1.4 billion, plus 2
It was only 6 months ago we boarded a flight to Singapore en route to our Maldivian sojourn. As fate would have it we were booked again on the same flight for our connection through to Delhi however thanks to daylight savings had an extra hour up our sleeves facilitating only a 4:00am start. Naturally coffee, breakfast, some quick duty free shopping and a catch up with friends heading to Bali at the same time were had before the sun even bothered showing itself.
We were headed to India. As usual it was a Sunday paper 2 for 1 special jumping out at us, and with Lyndall long holding a desire to travel the subcontinent, we grabbed the opportunity given it was frightfully cheap and perhaps the only way to see the country given its complexity and difficult on ground conditions.
There were a few options available to us, firstly a hotel upgrade package. For an extra $300 per person we would be accommodated in luxurious abodes in the style befitting Maharajas and Maharani. Let’s tick that box shall we? Second was a private car in lieu of a bus load of people. An extra $500 per person saw its availability, and given our penchant to stop and photograph everything, it was an obvious option. Let’s tick that box too. Lastly was a 3 day Varanasi extension including domestic flights. A no brainer, tick the box please.
As we would come to discover by journeys end the best thing about a private vehicle is they pretty much drop you off, and pick you up right out the front of anything you are going to see. The guide and driver work telepathically it seemed (of course it was via phone) because no matter where we were or what we asked, they obliged within seconds.
India is a massive and diverse country but is famously known for its Golden Triangle. Captured within a relatively short distance of each other are the 3 major tourist destinations of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. Our selected tour with Trip-a-deal included this trio but the Varanasi extension - home of the spiritual Ganges river - was a little outside the set and hence facilitated a flight to make it happens within the allowed timeframe. Something we would dearly come to fully understand the longer we spent in India.
The Golden Triangle of India
Destination Delhi
Our flight north was as expected and we settled into a well rehearsed ballet of scotch & drys and gin & tonics. Our row companion in 43C did his best to maintain the pace but nearing the Timor Sea faded away sharply only thanking us on arrival in Singapore for the joyful morning spent at 38,000ft. Covering our country at a height never grows old, but today we were blessed to be tracking directly over Ayres Rock for the first time Fatpap could recall. With the help of the in-seat navigation channel we spotted the giant monolith through the window managing to capture a grainy, if not blurred image of the Australian landmark.
Landing at Indira Ghandi airport in the cool and dark of evening was a sneakily diluted introduction to Delhi. Under the cover of darkness and with weary travel legs the full calamity of this city wouldn’t be seen until morning. But we sensed the underlying calamity nonetheless. We were met at the airport by our first of many guides and ushered to our waiting vehicle. Ushered may not be the right word. Corralled. Bullied. Yelled at in Hindi might work better here. The guide took off at a rapid pace and within seconds was indistinguishable among the thousands of identical looking and similarly dressed men doing pretty much the same thing. We followed him into a chaotic car park full of honking vehicles and dozens of stray dogs. Welcome to Delhi we whimsically mused. The floral garland presented on arrival, if intended to calm our apprehensions, failed to do so.
In broken English we were introduced to Denesh who was to become our faithful driver for the majority of our adventure. Over the next few days we meet many “Deneshs”, so for simplicity we rebadged ours Ganache. Primarily for his smooth and chocolatey complexion. We sat back and relaxed after 24hr on the go in his beautifully presented vehicle for the short 4km drive to our hotel. 50 minutes later, yes 50 minutes - welcome to Delhi traffic - more to come on that later - we arrived at the Welcom Hotel Dwarka part of our premium accommodation package upgrade.
Here we were met by another guide who checked us in and sent us off to our room. That was the start of a very surreal experience. We won’t mention the queue for the lift, or the fact that 5 of the 6 lifts were currently inoperable. We similarly won’t pass comment on the way people just barged into the elevator, or the view received when looking down onto what can only be described as a construction site. But we were obviously very pleased we got the premium accommodation package thus far. The reality though was starting to hit, India was going to be like nothing else either of us had ever experienced.
Fatpaparzzi’s blogs started out as photo journals. An excuse to show off our bangers and talk about cameras, accessories, lighting, and planning for the perfect capture. Over the years that has changed slightly, as has the gear with the addition of a mirrorless camera to the bag of tricks for this journey. But we didn’t painstakingly plan shots this time. We had scores of destinations in mind, each the perfect photo opportunity, but we came on this tour with a little more on our minds than just photography. This would be a spiritual journey as much as a photographic one and we were prepared to just go with the flow as they say. What we didn’t bargain for was the haze and smog, the crowds and the timing. With some of the most majestic and photogenic buildings on earth the challenge may prove more to be in the editing suite.
Then there was the feeling of vulnerability we discovered when pulling out the camera in a heaving alleyway full of hawkers and beggars attempting to focus on a shot. Not surprisingly, the photography ended up being as challenging as everything else in India … but as you will hopefully see faithful reader, the challenges were worth it.
FatPap & the Wine Wench
Peter Lee & Lyndall Dalley. Friends who share a love of photography, travel and food.
One is a Garbo, the other an Environmental Scientist. Through the lens each sees the world differently.
Together, they always agree on its beauty.