Wednesday, 11 February 2026
Arrived at the very old, very tired looking Radisson Blu after midnight had passed so, on Wednesday, after travelling all day Tuesday. So glad we paid the extra $$ for the premium accommodation?? It will be interesting to compare notes with the TripADealers who were taken to other hotels last night. We think we will reconnect with them today.
We waited another half an hour (at least) before our room keys where organised and we were able to haul our bags upstairs. We came out of the lift and the arrow said turn right for our room but when we reached the end of the corridor, the next sign didn’t include our room in the range stated. What? Back to the elevators to check. Yep, we have to go right. Back down the corridor and left into the next corridor, which looked a bit like a construction zone with sanded down doors and builders dust all over the carpet. Hmmn, not quite what we expecting after having paid the premium upgrade!!? Anyway, cleared the redecoration zone and turned left again and finally arrived at our room, at the furthest point possible from the elevators. At least we were in!
Next drama, Bernie researched the adapters we would need and we had brought the same ones we used in Africa because that was supposed to be the one. Nope! So many power points in our room, but configured for other types of plugs. Fortunately, Bernie had also packed the universal adapter and was plugging that in when, hallelujah, I found one power point in the room configured for the adapters we brought with us.
Crisis averted and all of our electrical stuff plugged in and charging. Set the alarm for 6.00am and collapsed into bed to try for about four hours of sleep. Luckily we both slept on the plane – and on the drive into the city from the airport – so we were hoping that we would be energized enough for sightseeing later today.
All too soon it was time to be upright again. We showered and made our way down and then back jump again to the restaurant. We knew that we had to go to the second floor for breakfast but there was no ‘2’ on the lift panel. We eventually found our way to a second bank of lifts servicing the restaurant, the swimming pool and function centre.
Breakfast was smorgasbord style with plenty of choice BUT what food items could we trust 100 percent to be safe?? We were nervous about fruit because everything you read says only eat fruit you can peel yourself and warns against cut fruit even in good hotels. Then there was milk and yoghurt. How safe is the dairy industry in India? I eventually decided on some very thin porridge (not the way I like it) with a drizzle of honey, a couple of slices of toast and a pain au chocolat washed down with a cup of green tea. Bernie braved some yoghurt on cereal, some toast and a croissant washed down with orange juice.
We returned briefly to our room to brush our teeth and collect what we thought we would need for a day of sightseeing. We were back downstairs just before 8.30am to gather with our fellow travellers while we waited for our guide to arrive. There were four more women, in addition to the six of us who came in from the airport together last night. At this point we still assumed that a huge coach would arrive and we would be meeting up with travelers who were taken to other hotels last night.
Our guide, Chamdresh, arrived and introduced himself before loading us onto a 21 seat bus. As our Delhi City Tour commenced, Chamdresh informed us that those of us staying at the Radisson Blue would be our tour group as we travel from Delhi, to Jaipur and Agra and back to Delhi. Seems we won’t be traveling with any of those people staying at other hotels after all, we have a lovely small group of ten to travel with for the next week or so. Still a little unclear if Chamdresh accompanies us to Varanassi or not?
As our driver, Karamvir, negotiated the unbelievably chaotic traffic, Chamdresh introduced us to the capital of India, Delhi, explaining that it is a major gateway city for international visitors. He told us that the area is a fascinating metropolis offering an intriguing mix of ancient sites and modern wonders, while also serving as the headquarters of Indian politics. Many of the heads of the Indian government and other political parties reside in the city, including the Prime Minister and President of India.
What followed was an hour and a half … or so … of being skillfully threaded through Delhi’s morning peak hour traffic by Karamvir. OMG! So many buses (now converted to electric Chamdresh told us), cars, tuk tuk style vehicles (also now electrified), motor cycles, bicycles, pedestrians, stray dogs and … cows, so many cows! How we arrived at the Red Fort unscathed is a tribute to Karamvir’s driving skills.
Time to alight from the bus and tackle some traffic on foot. Somehow we made it safely to the other side of the road for a quick stop at the Red Fort, which was built by the Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan. Next we met up with a group of rickshaw drivers and clambered aboard rickshaws for a ride along Chandni Chowk, the main street of Old Delhi, that boasts the famous colourful shopping bazaar and spice market.
We made a stop at a tea shop to sample chai. The chai was sold in disposable tea cups made from terracotta. Chandresh explained that this is another environmental measure that has been introduced, this time trying to address the issue of plastic, single use cups. After beverages are consumed from these terracotta cups they can be thrown in the garden or go to landfill where they eventually return to the clay that they are made from as they break down.
At the end of the street, we went for a walk through the spice market, which was quite an experience. The spices, teas, nuts and dried fruits displayed for sale presented us with an aromatic and colourful ‘feast’ for our noses and eyes. Others have been complaining about how bad the city smells, but we haven’t found it objectionable. We are the oldest members of the group (OMG when did we become the oldest ones in a tour group??) so maybe we don’t have as acute a sense of smell any more?? Anyhow, we COULD smell the delicious potpourri of spices!
We were briefly ‘lost’ in the spice market when we were separated from the rest of the group and Chamdresh. Not really lost because a place had been pointed out for us to meet, after our walk around the spice market BUT Chamdresh didn’t say at what time. We spent a few more minutes exploring and then retraced our steps to the meeting place. Chamdresh and six of our group were already there and we made eight of our group of ten. Oh, no, we were still two short. Chamdresh headed back into the spice market and soon returned with the other two who had become separated from the group.
You’ll then drive past Jama Masjid which is the largest mosque in India.
Back onto our rickshaws to start the ride back to our bus. As our driver cycled us through the streets selling saris, hardware, paper goods and more he started to tell us how hard his job was and how deserving he was of a tip. Aargh, this tipping stuff is so confusing. Chamdresh had told us that he would be paying the drivers, so we assumed the tipping would also be taken care of, but that didn’t stop our driver from mounting quite a campaign to be paid a tip. Not really knowing what the right thing to do was, we eventually agreed between us to pay him 500 rupees for the strain on his legs and the callouses on his hands … which he showed to us several times during his pleas to be rewarded for his efforts. I guess he didn’t get us killed in the crazy traffic which has to be worth the AU$7.75???
Our next stop was at Raj Ghat on the banks of the River Yumuna to visit the Ghandi Memorial. This is a glorious, green oasis, which was so at odds with the chaos of the spice market we had come from. The city really is one of contrasts. Even in such a densely populated city as Delhi there are many green spaces to be enjoyed. Chamdresh pointed out many of the parks as we drove around and during the day we negotiated many roundabout oases that contained gardens, fountains and statuary. But, back to the Ghandi Memorial, we completed a walk around the elevated square and were able to look over the tomb, the eternal flame and the many visitors entering the square below to pay homage to Ghandi. After enjoying the peacefulness of the memorial it was back into the traffic to drive back to the new city for some lunch. We ate at Lazeez Affaire, enjoying our first Indian food in India. Bernie and I shared a paneer kofta and a vegetarian biryani both of which were delicious and not too spicy.
By the time we finished lunch it was about 3.00pm and we weren’t done yet. So much for an itinerary that promised a late morning city tour and a return to the hotel to spend the rest of the day at leisure OR enjoy an optional afternoon tour. So, once more back into the fray to negotiate more horrendous traffic as we made our way to see the Laxmi Narayan Temple, dedicated to Lakshmi who is the goddess of prosperity and good fortune.
After that we travelled to the India Gate, which is a 42-metre-high arch of triumph and war memorial. It bears the names of 85,000 Indian army soldiers who died in the campaigns of WWI. At some stage we drove past Rashtrapati Bhawan, which is the official residence of the President of India and features an interesting blend of Mughal and western architectural styles. There was no photo op there though.
It was now late in the afternoon and time to commence the Optional Afternoon Tour. We had two members of our group who hadn’t purchased this optional tour and wanted to return to the hotel so, while Chamdresh organised a taxi for them, the rest of us waited in the bus in the car park at the India Gate. This provided the girls with a shopping opportunity with a few of them purchasing bangles and earrings from the ladies hawking their wares around the tourist buses.
And so the afternoon (or should that be evening?) tour commenced. India has an astounding 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites, one of the largest concentrations in the world, and this tour provided us with the opportunity to discover two of Delhi’s UNESCO-listed sites. We arrived at Humayun’s Tomb at 5.25pm and it was due to close at 6.00pm. The site is vast, so we really had to concentrate on seeing the main structure in, which the tomb is housed, before closing time.The building is the first great example of Mughal architecture in India and was built in 1570 to house the Emperor’s body. It is a very impressive mausoleum surrounded by expansive gardens!
Back to the bus to negotiate more traffic as we travelled to Qutub Minar. It was now dark but this was OK because this site is the only one that remans open after sunset, because the tower is lit at night and features a sound a light show that is projected on to its facade. The tower is a 72.5-metre victory tower with five distinct stories and it looked spectacular with the spotlights on it. Built by Qutb ud-din Aibak in 1193, it is the world’s tallest brick minaret. The red sandstone structure has words from the Quran intricately engraved into it. As spectacular at the tower was at night it would have been lovely to see it in daylight too when the engraving on it would have been easier to see. It has just taken sooooo long to drive everywhere today that we consider ourselves lucky to have seen as much as we have!
OK, I admit it, with all this driving between sites I have snoozed off and on during the day. Now that the sightseeing was over, and we faced a long (time not necessarily distance) drive back to the hotel, it was time to bank some sleeping hours!!
It was after 9.00pm when we pulled back into the forecourt of the Radisson Blu. That is a very long day of sightseeing. We made our way back to our room where we tried to work out how to use the QR code to order room service. Oh, no, the infirmity of being the oldest couple on tour strikes again – we could not work out how to get the room service menu, it just kept taking me to WhatsApp. What??! Although we had a substantial lunch we really did want a small meal before bed so took ourselves down to the restaurant hoping that it would still be open. Yes! One serve of mac and cheese and one Tex-Mex burger later we headed back upstairs for some much needed rest before we head to Jaipur in the morning.
We have instructions to meet Chamdresh in the foyer at 8.15am. And, we cannot complain as we were in bed before midnight to be up at 6.00am. Chamdresh lives three hours from the hotel so home after midnight to start heading back to the hotel at 5.00am. He simply cannot afford to stay anywhere closer to the hotel to cut down on his commute.
Steps: 15,732 (10.06kms)
