you know you stand firm and tall in India!

And YES! We geographically and literally achieved the Golden Triangle: Delhi - Jaipur - Agra.

The first part of my trip in India I will bring you avid readers of my blog to the capital city of New Delhi. When we arrived here and that once we got out of the airport it was chilly, less humid and dusty!

When you visit Delhi, don't ever forget to leave your footprints in these places! I'm not kidding.

Red Fort. One of the hundreds and thousands of forts in India but this one stands out not only it is big but it was built by the same dude who built the Taj Mahal. :)

When we were at Red Fort, these kids noticed our DSLRs thinking that by us giving them a chance to take a photo, they will be famous all around the world. So dear kids, I have successfully put it up for the whole world to see, literally!

India's answer to Arc de Triomphe - India Gate! :)

Humayun's Tomb. This was the model for the Taj Mahal in Agra. No kidding! You can actually see the resemblance.

Diggin' the Mughal architecture. In India, most (or probably almost all) of the places you visit the colours are in an earth tone scheme. Browns, tans, oranges, clementines, reds, greys, greens, whites here and there.

Jama Masjid. Again one of the famous mosques in India simply because it was built by the same dude who built the Taj Mahal! Goodness, Shah Jahan did play one very important role in building very famous and prominent landmarks in India which are very well known to the world today.

Will you look at the busy street! Chandni Chowk. Yes we were on a rickshaw going through that busy street. It was one heluva experience, but that is how you get to see Indians' way of living. Probably the first and last I would step foot on. I still can't imagine Delhi is home to 16 million people! No wonder it's unbelievably dense.

Delhi as a whole.

Last but not least, you MUST visit:

The remarkable Qutb Minar. It's actually a stand-alone minaret, and apparently the tallest in India according to Wikipedia. It is constructed with red sandstone and marble.

Red! Earth tone scheme!

If you think only other certain countries have their own well known ruins or remnants of one city's former glory, think again. India has Qutb Minar to prove that. In fact, a lot!

It may sound bizarre if I tell you that a DSLR is a must-carry item if you're traveling, not only they capture photos immortalizing the beauty and unforgettable memories, they do tell a story :)

Yours truly on a mission to conquer Delhi with his Delhi smart guide book.

Yours truly having a light conversation with his best friend Hazriq.

The three friends having a light moment in a rickshaw. Indian style.

Dhanyavad Delhi for the experience. I can forgive you for being dirty and dusty, no pun intended. We took 2 whole days to live, breathe and embrace this metropolis as it is. I have two tips to you dear readers:

1. The Hop On-Hop Off is indeed the best way to see Delhi! The boarding pass is only 300 Rupee (correct me if I'm wrong) and it can be used for two days! We were not on a guided tour; everything was pretty much planned carefully by us three as we die for adventures and thrills!

2. Be careful of people stalking you! Indians know you are a tourist (come on!) and they really take notice of you especially when they see you asking for directions. It happened when we wanted to go to Jama Masjid at Chandni Chowk and when we asked for directions one old man out of nowhere just came up and tried to help us. After that when we walked he was behind us all the time! It was creepy and when we saw McD we decided to walk in and hide. At the same time, we were all hungry anyways :D

Challenging indeed.

Chele jao Jaipur hai! :)