Friday, January 11, 2013

Delhi Sight Seeing with Hop on-Hop off bus Service

On my ninth day in Delhi, I finally had the chance to tour around Delhi on a bus. Yes, a bus. Shockingly, a Delhi bus has made headlines these couple of weeks because an Indian woman was savagely gang raped while riding on one. Thankfully, I experienced nothing of that sort.

Alhamdulillah. Maybe because the bus are ridden mostly by harmless tourists? Maybe... =)
HoHo (Hop on-Hop off bus) in Delhi. Colorful!
This service is provided by Delhi Tourism. It enables locals and foreigners alike to easily discover every facet of Delhi from its medieval myriads to its modern wonders. My coordinators helped arranged for us to go on this Hop on-Hop off Bus Service on a Sunday. Inclusive a few bumps along the way, we managed to board the bus outside the INA metro station at 10 am. The first stop is called Dilli Haat (food and craft bazaar)  and pictured as number ONE in the heart of the route map below. 

HoHo bus route. We started our journey from Dilli Haat and headed upwards. (source) I purposely edited the map to show the places I went . hehe.
The bus followed the green route and I was told that the bus fare costs 600 Rupees for foreigners and valid for only a day. (this information will be revised once I get the facts straight. hehe).

The second stop for us was the India Gate. We missed some places because time was running short. =)

Stop number 2. India Gate

This marks my second time here and my first time can be read here. This time I went with my fellow training mates. Adorable huh? There were guards near the barricades and they stood motionless and in silence under the hot sun, even as we took pictures with them.

Tshering (left) and Radeep standing with the "imperial" guards. Hehe. 
Stop number 3 - The Lotus Temple

It also known as Baha'i House of Worship. It is the latest of SEVEN edifices raised in different parts of the world, each with its distinctive design, each inviting people of all religions and races to worship the Creator of the Universe and to express the love between God and men.

I eventually did enter this building, took a seat and sat in silence, as I prayed in my heart along with hundreds of others from different religions. No pictures were allowed inside but it was serene and peaceful inside. =)

At the entrance of the Lotus temple. Radeep and I.
Other lotus temples can be found in the countries stated below:
  • Apia, Western Samoa
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Kampala, Uganda
  • Panama City, panama
  • Frankfurt, Germany
  • Willamette, USA
Baha'i House of Worship, Bahapur, New Delhi, India.
The design of this building is inspired by the lotus, the symbol of purity that is inseparably associated with worship and religion in India. It is surrounded by nine large pools of water which plays a significant role in the natural cooling system of the prayer hall. No wonder it felt so nice inside!

Stop number 4 - Qutub Minar

This was the only place in India that I successfully entered using a local price. (20 rupees). And I didn't even used a local aide! My friend of Maldives had a distinctive Indian look about him and he managed to buy the local tickets for both of us! He said only a few words (since he knows no Hindi). As expected, the officers in charge at the entrance didn't even glance at the tickets when I came in. Haha!

Alai Minar. An unfinished building inside the Qutub Minar complex. I have no idea what it is until I googled for it. LOL.
Alai Minar was abandoned because the king who initiated it died and his successors didn't bother to continue it. What's left is only the first storey of the building and if it was ever to be finished, it was supposed to double the height of the Qutub Tower. Meanwhile, the Qutub Tower; also known as Qutub Minar, is the tallest minaret in India and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Intricate stone carvings on the cloister columns at Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque, Qutb complex, Delhi are seen on the pictures at the left side. Upper right is the unfinished Alai Minar and below is the famous Qutub Minar. =)
Other marvels in the vast Qutub Minar complex can be read here. I didn't stay long enough to explore all of it! Sobbb.. sobbbb...

We finally ended the bus ride at Dilli Haat and went down. But we didn't end there. We went into the open bazaar just a few meters away and later on boarded the metro to shop at Rajiv Chowk. that would be in another post i guess? Or should I just blog about Jaipur? Hehe.

Okbye!  



8 comments:

Alid Abdul said... [Reply]

Oh men, Qutub Minar, India Gate, and all those places you have mentioned above is in my dream list :)

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@alid... sonn.. alid.. soon. hehehe. Maybe this year? =P

zino said... [Reply]

nampak menarik...

AJ said... [Reply]

comelnya basnya..tengok sekali pun dah rasa excited nak naik...

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@zino... mudah nak get around Delhi naik bas jee... =)

@eyriqazz... hahaha! mmg comel dan sangat selesa!! silalah datang India!

Happy walker said... [Reply]

that's looks fun~ XD

Regards,
http://www.lonelyreload.com (A Growing Teenager Diary) ..

Jard The Great said... [Reply]

@mr lonely... it is fun. all the more reason for you to experience it urself. =)

Aadya e-Travel said... [Reply]

Qutub Minar is one of the best tourist place in delhi to see Delhi sightseeing