Ed in India - Day 3
A tour of Old Delhi with children from the Saalam Baalak Trust.
I don’t think that many of our group were sure what to expect from our walking tour of Old Delhi with former pupils from the Saalam Baalak Trust, however, once the tour was done, everyone felt that it was a fantastic morning.
The tour started off at the Saalam Baalak trust, with a talk from the former pupils that would be taking us around Old Delhi. We were told of their stories and how they ended up with the Trust, before being taken on our first Rickshaw ride of the day into Old Delhi itself.
Once in Old Delhi, the first stop was the largest spice market in Asia. This truly was an attack on the senses, with the market being unlike anything I had seen before. The different colours and smells on offer were amazing. I think there might have been enough dried chillis for sale to last a restaurant a lifetime!
Once the spice market was complete, it was time for another Rickshaw ride. This journey took us past lots of different temples belonging to different religions. It was fascinating to hear our guides explain these different religions to us. We then continued our walking tour through Old Delhi and its labyrinth of narrow streets and shops. We were shown the inner workings of a small sari factory which showed some amazing craftsmanship.
It was then time for lunch at the UNESCO awarded Haveli Dharampura for an Indian tasting menu. This was a nice lunch where we had everyone together for the first time, and was where we said goodbye to our guides from the Saalam Baalak trust.
After lunch it was time for our final rickshaw ride of the day, this one being unplanned! Due to our coach being moved on from our pick up point, our local guide Shailesh improvised and we had an extra rickshaw ride directly to Rajghat, the place where Ghandi was cremated. This was a short stop for some photo opportunities and to learn a bit about where Ghandi was brought as his final resting place.
The next and final stop on our day trip was Humayuns Tomb. This is an incredible building that was built in 1570 and was the first garden-tomb in India.
After an hour or so at the hotel we were back out for our group evening meal at Kwality Restaurant. Here we were joined by former county cricketer and father to Reece Topley, Don Topley, as well as Telegraph Cricket Journalist Tim Wigmore. It was great to have both of these with us for the night, as they were able to provide some great insight into the workings of a team at a Cricket World Cup, as well as some other cricket related stories!
The food at Kwality was fantastic and all of our travellers seemed to enjoy the 2 hours of unlimited alcohol that was included!
