Dilli Darshan : Red Fort

Even though we passed the Red Fort multiple times when in Delhi, we never really went in because it was just there, we could visit it whenever we wanted, isn't it? Anyways finally when I got in a Dilli Darshan mode, we made a trip to the Chandni Chowk area and the Red Fort: places we had seen and heard of in movies countless times, but never really seen in reality.

The Delhi metro has made this a lot more comfortable and feasible though, thank god for that! You sit in the metro and there you are!! Right in the middle of the dilli of old, with narrow gallis, famous shops, crowds everywhere and a lot of history hidden at every turn..

We walked on to the Red Fort through long queues and through the covered market selling touristy stuff at throwaway prices; and on towards diwan-e-am and diwan-e-khas inside the fort. The Red Fort from the outside is a sight to behold: grand, majestic and royal; from the inside though, it barely retains its original grandeur. It still has pretty structures, and artistic paintings but a lot of it has already been lost to years. The gardens are green, the buildings have colourful paintings and the whole place has a spacy and airy feeling about it.. Very pretty.. As for the history, we didn't really bother for a guide, so not much time was spent on that. Just admiring the works done so long ago, a lot of which we've already managed to lose.

After that we did a short trip around chandni chowk. You can buy any kind of stuff, clothes, toys, accessories etc etc at unbeleivable prices there. You bargain hard but still feel cheated as the shopkeeper still sells u stuff at that price! We also ate at the famous jalebi wala there, was a let down though.

A must visit when here would be the Gurudwara. An oasis of calmness in the chaos outside. Its a nice big structure, revered by many. One thing you would definitely notice about the place would be the cleanliness there given its in the heart of the crowdiest part of the city!

Hidden beaches of Madh and Aksa

Mumbai weekend getaways - 1

Mumbai weekend getaways - 2

I was pleasantly surprised to see that such nice places exist in Bombay itself which I had never explored before... (Well you can debate whether Madh and Aksa are really within Bombay or not but at least they are quite close!!)
I went to Aksa beach more on a driving test on a nice monsoon day, rather than for the place, but it turned out to be quite a pleasant and enjoyable day-out in itself:).


The weather surely helped: intermittent not so heavy rains and breezy cool interludes in between. What more can you ask for, for a day spent in town?

We first went to Aksa beach (the drive from the western express to the beach being a bit of a downer though!). The beach was surprisingly clean (compared to bombay standards that is!), not too many people around, cool, wet, windy, with rocks to sit on just next to the sea, some small waves coming in once in a while,

the palm trees on the shore swaying to and fro in the wind, clean and fresh air, no buildings (save one) in sight, the open sea, roaring waves.. Just visualising it all makes me smile and feel happy and relaxed.. Imagine what being there after just an hour's ride from your home would make one feel.. ?!! Just beautiful, calming, relaxing, elevating...

There on we drove on the road that goes towards Madh Island.. Narrow winding road, with vibrant green trees covering the road, and again the fresh and cool air and the pleasant breeze..
And the road goes on and on, with some bungalows once in a while on the sides, fishing villages on the way, fishing boats moored next to it.. Is it really in Bombay? Felt more like Kerala backwaters or the goan roads. Was it for real? I felt I was in another isolated world, in a small town in the rains, in the ghats.
Was just fun to drive there, up and down and left and right on the winding road, just taking in the sights of rural (?) life.. We stopped at a beach on the way too.. Just difficult to describe the experience in words or even pictures.. Relaxing, far away..
Perfect for some good quality time within the city borders...