From the Outskirts of New Delhi to the Taj Mahal

1 AUGUST Off we go. Months of planning for a tailor-made trip, buying plane tickets from Catania via Istanbul bound for New Delhi, a stopover in Colombo and a finish in Kathmandu before heading home; in India, a tour with an Italian guide from GoAsia from 2 to 7 August. Air Turkish flight from Catania at 9:10 on 1 August; stopover in Istanbul from 12:30 to 19:55; arrival in New Delhi at 4:10 on 2 August. 2 AUGUST Welcome at the airport by the GoAsia guide and transfer to New Delhi; the impact with India is immediately devastating, it feels like being in a sauna and the mosquitoes greet us already inside our taxi along with a garland of flowers. The hotel is available from 7, so we rest until 12, then the tour of the city begins. Qutab Minar is immediately the object of our appreciation with numerous photos, one of the tallest stone towers in India.

The heat and humidity cause me no small amount of trouble, the sweat seems to pour from an open tap and by the end of the visit my T-shirt can be wrung out properly. Next, a visit to the Jama Masjid mosque; at the entrance we are covered with scarves, me, and my travel companion with a long, shapeless gown. So we cannot tell whether the constant stares of the people towards us are due to our pale colour or to our circus-like attire. Visit to the old city (Shahjahanabad), once surrounded by a red sandstone wall with 14 access gates, today split in two by via dell'Argento, a colourful and lively succession of shops and bazaars.

Venturing into the market we are swept along by the crowd; in 2 metres of road, tuk-tuks, three-wheelers and every imaginable vehicle manage to pass at the same time; instead of smelling scents we are overwhelmed by the smog; instead of savouring local dishes we notice the presence at the stalls of nice, sprightly little mice. We also visit the new city, where the Government Buildings, the India Gate and the Parliament Building are. In the evening, a visit to a Sikh temple, to discover what the 5 Ks needed to become a Sikh are; Sikhism is a religion with a relatively recent history compared to other faiths, it is based on community life and its spiritual guide is a... book! Anyone can enter a Sikh temple and pray, or eat for free, or take part in preparing the meals; every activity is supported only by donations and volunteering.

At the end of the day we understand that Indians look at us because we are different; many of them, coming from the countryside and visiting the temples, have never seen a Westerner. We also understand that for a Westerner it is absolutely unthinkable to drive in Delhi, where anarchy reigns supreme. We also note that in India there is no rubbish collection in much of the cities, and that the most basic hygiene rules are not respected; just think of the animals eating the rubbish in the street, or the men urinating on the pavements. Dinner at the hotel. 3 AUGUST Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Jaipur (255km - 5 hours); on arrival, check-in at the hotel. At 16, a car tour of the city with a driver, the only stop being a visit inside the evocative Palace of the Winds with its 953 windows.

We wanted to explore the city on foot, but the same driver advised us against it, and he was right; going around the buildings of the centre we were pestered by traders inviting us into their bazaars, and we even had trouble simply crossing the road because a cow was blocking our way; not to mention the rubbish found everywhere in the streets. Dinner at the hotel. 4 AUGUST At 9, a visit to Amber Fort, 10km from Jaipur. Waiting for us at the entrance are dozens of elephants all lined up and decked out for the festival; the ascent to the fort takes place on the back of a pachyderm along a bumpy cobbled route with a considerable gradient, and the atmosphere is spoiled only by the annoying persistence of the usual vendors who follow us until the end of the palace visit, where an exhausting negotiation with a photographer awaits us to buy the photos taken of us during the ascent.

Next, a tour of the city: the Observatory with the Samrat Yantra (a 90-foot gnomon), an open-air museum with stone instruments that allow you to determine the exact time, the phases of the moon and the position of the constellations. Next, a visit to the Maharaja's Palace. Lunch at the restaurant of our guide's family. Afternoon relaxing. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel. 5 AUGUST After breakfast, departure at 9 for Agra (232 km - 6 hours). We immediately ask our driver to stop at Chand Baori in Abhaneri to visit the famous stepwell. Along the way, another stop at Fatehpur Sikri, the ancient capital of the Mughal empire under Akbar the Great, also known as the ghost city. Our guide is a Brahmin who is generous with anecdotes and legends about the history of the site. On arrival in Agra, hotel check-in and dinner.

6 AUGUST Early wake-up to see the sunrise at the Taj Mahal, one of the 7 wonders of the world. Our guide also volunteers as our photographer and we spend 2 hours capturing one of the 7 wonders of the world from every possible angle. Then back to the hotel for breakfast. Continuation to the Red Fort. In the afternoon, departure for Delhi (204 km - 5 hours). 7 AUGUST Breakfast. Transfer to the airport. Over 90 minutes of waiting between check-in and security checks. Departure on an Air India flight at 12:30 to Colombo