Batam to Singapore

Crossing the shipping lanes from Batam to Singapore isn’t for the faint of heart or anyone with a heart condition, especially if, like us, your AIS receiver is set to pick up all the ships in the area, whether stopped or not.

VTIS (Vessel Traffic Information System) control, which monitors all the traffic zooming up and down what is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, has its work cut out. But, despite the high-pressure nature of their work, the people working the radio are calm and very helpful. When I contacted them to let them know our plans to cross to Changi, not only did they grant us permission to proceed, but they also warned other ships to be on the lookout for us to ensure we weren’t flattened by something the size of a block of flats charging down on us at over 20 knots.

Fortunately, all was well. We maintained a steady course and heart rate all the way to the other side of the shipping lanes. Playing Frogger as a kid wasn’t a total waste of time, and by early afternoon, we had picked up our mooring at Changi Sailing Club and, less than an hour later, were officially in the country. And just over a week later, we landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

New Delhi by Night

Every time I visited India for work, I came back with the gift that keeps giving – the shits. I mentioned this, in more polite terms, to Rupen and Khilna, who we met in Bali and who have visited India several times. Their take on it was not to eat the food in 5-star hotels but to get out on the street. With that in mind – and sensing a legitimate opportunity to save money – I booked us into a 2-star hotel and arranged a food tour around Chandni Chowk for our first day.

Our meeting place was at the icon of New Delhi, Uniqlo, at Connaught Square. We took a Tuk-tuk there from our hotel for 100 Indian Rupees, although the driver insisted on twice that when we arrived. “100 each,” he said. He didn’t get it. Stanley, our tour guide, was waiting for us as we walked towards Uniqlo, and after a quick check on allergies and any fussiness regarding food, we fought our way to the metro and were soon off to Chandni Chowk.

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Street Scene

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Maria, with our tour guide for the evening – Stanley

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Enjoying a few snackettes

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Hussle of the spice market

I don’t think we have seen anywhere as stimulating to the senses as much as the spice market at Chandni Chowk. Porters lug heavy sacks of spice up through the crowds, leaving plumes of chilli dust in their wake. Blocked sinuses are not a problem here except for the managers who take care of the trades from the cool of their glass-fronted office.

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Spice man

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More street scenes

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Ice cream

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People, motorbike, cow

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And on to our final eating place

Stanley then took us to a street often used as a film set for Bollywood movies. The Havelis here used to provide accommodation for the Jain people who own most of the jewellery shops in the area, but they are now mostly warehouses.

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The next stars of Bollywood, I think – not.

New Delhi by Day

There was no arguing with Tuk-tuk drivers today. A driver from the tour company picked us up, picked up our guide, and took us to our first destination: the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. It is compulsory to wear a head covering and remove shoes here, hence the fashionable headwear in the photo below.

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Orange

The first part of the temple we visited was the kitchen that supplies the langar with enough food for the 10,000 to 15,000 people who eat there each day. Maria and I were mesmerised by the automatic roti machine – dough in one end, cooked roti out the other.

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Roti making – machine style.

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Roti making – manual style.

All the people here, with the exception of the head chef (and I assume some others), are volunteers who freely give their time to help out in the kitchen or in the langar to serve the food. And the food is free to everyone.

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Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

Our next stop was the Agrasen Ki Baoli step well. Believed to date back to the 14th century, this provided a water supply to the local community.

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Agrasen Ki Baoli

Then, a ride through the city took us past the Thieves Market, where it’s possible to buy back the stuff you had nicked during the week. Only to repeat the process, I assume.

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Thieves Market

The Jama Masjid was next on our itinerary. The mosque dates back to the 17th century and was commissioned by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. It’s an impressive place, not least of all because of its size. Over 25,000 worshippers can squeeze in here.

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Jama Masjid

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Maria auditioning for the new Harry Potter film.

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Jama Masjid

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Not bad

The Red Fort can take a whole day to visit, so we just stopped for a quick photograph before going to Isa Khan’s tomb.

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Red Fort

The photos below show the sprawling area that includes Humayun’s tomb and those of his closest friends and family. Commissioned in the 16th Century, this is the first example of a garden tomb. Its sandstone has more history oozing out of it than I can talk about. Wikipedia acts as the font for some knowledge, though.

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Isa Khan’s tomb

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Inside

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Isa Khan Mosque

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Asfarwala tomb and mosque

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Humayun’s Tomb

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Humayun’s Barber’s tomb – a reward for being a trusted confidant, maybe

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Humayun’s Tomb

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Inside Humayun’s Tomb

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And another

One of the most striking buildings in Delhi is the Lotus Temple. Its history doesn’t stretch too far back, just to the era of Bon Jovi, The Pet Shop Boys, and Wet Wet Wet. It was built in 1986 as a place of worship for the Bahá’í faith. Actually, it accommodates all faiths. Look it up on your thing – it’s interesting.

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Lotus Temple

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Lotus Temple from the inside

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The ceiling with the Bahá’í symbol

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And a view of the crowd. It can hold a lot of people.

Then, we returned to the hotel to treat ourselves to excellent 2-star food and better service than we had experienced at hotels with double the number of celestial bodies to their names.

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Waiter waiting patiently

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The view outside the hotel window.

While we were in India, it was wedding season, so I suspect the streets were busier than usual. But the activity never stopped.

Next, we will be on our way to Agra.