I’m writing this post from India. I’m laying out in blistering 44c heat, on the sundeck at the Double Tree by Hilton in Agra, staring out across an infinity pool, sipping a cold Kingfisher beer, with a Taj Mahal backdrop (visible just behind my ear in the photo below). I’m not going to lie, it’s one of the most surreal experiences of my life. But also one of the most beautiful; the sounds, the smells, the sunshine. Bliss.
There hasn’t been any free Wi-Fi so far at the hotels in India, so I’m posting this retrospectively from Jaipur. And I apologise for not sharing much of my travels on Instagram and Twitter – but to be honest, I’d much rather be enjoying this experience for everything that it is, than being sat on my laptop and missing it.
So, before I was in Agra, I spent a few days in Delhi, exploring the city and seeing the sites. Driving in Delhi on board the bus was an experience in itself, but as part of our organised tour, after we’d visited the Jama Masjid mosque, we were treated to another form of transport: a rickshaw ride around the streets of Old Delhi. Though maybe not something I’d originally have included on my bucket list, it is something I’d definitely recommend to anyone visiting the country’s capital. I guarantee you won’t find a more authentic way of seeing the city.
The whole tour lasted about 30 minutes, and as soon as Grandma and I were loaded safely up into our carriage, our driver was up and pedalling. We were off.
In convoy with the rest of our tour party, our rickshaw was hot on the tail of Tammy and Phil’s, and followed closely by Chris and Rob’s. We set off laughing and smiling, excited by the prospect of what we might see in the heart of Old Delhi. But the laughter quickly turned to shrieks of “ooooh no, I can’t look” and “oh my god, that was close”. Definitely not an experience for the faint-hearted, on more than one occasion I screwed my eyes tightly shut and hoped the travel insurance would cover me should the worse happen.
We squeezed down narrow market streets and pedalled through tiny alleys, where vendors were selling their wares from mats on the floor only millimetres from our rickshaw wheels. I held my breath in fear for their fingers and toes, but they didn’t seem to bat an eyelid as we rattled past. Things were going by in a blur – everywhere you looked there was something happening.
We were overtaken on both sides by mopeds and motorbikes, coming in both directions. It was pretty evident there was no “side of the road” that you had to stick to. And had we not kept our arms and legs inside the carriage, it was quite possible that either, or both, of us could have lost a limb.
I couldn’t tell if the beeps and toots were at our rickshaw, or just because Indians have a very trigger-happy relationship with their horns, but it all got very intense. Two cart drivers were arguing with each other in garbled Hindi over who’s right of way it was and who should move their cart, while a boy on a moped behind us kept his thumb on the horn for a good two minutes. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppp.
Oblivious to the chaos, our driver was cheery and stopped pedalling every two minutes of so to turn around and point something out: beautiful saris on mannequins in a shop window, a man selling fish from a mat on the floor, a store glistening with gold jewellery, and a book market where every stall was piled high with paperback novels (the majority of which were in English).
Oh, and not that he needed to because everyone was looking up anyway, but he pointed out the monkeys that were running around overhead. I have no idea what kind of monkeys they were, and our driver’s English was pretty limited so we didn’t get much information, but they were fascinating to watch as they jumped from one corrugated iron rooftop to the next, swinging from the electrical cables. There was a tiny bald baby one too, that was screeching (for its mum, I assume) at the top of its little lungs. We didn’t stop to get a decent picture, unfortunately, but here’s the one that I did manage to snap as we zipped along (it’s a tad blurry):
Without stopping for breath, our driver – who wasn’t exactly young, though obviously very fit – pedalled on. Then he stopped suddenly, shouting: “Look, ma’am, a big danger.”
Big danger was right, there were electric cables hanging precariously overhead. What with the “anything goes” attitude on the roads, it was already apparent that health and safety wasn’t top of the Delhi residents’ priority list. But these cables were something else; just look at them all hanging. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d caused a few injuries:
Our driver didn’t seem to even be breaking a sweat, which was surprising considering he was so tiny and the midday sun was beating down on us. But there was a sweaty odour lingering in the air, you couldn’t deny it. And every time we turned a corner there was the smell of something else mixed with it: the smoky haze of patchouli incense, the putrid stench of rotting meat, a sticky sweet aroma of something baking, the pong of raw sewage flowing freely into the narrow street.
There were chickens flapping in cramped cages, waiting to meet their final destiny. Mangy, flea-ridden mutts running along with the bikes and mopeds, darting in and out of the traffic without stopping to look left and right. Women wrapped in brightly coloured saris carrying tiny babies in their arms, and heaving under the weight of huge packs of laundry on their backs. I was suddenly reminded of the tightly-packed and overcrowded Moroccan medinas in Fez and Marrakech. There are many similarities between these two countries, despite them being on two different continents.
As we were free-wheeling down a slight slope, we suddenly braked, jolting forward. Phil and Tammy’s rickshaw had snapped its chain, and their driver hadn’t realised. Without a moments thought our driver jumped down off the rickshaw and picked up the oily chain, draping it around his neck. Hopping back on, he pedalled to catch up with the driver in front, shouting at him about the chain. We watched on amazed as their driver climbed down off the rickshaw and began to push it along the road. Poor guy. He kept up with the traffic though (thanks to a helping hand from our driver who pushed them along, while also pedalling our rickshaw).
I tried to capture footage of the experience, but as you can probably imagine, it was a bit jolty. Check out this video I made though, and let me transport you to the streets of Old Delhi on a hair-raising rickshaw ride. Hold on tight, and enjoy.
And if you want to find out more about what I got up to, check out my latest post about the Golden Triangle tour.
Great blog! Love reading the articles and the only pics are beautiful!
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Thanks so much Devey – more articles coming soon, so watch this space!! 🙂
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I’m doing the same India trip next year – can’t wait! The rickshaw ride sounds part-fun, part-terrifying! x
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Lily it was amazing, such an experience – you must do it! 👍🏻 x
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It looks like quite crazy! Yet I imagine it’s an awesome experience.
Loved the ride Becca. Thanks!
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Marie, it was something else entirely! I’ve never experienced anything like it.
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What a hellhole…..between the traffic and the crazy wires. Glad you survived your rickshaw adventure but I would skip that part of India.
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It wasn’t a “hellhole” at all – I actually really enjoyed it and would recommend anyone visiting India who wants an authentic trip there to try a rickshaw through Old Delhi.
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I admire you and I mean that….you weren’t scared at all,Becca? I think I would stay around the museums and galleries. Guess I’m not as adventuresome as some.
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It was part of my organised tour group, so not scared. There aren’t many museums or galleries around Old Delhi, it’s not that kind of place. It’s not for tourists, but that’s why I loved it.
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It so reminds me of my experience in some parts of Indonesia, I have to check out the video as I am truly intrigued
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I’ve yet to visit Indonesia, but hopefully one day soon! x
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Interesting post, Becca! Delhi’s streets are always so happening.
What was your entire itinerary like?
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Check out my blog post here for what I got up to on my trip: https://alwayscarryon.com/2016/05/09/the-golden-triangle-india/ x
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Everything moves so fast in Dehli. A little too faster for old scarredy cat over here, but it does look very beautiful.
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I think Delhi is one of those places that you’ve really got to want to visit to be able to put up with the traffic, crowds and general chaos! x
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Great post! Not to exaggerate, but rickshaws are the fastest and most effective transportation in in Old Delhi 🙂 Rides may seem wild, but rickshaw drivers are experienced enough to drop you safely at your destination weaving effortlessly through chaotic traffic.
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I don’t doubt you at all Anjali! x
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Wow I bet this was an amazing experience, I’ve always fancied trying rickshaw ride and Old Delhi looks like such a fantastic looking place to try it.
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Old Delhi was an amazing place to visit – I definitely recommend it if you ever get the chance to go to India! x
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Great post but to be honest, Delhi is not the good place to visit in India, you can’t find peace there, crowd is everywhere, i recommend other places to see over Delhi, if you love nature, lakes, mountains, yoga then you should visit Rishikesh in Uttrakhand 🙂 You still in India ?
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I’m no longer in India – I was just there for a week last year in April. I’m not really into yoga, and to be honest, I didn’t mind the crowds 🙂 It was all part of the experience! x
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Lol that rickshaw ride sounds like fun sort of but also a bit scary. I haven’t been to India it’s not somewhere I had considered visiting before.
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I think if you go to India you have to do so with an open mind – you’ll see all sorts of things, poverty, animal cruelty, dangerous situations, dirty places… But you just have to be accepting that it’s there and not be naive to it. I hope you do decide to go there though Melanie x
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Ohh I would LOVE to visit India and have a ride in a rickshaw, what a great way to get about!
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It was such an amazing experience! x
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This is what India is. Always so lively and crowded. Spirit of people makes it alive and people of India fighting with all odd and even in their life are so happy. These rickshaw rides takes us to the philosophy of life that we are riding over danger but with hope we reach to destination. Enjoy your trip in India.
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I couldn’t agree more Yukti – it’s such a diverse country with so many interesting people to meet x
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My goodness it looks very busy indeed! I have always wanted to go to India one day
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It was super crazy busy Melissa, but such an amazing trip x
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Just had a look at your video, that must have been a crazy rickshaw ride. Great pictures by the way!
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Thanks Graciella – it was pretty hair-raising! x
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We’ve been wanting to go to India for a while now, and really want to go on one of these tour! But they look absolutely crazy, haha
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It was a pretty crazy experience! x
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I love that you are experiencing this with your Grandma. I’ve just finished a book with a death defying rickshaw ride in it which was incredible to read (real life) Definitely not for the feint hearted.
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It was great to spend the time with my grandma – she has so many interesting travel stories to tell, and it was nice to make those memories with her 🙂 what was the book you were reading? I’d be interested in reading it too x
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It definitely sounds like a hair-raising ride – your words and pictures tell the story so well!
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Thank you so much Sally x
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India is such a fascinating country! never been there but hear a lot of different stories. Some people like it and always return there but some don’t like it at all. Perhaps it’s the chaotic streets and too many people around al lthe time. Rickshaw ride must be quite an experiance, a real adventure – great that you did it!
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It is a marmite country, you either love or loathe it – I definitely loved it and would go back in heartbeat x
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Oh my God, this brings so many memories of back home. Rickshaws are the lifeline of local commuting, it’s been long that I myself was on a rickshaw.
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I’m glad my post reminds you of home, that’s lovely to hear x
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I did the tour of old Delhi on the back of a motorcycle. That was extreme haha, but my driver (who’s now a very good friend of mine) was an excellent driver. I did take the rickshaw ride in Varansi, a crazy town, same as Delhi but narrower. It was such an experience!
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OMG! That sounds epic Joanna – even more risky than going on a rickshaw!! x
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Wow… that first paragraph really got me – it sounds like you’re living the DREAM! I have only just returned from travelling and would do anything to be sat in the heat with a local beer right now!
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This post was actually from April last year, but yeah – I totally wish I was back there with a beer haha! x
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Looks like it was an amazing trip through there. My daughter would have loved seeing all of the Monkeys. It actually reminded me a lot of what rural China seemed like with travel, only with more rural roads involved. Having all those wires overhead would be the only thing that would freak me out a little.
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I’ve not been to China at all – would you recommend it? x
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Definitely should go. The country is amazing and the land so beautiful in such a unique way.
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It looks like you had a lot of fun there. I find it very interesting that you used the rickshaw ride to see the city, I would love to be able to get on one one day
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It was a brilliant trip, I’d definitely recommend it! x
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I admire you! How to handle in India? Look at these the traffic is such a chaos and it is moving slowly. I like the street market the fruits look delicious and natural also you should try local food enjoy!
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I’m not sure the western palette and digestive system can handle Indian street food, but the food in our hotels and restaurants was nice x
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Looks like a very interesting trip and loads of new experiences too.
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It was a really fun trip! x
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I hope you’re having an amazing time! It sounds like such a fantastic experience xx
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Thanks Sarah – it was amazing! x
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India is on my bucket list, so very jealous you’re our there! Hope you have a fab time though x
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It’s an incredible country – very interesting and learnt loads x
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Certainly looks exciting! I bet you’d see something new down almost every street!
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We certainly did – was such a fun experience! x
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🙂 This sounds like quiet the adventure, something out of a movie. What a crazy, cool awesome memory. Especially the part where the chain broke and your driver stopped to pick it up, wrap it around his neck,………. I imagined a scene from Hangover 1,2, 3, 4, 5…… 🙂 Thank you for sharing and your photos are beautiful.
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Hahaha thanks for your comment Ty, that made me chuckle! It really was an adventure, and so glad I got to share it with my grandma (and my readers through my blog and pictures) x
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What an experience!
It looks like so much fun, India is definitely on my bucket list 🙂
Dani x
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If you ever get the chance, I definitely recommend you go x
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india is still on my to visit list. i love how your driver was cheery!
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He was very happy and casual, considering he was driving through some of the most dangerous streets! x
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You’re making me want to go to India soon. What an amazing trip!!
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It was such a fantastic experience Lubka! x
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Wow! This sounds like quite an experience, I hear a lot about Richshaws at work! xx
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Yeah, it was such a fun part of my tour of India! x
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Great post, seems like you enjoyed India a lot. There are so many commuting options in India but rickshaw is the best.
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I wasn’t really “commuting”, just had a ride around the old city, but it was fun 🙂
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Oh my gosh, those wires 😱!! You describe it all in such detail, I could imagine being there! Sounds like an amazing experience and you made so many amazing memories
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I know, pretty dangerous 😂🙈 was a fab trip though, and so glad I got to experience it with my gma x
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