Amazing Journey to Incredible India - DELHI (Part 1)

I think of so many places that I dreamed of going to and finally decided that I will explore India this time. Why? That’s the question we always heard of whenever we mention the trip. They say it’s not good there and we receive many more negative words. In spite of these we still go for it since India has a very diverse culture, with centuries old monuments and fortresses that is a must see before disappear on earth.

Indian women after a prayer at a popular mosque "Jama Masjid", New Delhi India.

Who would not want to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal for example? And for a photojournalist like me, exploring the streets of India is exposing you to a wide range of subjects and opportunities. Inspired also by the movie Slumdog Millionaire and Darjeeling Limited is the reason why we chose this place. I will be travelling with a companion, an engineer from GMA network, Mr. Randy Rondriguez.

This trip was not made overnight. We had a lot of preparation and brainstorming before we made the final booking of the plane tickets. We left Manila on a rainy Friday afternoon. Our plane is scheduled to fly at 2:30 PM but there are some delays so we have to wait. It was raining so hard that you might think it’s impossible for the plane to take off but Thai Airways proved that theirs is always smooth as silk. The Boeing 777 aircraft just flew like a bird in the sky. Just like a scene from the Amazing Race we have to rush through the boarding gate in Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand for us to get to our plane. A quick but strict inspection by the airport police and customs personnel and we are now heading to India. We arrived at Indira Ghandi International Airport in New Delhi after another four and a half hours of flying.

Even Local tourists visit the famous India Gate at Rajpath, New Delhi India.

Paddling through the waters of the holy Ganges River, rolling over the sand dunes of the Great Thar Desert in Rajasthan and climbing the snow capped mountains of the Himalayan mountain ranges, our adventure is simply quite amazing. We met strangers along the way and became friends with them.

Negotiating with india's railway station is one of the best experience in India. There are several trains traveling the country everyday and the railway system is the third largest in world.

The capital of India, Delhi, has a history that spans over several millennia. Site of no fewer than eight successive cities, it is the hub of the country, a buzzing international metropolis which draws people from across India and the globe. Situated at the nerve of the ancient Asian trade route, Delhi has accumulated extraordinary wealth, but repeatedly lost it to successive foreign invaders who have come knocking at the door. Tucked away inside Delhi’s modern suburbs and developments are tombs, temples and ruins that date back centuries ago.

Passengers cling to the door of a sleeper train at the Railway Station Connaught Place, New Delhi India.

Delhi has a wide range of transportation so going to other places is not that hard. You just have to be creative and not choosy. You can move around the city by auto-rickshaw, taxi or city buses. For short journeys a rented cycle rickshaw is enough. Traveling by train is one of India’s classic experiences. The national rail network covers almost the entire country; only few are inaccessible especially the mountainous areas. Although the railway system might look like chaos, it does work, and generally better than you might expect.

Part 2 Vanarsi