Delhi & Agra: Iconic Landmarks, Great Food, and Street Art

Foreign.

Today on travel in 10, we're going to a city where history, culture and modernity collide.

Offering everything from ancient Mughal architecture to bustling street markets.

This is a city that probably my, my perceptions versus what I actually experienced.

There's probably one of the biggest gaps of everywhere that I've traveled anywhere in the world.

So talking a little bit about Delhi, New Delhi, India, and, and what to see and do there, and before we get into the city itself, I mean, I know we also want to talk about one of the, one of the sort of probably best known tourist attractions in the world.

Iconic attraction that's a short day trip away in Agra.

And Tim, do you want to start us there on what, what that day trip from Agra looks like or going for a couple days to Agra looks like and why someone may want to go there?

Absolutely, Damon, absolutely.

And good to see you.

You know, Agra, Agra is, you know, it's, it's a very natural day trip from Delhi and of course it is home to, as you said, maybe the world's most famous tourist attraction, which is the Taj Mahal.

And it is.

I went there on my very, very first trip to India.

So this is going back a few years and it's about a four hour drive down a very good four lane highway from Delhi to Agra.

And I saw something on that trip, I don't know if you still see it today, that I'd never seen in my entire life, which was camels on the highway pulling huge loads.

I think it was hay, I don't know, some sort of crop walking down the side of a four lane highway.

So, you know, people have talked about India as a place where you can see, you know, five centuries in a single without turning your head, you know.

And so you've got, you know, super cutting edge, you know, some of the best labs in the world.

They're making microchips and then you've got camels, you know, pulling crops down the highway was really incredible.

Anyway, that's a memory that I'll never forget.

But the minute that you see the Taj Mahal for the first time is it's a moment that you never forget.

Because, I mean, this is an image, you know, one of these ubiquitous around the world images, you know, one of these beautiful places, you know, Machu Picchu or the Eiffel Tower, these places that every single, almost anybody, if you put that picture in front of them, they would know.

And so I'll never forget that, that moment when I saw the Taj Mahal for the first time.

It's a mausoleum.

And you know, you can get into the crush of people and you might want to do this and go and see the actual tomb.

Go inside the Taj Mahal and see the tomb.

My recommendation is, I don't know if you want to skip it, but I would almost skip that.

And when you get there, you know, get your photo, you got to get your photo with the Taj Mahal in the background, but then just sit down on a bench and just take it in and just let it wash over you.

I mean, this is a beautiful play.

I mean it's not just iconic, it's not just ubiquitous.

It is beautiful.

It is absolutely beautiful.

So that would be my, my top recommendation.

And David, I know you have some thoughts on the Taj and I know that you've had some very recent and amazing experiences in Delhi, which is the heart and soul of this episode.

So I'm going to hand it off to you and let you give some reflections as well.

Yeah, I definitely agree that the Taj Mahal is very much worth, worth the trip.

I mean it is, you know, really one of those iconic sort of wonder of the world attractions that I think is, is on many people's bucket list.

Definitely worth doing.

And what I was surprised is actually how, how easily it, you were able to do it as a day trip out of, out of, out of New Delhi.

I mean I did a, a triple.

I mean we, it is an early start.

I think we started at 4 in the morning, but leaving at 4 in the morning.

We managed to get there for sunrise, really capture that experience and spend a great day there.

And for me at least agro, probably a day was enough.

But, but, but you do want to take the day and you do want to go, go experience that.

But I would say the thing that really the impression that, that left me most coming out of Delhi is I went there.

I guess.

You talked to so many travelers.

It was my first time in India and talking to so many travelers from around the world who have spent a lot of time in India.

You often hear of quite chaotic travel stories.

People who are going there, I mean the bustling streets and people getting deli belly or people who are just, you know, have, have these, you know, could have some difficult travel experiences traveling through, through India and, and I came in kind of expecting a bit of chaos.

And it was completely different than that.

I mean I arrived at the, the international airport.

It was calm, it was well organized.

They had like an international Arrivals lounge that if you had a priority pass, you could go hang out in the lounge, kind of get ready for your need, get your SIM card set up, all that sort of thing as you left the airport.

Unlike a lot of cities throughout Asia, you know, often you can come out and that experience can be quite chaotic.

You know, when you're, when you're trying to find your first ride into the city.

Here it was, you know, there was a ride sharing area where you could get Uber pickups.

Transfers were kind of seamless.

Once I got into the city, you know, getting around by Metro was, was way more efficient, clean, safe, affordable than I expected.

So it was just a city that really, it did challenge my perceptions of, of what travel was going to be like.

And I had a great time in, in Delhi and really, really enjoyed the.

It was about 10 days, I guess that I spent there exploring the city and really kind of digging into the food culture there and just a bit of the culture throughout the city.

I really enjoyed it.

Fantastic.

Fantastic.

Yeah, it is, you know, my, you know, recollections.

I've been to Delhi a couple times.

Once it was the start of a, a two week trip in India where I did the, you know, Jaipur and a couple other destinations.

And then another time it was on the way to a tiger safari, which is a whole other story in the central part of the country.

But the thing that, you know, with all Indian cities really is just that, that irrepressible energy.

You know, you go out and you, you, you either love it or you hate it.

You know, when I first get to India, I've been to India maybe five times.

The first thing I do, especially, you know, a place like Delhi or Mumbai is I go down, you know, to the, whatever, you know, in, in Mumbai, it's the gateway to India.

Various places you can go in Delhi and just let that energy wash over you, you know, that, that, that, that busyness that.

And so one of the things I love to do, because you can experience the, the energy with a little bit of a separation is to take a taxi tour in Delhi.

So as you tour around, you can, you know, book a taxi driver separately or you can go on one of these websites that book tours and you'll see everything under the sun.

You know, you'll see people getting haircuts and chairs on the side of the road.

You'll see snake charmers and, you know, all you have to do is just look out the window and you'll see so many wonders and so many crazy things and so many Things that you can't even believe your eyes.

Just rule by the car.

So that's one of my favorite things to do.

I know you have more recommendations.

I'm just going to mention, I'm going to mention one more, which is the Red Fort, which is one of these main sites in Delhi that a lot of people go to.

It is the same dude.

I don't.

I don't know his name, I'm going to be honest.

He built this Red Fort.

Beautiful architecture.

Obviously you think about the Taj Mahal, obviously it's going to be in a beautiful place as well.

So, you know, we think we have history here in North America.

My gosh, in India, there's so much history.

So, David, I know you had some really spectacular experiences.

Yeah, I mean, I, I spent a lot of time in that area around the Red Fort and, and sort of the area surrounding that were kind of Old Delhi, the Chandi Chalk area, which is really known for street food.

And I actually had an experience where I, I stayed with an Indian family in a, in an Airbnb in, in one part of the city.

And they also happened to run a street food tour and a street art tour.

And I ended up doing both of the tours that, that, the.

The Family Help Food tour.

You know, first of all, street food is amazing there and.

But having a local guide to really take you around to find he had really curated the best of it throughout the neighborhood.

He knew everybody in the neighborhood.

So, you know, whether it was going to the best jalabi walla shop in town or, you know, taking me over to a Sikh temple to experience, you know, working in a community kitchen there and the meal sharing that happening happens there was.

Was an incredible part of the experience.

The spice market that, that's not far from the Red Fort, I think is definitely something that people are going to want to check out and spend some time, really.

A maze of sort of colors, aromas, the historic spice trade there.

And unlike a lot of spice markets, in other parts of the world that are more like a tourist attraction.

This is very much a working market and, and you are like, you step in and the chilies are so strong you're crying as you, as you walk through because of the, the them hitting you as you walk through these halls filled with chilies as far as the eye can see.

So I really enjoyed that area around the Red Fort and that historic sort of heart of the city.

It definitely is the more crazy, chaotic indie experience you're going to have around there.

But then as you get out into other parts of the city, the experience was so different from that.

Just talking about the other tour that the, this family organized at the Airbnb where I stayed in an area called Loi Loi Colony.

A street art tour they did there where here you're finding like urban art, colorful murals.

Really transforming this into sort of Delhi's most Instagrammable area.

Quite a, quite a, you know, high end neighborhood I would, I would say.

And, and the art there is, is very much worth, worth seeking out.

And then they had also recommended to me another, another part of the city that maybe is a bit more off the tourist trail as well, but definitely, you know, very well known by locals called Hauskos Village.

H A U Z K H A S Village which this is like very much kind of a, a shopping district, trendy shops, art, cafes, vibrant nightlife here.

There are also some historic ruins just adjacent to it as well, so you can also get that experience.

But this is, this has got like one of the only vintage stores in, in Delhi you're going to find here.

This has got a really cool place called Social which was a, a co working bar, cocktail bar where they had virtual cricket games.

So just a much more modern sort of trendy take on, on, on Delhi and, and definitely somewhere that I would, I would recommend seeking out and spending some time in terms of where to stay.

I think you've had more experience of this than me, Tim.

I mean, as I say, I was staying in a local Airbnb that I'll definitely share in the show notes, the one that I stayed at because the family was so fantastic and ran these amazing tours of the city as well and it made for such a great cultural experience.

But I think you've stayed a bit on the other end of the budget spectrum during your time in Delhi.

Well, I really had a great stay, David, and I think I stayed here both times I was in the city at the Taj Palace.

Taj is this really fantastic Indian based hotel family and the Taj Palace.

There's a couple different Taj properties in Delhi.

Taj palace is the huge one.

It's this huge, huge, huge hotel, you know, which may not sound entirely appealing to some of our listeners, but I'll tell you what it was.

You know, after a day, you know, touring markets, being, being out in the, the energy and sometimes the mayhem of this really, really busy city.

Taj palace, it's set on six acres of just beautiful green space and it feels like, you know, you can spend the day touring these really fascinating historic sites and then at night you can go back and you're at a resort.

You know, it's almost like you can, you know, just sit by the pool, get a pina colada, go have a nice meal.

You're, you're, you're away from it all and you know, it's, it's, it's a beautiful place to lay your head and then you rest and recharge and then you're back to it the next day.

So that is, that is definitely my recommendation.

Any Taj property, you can't go wrong because they're all, they're all really, really beautiful.

But Taj palace was, was the place where I stayed and have we talked, have we talked about food yet?

Are we talking, what, what are, what are some of your, you know, I'll just mention, I know you've got a few or a couple.

Anyway, I'm just going to mention for me, for places to eat in Delhi, anything that comes out of a tandoori oven, I'll eat.

So you could put a shoe in there and I would eat it, but, or flip flop as Guy Fieri says.

But you know, probably my top recommendation in the city is this place called Indian Accent, which was named, you know, number one by continental traveler.

It's on the list of Asia's 50 best.

And they take Indian classics and then they, they do an upscale twist so you know, think tikka meatballs, that kind of thing.

And I think they do a standard six course meal.

So it's, it's, it's, it's the kind of place you go for a night out.

You know, maybe put your, your best for me.

Rumpled shirt.

This is probably my best.

That's my cigarettes right here.

But, and then, and then take yourself out for a beautiful meal.

Indian accent what about you, David?

I know you have a couple of really interesting stories.

I mean one of my, one of my favorite restaurants actually was in, was in your hotel recommendation at the Taj Palace.

I got to Go to a restaurant that they just opened fairly recently there, I think, called Loya Restaurant, which really, if you're looking for sort of that curated, more high end Indian cuisine experience, but in a bit of a playful, modern way as well, you know, they did things like a curry where they incorporated ruffles chips into it, or different, different ideas that the chef had incorporated.

It's got this kind of amazing show kitchen that you can see everything being prepared.

You can see the tandoori ovens, and they also do quite a few of the dishes at tableside where they come out and prepare them for you there as well.

So for that, that high end dining experience, the Taj, definitely the Taj Palaces would be a great recommendation there.

On the other end of the spectrum, I mean, the street food was amazing as we talked about.

I mean, that Chandi Chowk street food tour was definitely probably the best food that I had during the time that I was there.

So I would really recommend that, you know, if you're, if you're going to, you got to get out and really experience some of that, the street food firsthand.

And I think doing it as a tour, it just, you know, made it that much more of a curated, accessible experience as well.

And then maybe just one other I'll call out, which you're not going to find any other tourists that likely.

It was a small place in a very, you know, local neighborhood, neighborhood called the Kalash Colony, which is where the Airbnb where I was staying was located.

And again, the family that I was staying at recommended their favorite restaurant in town, a place called Juggernaut here.

It's like South Indian flavors, dosa, beautiful setting, but very casual, very informal.

And you're probably going to be the only tourist in the place if you seek it out.

And the food was fantastic.

So that's definitely one that I would recommend.

And I think we've reached the point now where we're talking about can't miss experiences.

Right?

So I'll just give a quick one and I'll hand it off to you.

For me, you know, they have these things, they're kind of like the Indian version of tuk tuks called auto rickshaws.

And you know, it's basically a small, tiny little vehicle.

You've got a guy in the front steering and then you've got a bench in the back that if you're very lucky.

I don't, David, I don't think you and I together would sit, would sit, be able to sit together on this bench, fit together on this bench, but you know, a little bit tight back there.

But you know, you could, for me, just like with the taxi tour, I give a guy 20 bucks, 30 bucks and just say, hey, show me, show me the best things that I can get with this money or take me around for an hour.

And you really, I mean it's a traditional common form of transportation all over India, but also, you know, including in Delhi.

And you really, it gets you into the elements, you know, and you're close to the people on the sidewalk and the cars going by and, and you're, you're, you're close to the city anyway.

So I would say an auto rickshaw tour, informal or formal, very similar to what I said about the taxi tour would be my, my can't miss.

Do you, do you have a can't miss?

Yeah, I mean I, I would say.

Well, one thing I would say about the rickshaw tours is that they're, they're also something that you can order up through a lot of the ride sharing apps in the city as well.

So it's a really cost effective way to get around the city as well.

So yeah, definitely, definitely would recommend that.

We talked a little bit about the, the Lodi Colony street art tour and there's a lot of cool shops and restaurants around there.

So it's definitely an area that I would recommend checking out.

And maybe one campus is, if you can't, I mean we've talked about right off the top, the main campus, which is the Taj Mahal.

Right.

That we would highly recommend going to see and do.

But if for some reason you just don't have the time, you can't make it out to there.

Then there's called Lodi Garden.

Right, right near Lotte Colony, which was really, you know, a very micro, small version of some of what you're going to see at the similar sort of architecture to what you'll see at the Taj Mahal.

But this really sort of peaceful green oasis in the city, perfect for morning walks.

Again, that's like very much, I think, not the type of place people think of when you think of the atmosphere in Delhi.

It was just this very quiet, serene, peaceful oasis in the city.

So that would be my campus would be Lodhi Garden.

Sounds amazing.

I feel like this has been a great episode.

We've covered so much ground.

As always, David, really a pleasure to chat with you and can't wait to talk to you again next week.

Sounds great.

Thanks.

Look forward to catching up.

Dad.