Locations Visited: New Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Jaipur, India
Languages Spoken: Hindi
Words Learned: Hello- नमस्ते (namaste), Thank you- धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad)
Hello Young Adventurers!
Welcome to India! A country known for it’s vibrant colors, delicious foods, kind people, and stunning architecture, history, and culture. It was hard for me to leave the paradise of Cape Town, South Africa, and I will be honest and say India was the one country I was most nervous about traveling around during this entire year-long adventure. I did not know what to expect- would I be able to navigate this country that is so different from what I was used to? Would I get sick from food I shouldn’t be eating? Would I go to the right places while here, or would I miss something amazing? I was worried about being around a language which I had zero foundations in, and I was scared about getting overwhelmed in the craziness that can come when you dive headfirst into a culture that is so different from your own all by yourself. I couldn’t have been more wrong for that concern, though. I mean it when I say my time in India has been the most incredible 3 weeks of this entire journey so far, and I’m so excited to share it with you! So grab your bags, and lets get to it!
India is a gigantic country. There is so much to see and do here, and it takes hours by train to go between cities due to the size. Within each region of India, you find different traditions, spoken languages, foods, and cultures unique to each other, while also being unified as one nation at the same time. It is the 7th largest country in the world by area size, and has the second highest population of the world numbering at 1.3 BILLION people.
My time here was unexpected, and it was all thanks to a friend who connected me to a friend of his who lives here in India named Priya. After talking with Priya before arriving, she helped me make a plan for my time here, and even invited me to visit her in her town to stay and see India away from all the tourist sites! Obviously, I wasn’t about to turn down such a kind offer, and little did I realize the amazing experiences that were going to be lying ahead of me as a result. There will be plenty later, but it is safe to say, Priya and her family are the single kindest people I have ever met, and I cannot wait to share their kindness with you all! Before we get to that, though, let’s start off in the capitol city of India where the journey begins.
New Delhi, India
Arriving into New Delhi, I was greeted by a city of over 20 million people alone, and I won’t lie- I was a little nervous. Fortunately I was able to easily catch a taxi to my hostel which was in a much quieter space in town. I was lucky that I made some good friends named Katya, Carla, and Dan and within a few minutes of checking into my hostel we took some time to rest and set off to explore some markets and see the city. New Delhi had a really nice subway system, so we got on the train and rode off to the Dilli Haat market.
This place was beautiful! There were so many colors, people playing music, and beautiful scarves and fabrics in every stall. The food was delicious, and we had so much fun just walking around and explore. Check it out below and see what you can find!
Following the market, we weren’t quite ready to head back to the hostel, so we headed into the heart of Delhi to see the chaos of the city for ourselves. Not gonna lie, I was still feeling rather nervous- I had heard that the old town can be very chaotic and crazy, and unfortunately Delhi is considered to be one of the most polluted cities on the planet due to the volume of people living in such a confined space. We took the subway into the heart of town and were greeted by the chaos we had heard about. But the difference is, it was a warm, vibrant energy filled with life and movement. The city was so busy, and it was filled with people going through their daily lives. Shops were bustling with business, food was being served in stands on the street, and cows and dogs were greeting us around every corner.
Following our walk through old town, we headed back to the hostel for some food and an Oreo milkshake before heading to bed. The four of us were getting up early the next morning to see one of the 7 World Wonders, and we were so excited. Do you remember what famous building is found in India? If you guessed the Taj Mahal, you’d be right!
The Taj Mahal (“Crown of the Palaces”), located in Agra, India a few hours outside of Delhi, is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings on the planet. It is a symbol of love commissioned to be built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. My friends and I got up super early around 5AM to take a car to Agra where we got on a tuk tuk (a small vehicle that works similar to taxis) and made our way to the Taj Mahal.
Cows in Agra 
Katya and Carla in the Tuk Tuk
We were so excited, and when we finally entered the grounds, I was left speechless. This was a place I had dreamt of seeing for my entire life, but in all honesty never thought I would make it to. India always seemed too far away and too different for me to make the jump, and het here I was, standing right in front of it in all of its beauty.
Check out the photos below to see the Taj Mahal up close. I could sit here and describe it to you, but honestly, I don’t have the words to properly describe it- the building is made out of white marble, with rubies and other precious stones used as decorations. Around it are smaller tombs and buildings that serve various purposes as well. Check it out!
The rest of the day was spent eating and then riding the long car ride back to Delhi to get some rest and another Oreo milkshake. Honestly, I don’t have the words to express how incredible it was to get to see the Taj Mahal for myself, and I knew there was still so much to see and learn in India ahead of me.
Next morning I got up, and we headed out to do some more exploration of Delhi. Our first stop: The Lotus Temple, a Baha’i House of Worship opened in 1986. What I loved most about this building (besides its beautiful flower-like design), was that it is a place of worship for anyone of any religious belief. All are welcome to come and meditate, pray, and experience their faith in their own way, and I think that is absolutely brilliant. We took our time to enjoy the silence inside, and then moved on to our next destination.
The rest of the day we spent just walking through markets, trying some local foods, and sharing travel stories. It is still one of my favorite parts of travel- meeting and learning from my fellow travelers, sharing stories, and experiencing the world through their eyes. Each country brings new friends and adds to the whole journey.
The next morning, my friend Dan and I went downtown. He had done some research and wanted to show me some delicious street foods found in Old Town. You know I’m not going to turn down some good food, so I obviously jumped at the chance. Old town was just as hectic as it was a few days before, but at least this time we had a plan. We were going to get some jalebi- a delicious deep fried dough similar to funnel cake, soaked in a sugar syrup. I was instantly obsessed with them, and it became my mission to eat as many as I could during the remaining few weeks in India.
Jalebi in hand (and in my stomach), we wandered through old town, eating more snacks along the way. My favorite part was this small alley we found with some of the most beautiful doors and architecture I’d ever seen just hidden away. We returned back to the hostel to hang out, get one last Oreo milkshake and then prepare for our travels the next day. We all were heading off in different directions, and I was on my way on the morning train to a city called Amritsar right near the border of India and Pakistan.
Amritsar, India
Watching India from the train was a great experience as I headed blindly to a new town planned for me by my new friend who I hadn’t even yet met, Priya. Before visiting her in her town, she sent me off to Amritsar, a city known for its role during the Partition of India and for the Golden Temple. The Partition back in 1947 was an incredibly complicated period of time where over 14 million people were displaced as the border between India and Pakistan was settled.
The Golden Temple, also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib, is considered to be the most important Sikh holy site in the world. Now, I thought I was stunned by the Taj Mahal, but this place really should be considered the jewel of India. Fully plated in gold, you have to take off shoes and cover your hair to enter the temple grounds. Musical prayer is being performed from the inside of the Golden Temple itself and projected throughout the grounds. Honestly, I visited the temple grounds 3 different times while in Amritsar because it was just that beautiful, and I wanted to really be able to take it in. Check it out- what do you see?
While in Amritsar, I also had the opportunity to go to the Wagah Border where they perform a ceremony nightly along the border of India and Pakistan as a healthy competition between both sides. This represents a healthy way to settle the differences as both sides complete there ceremonies at the same time, unified in sharing the same basic customs in how they approach the ceremony as they take down their flags for sunset. It was really fun, very loud, and incredibly exciting to watch! You can see some of the uniforms and procedures below! (I also had some amazing mom’s (dumplings) after the show, so life was basically perfect.
Chandigarh, India
My time in Amritsar was short, but wonderful. My next stop on my adventure across India was a city called Chandigarh in Northern India to visit my new friend, Priya and her young son! I was so excited to get to finally meet the kind human who had gone out of her way to help me make the most of my time in India. Priya immediately made me feel like I was at home when I arrived late at night from the train. It was so nice to finally have the feeling of being in a home again. It’s funny, I quickly forgot how nice it is to be away from the hectic world of hostels and backpackers, and have the chance to settle in with a family for a few days.
Her son was such a cool kid, and was kind enough to let me play with his Paw Patrol toys with him while teaching me all about fish and cars. Priya helped me plan out my days, and started by sending me for an evening to a place called Choki Dhani, which basically was a theme park of Indian Rajasthani culture. I got to watch a bunch of dance performances, including a lady dancing on nails and knives while balancing pots on her head! It was so cool! I also got to learn how to do a local folk dance with a kid. I didn’t do too well, though, but I tried at least! The evening ended with a really good dinner before heading back to sleep!
The next morning, I played with Priya’s son some more and chatted about traveling with her until I head off to visit the Rock Garden. This place was really cool- it was constructed basically out of recycled materials to create and really beautiful park that you can explore through. This was such a great use of materials that otherwise would have ended up in our oceans or stuck in the earth, never breaking down.
Like Amritsar, my time in Chandigarh was not long enough. I’m quickly falling in love with each new place I find myself in India. Fortunately this wasn’t going to be goodbye with my time with Priya and her son. They invited me to visit Priya’s hometown later in the week to attend her brother’s wedding and to explore a part of India that is off the beaten path for most backpackers. I obviously wasn’t going to pass up such and incredible opportunity, and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to my new friends yet! So with a “see you later!” I headed off to my next city until I would meet them again in a few days. By the way- Priya was kind enough to give me home cooked meals for my time at her home, and I could not be more thankful. I hadn’t had a home cooked meal in MONTHS, and her food was SO GOOD. Check out some of her delicious chapati and roti (types of flat bread), and curries below!
Jaipur, India
Another day, another city! With a meal packed to go by Priya, I jumped on a overnight sleeper train and made my way to the Pink City of Jaipur, India. I jumped off the train, dropped off my bags at the hostel, and hit the ground running on a whirlwind tour of the city. I got in the first tuk tuk I could find, and made my way to Amer Fort and Jaigarh Fort. Amer Fort, built in 1592 was used as a palace, for protection, and as a place of worship as well. The architecture of these two forts was incredible, and they were connected via an underground tunnel. There were even wild monkeys and I got to see some elephants! Check them out!
Following that, my tuk tuk driver took me to the Water Palace, the Step Well, a few temples, and the royal tombs. It was a whirlwind day and I never quite knew where I was going next, but it was a fun ride!
I fell asleep almost immediately after I got back to the hostel after such an amazing day. The next day I headed out to explore the Hawa Mahal, or otherwise known as the Wind Palace. This building was beautiful, and right in the heart of the Pink City. Built in 1799, it was made to be an extension of the royal palace. This building was just beautiful, from the bright pinks and yellows, to the extremely unique and stunning architecture.
After the Hawa Mahal, I made my way to the Royal Palace, as well as the area where there are a bunch of astrological instruments that were used to tell time as well as the position of the stars long before we had modern technology. I’m not going to even pretend to be smart enough to fully understand how any of this works, but it was able to tell the exact time as it was while I was there using the shadows that fell on the lines of the large instruments. It was amazing. I also explored the palace, but wasn’t able to take many pictures.
The rest of my time in Jaipur was spent exploring the city by foot, wandering through the markets, and eating more jalebi every chance I could. For now I’m going to end Part I of my Adventures in India. The best part is coming up as I headed to Vishakhapatnam to meet back up with Priya and her family for the wedding! Check back in the next few days for the full story- it is definitely the best part of my entire journey so far! I can’t wait to share it with you, but for now- until next time!
Have Courage, & Be Kind,
Mr. Weavil