(Part 7) In India Like a Local: Stuck in a Public Protest (What?!?!), "Meeting" my Bollywood Idols, and Exploring Delhi's Ruins

- March 31, 2018, Saturday.

- With just one more day left in Delhi before going to the airport in the evening, I had to make sure that my plan for the day was perfect and packed. That morning I headed to the south of Delhi, to the Qutb Minar metro station (violet line,) to visit two places: the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and the Qutb Minar. Now normally people can take an auto-rickshaw to these places, but since I felt they were within my "walkable" range (around 1 kilometer,) I decided to walk. While walking, I heard some dishonest auto-rickshaw drivers telling ignorant tourists that the main destination, the Qutb Minar, was around 7 kilometers, so they would ride on the auto-rickshaws and pay more than what they were supposed to pay. (Disclaimer: not all auto-rickshaw drivers are like this. Only some.)

While walking to the metro station, I saw this. (Among many other cows and bulls on the street.)

- Around 700 meters (around an 8-minute walk) from the metro station was an open gate with no label/name whatsoever. This is the Mehrauli Archaeological Park (no entrance fee!!) This park is one of the most underrated places in Delhi since no one really visits it, as compared to its "celebrity neigbor," the Qutb Minar. Despite not being visited as often, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park should definitely be on everyone's Delhi itinerary. For one, this is one of the longest inhabited places in Delhi, and is home to tombs, mosques and other structures from the 11th century onwards (Khalji, Tughlaq, Delhi Sultanate, British, you name it!!) Today, there are still people living inside the park. The park, apart from the historical stuff, also has a regular playground, a rose garden, among other things.

This is the gate. It's just like walking to a different dimension. (I kid, but yes, admittedly, it was a bit creepy/sketchy.)

Directions to the things to see inside the park.

Not sure why Balban's Tomb was closed. It's one of the most famous tombs in the park.

Yes, I know it looks scary but trust me, there are a lot of neat things inside.

Entrance to a mosque (that's still being used today.)

Squirrels!!

- The park is actually very big, and it would take a whole day to fully explore the whole place. Unfortunately, some of the more accessible places were locked when I was there, so I wasn't able to maximize my stay at the park. Despite that, I think I was able to go around or at least see some of the prominent structures there before going to the Qutb Minar. One of the prominent places is the Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tombs. Again, not sure why, but the tombs part was closed, so I only got to see the mosque. (Too bad, the tombs are bejeweled and I would've wanted to see that!!) The Jamali Kamali Tombs, from the 16th century, are for the Sufi Saint Jamali, and Kamali, who is still unidentifiable, but obviously related somehow to Jamali.

Jamali Kamali Mosque.

Featuring the caretaker, in purple, at the back, judging me.

Hall inside the mosque.

One of my favorite shots in India.

Early rock carvings always fascinate me.

- While walking in the park, I understood why just like the Agrasen ki Baoli (click here), has a reputation of being haunted. Apart from the countless tombs in the park, there have been stories about voices, weird energies and sensations, and fragrant incense scents despite no incense being lit. Interestingly, the "most haunted" or at least the common creepy stories are from either the Jamali Kamali Mosque or Balban's Tomb.

Lodi Tombs.

Canopy.

Oh coolio, there are pigs walking around.

Yay piggy!!

- I later reached Rajon ki Baoli, or the "Step Well of the Kings," which was one of the most picturesque places in the park. The is the largest among the three baolis in the park (wasn't able to see the other two,) and it has the best design. It seems a bit wider and bigger than Agrasen ki Baoli in downtown Delhi. Today, the water in the step well is filled with moss, which gives it a touch of color (for better, or worse.)

Probably the nicest step well I've seen.

Sometimes, you have to turn your back on the world....because you need someone to scratch your itchy back.

The halls of the step well.

- Later on, I found an exit near the rose garden that was closest to the road going to Qutb Minar. It was not hard to find my way because I can see the big minaret of Qutb Minar all the way from Mehrauli Park, the is one road going to the Qutb Minar, and because I have a map.

Qutb Minar from the Mehrauli Archaeological Park.

- The Qutb Minar, built in the late 12th century to the early 13th century, and is a minaret in the middle of the Qutb Complex. This, by the way, is a UNESCO Heritage Site (and many think that the Mehrauli Archaeological Park beside it should be too.) It was built by the founder of the Delhi Sultanate, Qutb ud-Din Aibak.

I'm back!!

These perfectly-shaped carvings will always leave me in awe.

Of course, my photoshoots.

Let it fly.

View from afar.

One of the usual shots taken in the Qutb Complex.

- There are other interesting structures inside the Qutb Complex. Even from my first visit in 2011 (click here), the one that usually catches my fancy would be the tomb of the ruler Iltutmish and the fancy carving around his tomb, and the Alai Minar, which is the base of a minaret that was supposed to be twice the height of the Qutb Minar. The building project didn't push through due to the death of Alauddin Khalji, the Khalji Dynasty ruler who ordered this minaret to be built.

This would've been a nice place to have a photoshoot (actually a lot of places inside the complex were perfect for photoshoots.)

Entrance to Iltutmush' tomb.

Close up of the stone carvings.

I mean....howwww?? Such elegance!!

Quranic verses.

Iltutmish' tomb.

Alai Minar. 

At the ruins.

Inside Delhi's first mosque located inside the Qutb Complex.

- The Qutb Complex is quite big that it would also take a whole morning or a whole afternoon to fully go around and absorb every bit of information inside this big complex. However, as much as I wanted to stay, I had to get going if I wanted to finish everything I had in store for the day.

- I walked back to Mehrauli Park as a shortcut, and a more "scenic" path on the way back to the metro station, and rode the train to Rajiv Chowk metro station, which is the station that brings people to one of Delhi's financial hearts - Connaught Place. Connaught Place, built in the 1930s by the British, is shaped like two concentric rings with the establishments organized in several "blocks." The center of the two rings is a park called "Central Park" (yes, the same name as the one in Manhattan, New York) with the giant Indian flag in the middle (as can be seen in Part 6 here). Connaught Place has many stores from top international brands to local brands, restaurants, bars, cinemas, bookstores, you name it! However, my main purpose in Connaught Place was to visit Madame Tussauds across the Palika Bazaar block (southwestern block). Delhi's Madame Tussauds, I learned, was quite new and isn't even a year old (as of the time of my visit); so far, it is the only Madame Tussauds in India. Although I have been to different Madame Tussauds in the world, I was excited when I found out that Delhi had one, because I assumed that I would see a lot of Bollywood wax models, as well as other famous Indians like politicians and sports icons. Well, I was both right and not. While the main attraction of Madame Tussaids Delhi was the roster of Bollywood celebrities (on top of the usual western celebrities), a lot of big names like Shah Rukh Khan were still missing. I was told that some of them were being given a retouch or a makeover, while others were still on their way to the museum as additions to the models available - so don't worry, Madame Tussauds Delhi will just keep getting better as time goes by.

Here I am!!

With Raj Kapoor, one of early Bollywood's dearest actors. 

Ranbir Kapoor.

Of course, who can't recognize Mahatma Gandhi himself!!

With current Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bollywood playback singer Asha Bosle.

- In the middle of my visit there the fire alarm rang and all visitors were asked to evacuate the building. This gave me a scare. Apparently, the restaurant beside Madame Tussauds had a fire alarm situation. I'm not sure if this happens frequently, but the Madame Tussauds staff seemed to be so relaxed and reassured us that we'll be able to go inside again after 5 to 10 minutes. I was really thankful that they were right, and that it was a false alarm. Little did I know that this wouldn't be the last scare of the day!!

British-Indian actress Katrina Kaif.

Hrithik Roshan!!

Madhuri Dixit!!

Salman Khan on a bike.

I will totally freak if he weren't here: AMITABH BACHCHAN!! (I saw his actual car in Film City in Mumbai, click here to see.)

- From Madame Tussauds, I walked round the block to visit Delhi's Jantar Mantar. The Jantar Mantar is a group of astonomical devices such as big sundials built by Jaipur's Maharaja Jai Singh II in the 1700s. Although the one in Jaipur is the biggest and most popular (click here and here to see,) the one in Delhi was built first among all the 5 Jantar Mantars across India. The giant devices not only tell time, but also show the position of the moon, the stars and constellations, and the sun. These help the Mughal scientists with matters such as harvest, or even astrological matters.

The Mughals were intelligent people who pushed for the further advancement of math and science.

Giant sundials.

There are many kinds of sundials that are not only pretty, but pretty useful too!! (Pun semi-intended. Haha.)

It looks like a heart, but it's actually a circle "folded" in the middle. 

- After my short visit, I went across the corner to find myself back at Janpath. I had a little lunch at McDonald's. Now I know that this isn't the most Indian thing ever, but trust me, McDonald's in India is an interesting experience. Due to many dietary restrictions of Indians (usually either no beef or pork depending on the religion,) there are many ways as to how McDonald's adapted to the palate of the Indians. From the sauce, to the choice of patties (fish, chicken, vegetarian usually,) going to McDonald's is definitely a must in India!

Chicken Maharaja Big Mac. Tried this the first time in 2012, and still remains to be one of favorite Indian McDonald's burger.

- I spend the rest of the afternoon walking along Janpath to see if I can hoard more things home. While leisurely and meticulously looking at souvenirs, there was a giant group of protesters who marched on the road. At first everyone did not really mind them since the protest seemed peaceful, but later on I noticed that the shops started to pull down their metal doors. I hid in one of the shops - and thankfully it was a clothes shop - and so I shopped for clothes in peace while the protesters became violent outside. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I can definitely hear the protesters getting it on with the Indian police. I could also see some aggressive footwork when one of the staff opened the metal door a few inches just to see if the violence was over. I asked one of the shop owners of the clothes store why there was a protest, and he told me that there was a leak in the secondary education national exams as well as a leak in some sort of national civil service exam, and so the students were protesting since the whole country was asked to do a retest. The thousands of students (around 3000 according to the news) were supposed to march to some government agencies to ask them to investigate on these matters. (No photos/videos, because hello, common sense. I didn't want to get stuck outside while the violence was ongoing. Also, don't worry, this doesn't always happen and it should not ruin your travel plans to India. I just happened to be there when that happened. It can happen anywhere anyway, right?)

- A few minutes later, the protesters moved to another location, and the shops along Janpath were open once more. While most stores were unaffected, I saw one bridal store whose glass window shattered leaving the mannequins exposed, and another souvenir store with some broken limestone models of the Taj Mahal. One guy whose car was parked outside then the violence took place had a broken car side mirror or a window, so he was quarreling with a policeman about this. However, the most important thing was that we were safe and that apart from the protesters, no other civilian in the area got hurt - as far as I know that is. I finished my shopping later on, and hurriedly walked to the metro station and went back to my hostel.

Saw this giant leather shoe outside a shoe store in Janpath right after the protest.

Yes, India has a Central Park.

- At the hostel I just rested and waited for my service to go to the airport. Still quite shocked from the protest during the afternoon, I told people back home about the protest, and that India probably does not want me to leave before an "experience of a lifetime." Come to think of it, there was always something significant happening - not necessarily bad or traumatic - in India whenever I go there. In 2011, it was the passing of the famed guru Sathya Sai Baba, in 2012 it was the ASEAN-India car rally (one of the main reason why we were there and it was awesome,) and the supposed end of the world on Dec. 21, 2012, and this year, it was the big exam leak issue. I think that whether good or bad (but better if good of course,) these situations make the trip to India all the more interesting. That was my main takeaway from getting stuck in the middle of the afternoon protest. After all these thoughts, my driver arrived and whisked me away to India Gandhi International Airport after a cool night view of Connaught Place.

Saw this at the hostel. Yes, this is so me.

Connaught Place at night.

Central Park with the giant Indian flag at night.

Gandhi's spinning wheel, giant version.

As always, it was a pleasure to see this Surya statue.

Musicians playing at the airport.

- Around 10 hours later, I finally arrived in equally hot Manila. Now I don't know why but of all the plays that I have been to, this was the only time when I came home with an unwipeable beaming smile. Not that I don't enjoy all my other adventures (trust me I really really do,) but perhaps I always have this kind of "aww vacation's over, we need to get working again" feeling, so I usually look tired and cranky after a supposedly nice vacation. However, it was only during this trip to India that I came home fully recharged despite a rather hectic itinerary in both Mumbai and Delhi. I have come to conclude that I was perhaps reborn in India, so I came back home to the Philippines as a new and even more positive person. I have always known that India is overwhelming with color, culture, and even "chaos" (as some people put it,) but perhaps the spirituality and the vibe of the country are reasons why India is the birthplace of some of the world's major religions - and several other minor religions. With India's current easier visa processes, major transportation developments and improvements, and more reasonable travel fares, it is no doubt that I will consider visiting India again (and again and again) in the near future. India is one of world's cradles of civilization, and it will surely take more than a lifetime to explore this big, beautiful, and bejeweled country!! 

- Don't forget to read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here, and Part 6 here!!