First time traveling to India with a group [North India Golden Triangle 8 days] Part 5: New Delhi NEW DELHI, experience and summary

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After a morning’s drive, we returned to the Delhi area.

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Busy with traffic and lined with famous brand streets, it feels like returning to the human world. …until I see people sleeping on the roadside…

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【Day7-1】Ghandi Memorial Museum

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This location was originally the villa where Gandhi lived for the last 144 days of his life. After India became independent in 1947, reporters began to write his autobiography the following year. Therefore, when Gandhi was shot dead by Hindus that day, he recorded everything.

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The footprints left by Gandhi from when he walked to the garden until the moment he was shot are still preserved at the site.

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The museum and the surrounding environment are well maintained. Surprisingly, there is a shop inside that sells Indian fabrics, clothing, jewelry, and works of art. The prices are reasonable and the quality is reliable. Our group members had a great time shopping.

【Day7-2】India Gate (opens in a new tab)

It is a monument built to commemorate the heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country in World War I. It looks like a triumphal arch. In the Indian movie “Half Girlfriend”, the hero and heroine even climbed to the top to overlook the city. Compared to being interested in India Gate, I prefer the sense of life in this area. It is like Daan Forest Park and a good place for family outings. There are Indian-style vendors everywhere, which is a rare common people’s life in our group trip.

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【Day7-3】Akshardham Temple (Swaminarayan Akshardham)

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This is a wonderful place. It took seven years to complete the Hindu temple. It is extremely magnificent. There is no admission fee, but you are not allowed to take pictures, and you are not allowed to bring water or bags. You can only bring money in for consumption.

Fortunately, the prices inside are affordable enough. In addition to general meals, there are also temple souvenirs, including cards, calendars, hats, books, worship supplies… Also, this long wallet only costs 60 rupees, which is NT$30 off!

The color scheme is OK, but there is a photo of Buddha (?) inside.

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You can also buy incense, tea, essential oils, skin care products, etc. It’s really amazing. If you arrange it on the last day of your trip to India, you’ll have to spend all your money! After nightfall, there is a light and water dance show, which combines musical theater + projection mapping + water dance. It is very, very awesome! The effect of projection mapping on the building, as well as the changes in the combination of light, shadow and water dance, made you feel the powerful technology. This was the part of the entire trip that most identified with “Technology India”. Is it really okay to worship in this temple? It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a playground! It was too late to leave the temple, but we were still arranged to eat at a hotel buffet. The dishes were so gorgeous, and there was also a customized dessert area with a dazzling array of dishes. The rice alone had a variety of flavors. (opens in a new tab) The hotel we stayed at at night was COUNTRY INN SUITE BY CARLSON, but our stay was very short, so we didn’t have much chance to get to know each other well. It was an average business hotel.

【Day8-1】Gandhi International Airport

There was only one itinerary for the day, which was to go straight to the airport and return to Taiwan after a hearty meal. The breakfast buffet attached to the hotel is also very impressive, with only about 1/3 of the dishes on the screen. [](https: //blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiE4tmQKDbZcZ9idS28lMFIWIso8ax63eBbte1sBduo5yUsU5mTwmr4DgB8pWJPq4-d3PcLK_42Ug 6qKFDqILvsllFxistXJUv_k8qedqpUTDlKAtPOoJAlyoVBzqPGbZQPz7z7iPMzw/s1600/IMG_20180506_083750_edited.jpeg) Authentic Indian Cuisine (opens in a new tab)

After arriving at the airport, I didn’t expect that shopping at the airport is also very easy! There are many well-designed Indian brands at reasonable prices. The Himalaya (opens in a new tab) brand is also sold in pharmacies. If you missed it a few days ago, you can still buy it here. I was so busy shopping that I almost missed the boarding time. If you have some spare money, you can leave some here!

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Summary: I enjoyed this trip very much because it contained my favorite Indian architecture and art. I was reluctant to leave it at the end of the trip and couldn’t help but think about the possibility of visiting again. However, there are only three itineraries for tour groups from Taiwan to India: the Golden Triangle of North India, Kashmir, and the Greater Golden Triangle (New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta), most of which overlap with this itinerary. It’s really relaxing and comfortable to go with a tour group. You don’t need to carry luggage and cameras at all times. There is also a dedicated security translator. You can go back to the car to rest at any time if you get cold or hot. If you don’t go with a tour group, it will be much more complicated to learn the adaptable folk culture. As an Asian woman, it is even more challenging. Just reading the articles of bloggers is enough to scare you. Although joining a group is easy and easy, after all, we are going to a place different from Taiwan. Here are some of my experiences from this time, which can be used as preparation for traveling to India with a group in the future.

【1. Shopping】

When it comes to buying things, it’s really hard to decide during the trip. You don’t know what opportunities there are, and you don’t know if the market is reasonable when you encounter it. You can buy some when you encounter a supermarket on the first day. After that, there are vendors at scenic spots, and you have to negotiate prices back and forth. Only after buying, you will know the market, and you will be able to do it next time. Buying is more cost-effective (tears); secondly, there are handicraft souvenir shops arranged by travel agencies. I believe they are of better quality than those sold by ordinary vendors, but the prices may be higher than the general market. If there is no other opportunity to purchase, or to thank the travel agency for the arrangement, you can still consider purchasing them. Akshardham Temple and Airport Shop unexpectedly won my heart. Maybe I wrote this article just to recommend these two spots XD However, I also bought a very special thing from the vendor, which is a wire structure toy that can be changed into different shapes!

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You can pull out 20 shapes at will, you can win the Nobel Prize in Science!

####【2.Internet】

This should be the most important thing after water and food! It is said that some buses have Internet access, but ours does not. Some hotels provide free Wi-Fi, while others charge extra, so I bought a sim card before departure. The Thai brand AIS sim2fly 8 days 4GB plan is very good to use, and it costs more than NT$300.

【3.Water quality】

The travel agency will provide a large bottle of imported mineral water every day. Even so, I still have diarrhea. I don’t know if it’s because I’m acclimatized. But it’s much better after taking medicine. Therefore, it is better not to drink raw water, and do not use a large amount of lettuce and fruits at one time.

【4. Diet】

Except for a few Chinese restaurants, buffets are used most of the time. Breakfast also provides the necessary dishes for a general Western buffet. Dinner includes salads, scones, various curries, and rice. However, some restaurants may be salty and some spicy.

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I thought I didn’t like curry very much, but maybe it was spicy, but I still had an appetite every time I ate, and I wanted to try the flavors of each pot. There was always lump cheese (on the right side of the disk in the picture below), and the taste was not too strong. I like it. [](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzG4M8RC5cRZGNMozOyN51Z6ua03tA3-k9idLRU7JE5R-5CsAxkeK (opens in a new tab) (

Colorful appetizers, choose whatever you dare to eat.

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The desserts were very sweet, so I didn’t dare to take too much.

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I almost don’t use the instant noodles and biscuits I prepared for fear that I might not get used to them. This is the first Chinese meal, which is quite refreshing.

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【5. Culture】

说不上为文化面准备多少事，但是出发前几周可是狂嗑印度刘德华阿米尔罕的电影，一方面熟悉印度风格，二方面观察有哪些印度文化，在行程中做比较。 Of course, movies are movies after all, and in Amirkhan’s movies, I think most of them are much more ideal than real society. The travel agency will definitely tell you about other things. As my first trip to India with a group, I am here to share what I saw and heard mainly about the scenic spots. I hope friends who are interested in India but are uneasy about not knowing enough can provide some information. As for the Indian culture I learned during this trip, I plan to record it in a separate article later. Thanks again to the team leader, tour guide, driver brother, driver and related staff of Lion Travel Agency (opens in a new tab) who participated this time. They worked together to safely and successfully complete my dream of exploring India. — First time traveling to India with a group [North India Golden Triangle 8 days] full series Part1: Overview and New Delhi NEW DELHI (opens in a new tab) Part2: Jabil JAIPUR (opens in a new tab) Part3: BHARATPUR (opens in a new tab) Part4: AGRA (opens in a new tab) Part5: New Delhi NEW DELHI, experience and summary (opens in a new tab)

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Further reading

• First trip to India with a group [8 days in the Golden Triangle of Northern India] Part2: JAIPUR
• First trip to India with a group [8 days in the Golden Triangle of North India] Part3: BHARATPUR
• First trip to India with a group [North India Golden Triangle 8 days] Part 4: AGRA