We left New Delhi and headed for Kathmandu, a place I’ve dreamed about visiting. The name itself conjures up mystery. Everest, prayer flags, rugged snow-capped mountains, adventure! 

As for India, we spent 4 ½ weeks in total there, between two trips. I have mixed feelings which I have to make sure I keep certain emotions in check to be fair.

Our time in Delhi

Our first few days in Delhi were typical from what I’ve discussed with others. Loud, crowded, dirty, noisy, polluted. While in Delhi, we saw some things that make Delhi famous such as the Lotus Temple, however other places were closed due to Republic-day holiday. While we were wandering the partially closed Chandni Chowk market near the Red Fort, we observed a youth passing people and feeling their pockets. I guess he was planning on who to target for pickpocketing. It was at that point, with the crowds building, similar to July 1^st in Canada, we headed back to our hotel. 

A few days later, we boarded a high-speed train for Agra. Let’s be clear here, this is a high speed by Indian standards, not Europe. It could reach 160 km/hr. That is a speed people do on HWY #1.  The train left on time, however in true Indian fashion, it arrived 30 minutes late. The journey was only supposed to take 1 hr 40 minutes. 

The Taj Mahal

Once in Agra, we saw the Agra Fort and then the Taj Mahal. I was blown away by the Taj Mahal. At the Taj, we hired a guide who passed on a lot of information and took some amazing pictures of us. After our one-hour tour, we said we wanted to wander about some more and take it all in. The guide said OK and curiously said “be careful”. I didn’t think to ask “why”. 

We wandered about for an hour, taking even more pictures. Then, as it was late in the day and getting cold and windy, we decided to head out. Looking at Google Maps we saw it was a 20-minute walk to the home-stay and headed towards the stairs leading to the exit. At the top of the stairs, I went to check my phone again and it was gone.   

The loss of my cell phone

I had become the victim of a pickpocket. We went to security and they looked at the CCTV and we saw exactly where the theft took place. A group of four young males came in behind us and nudged us apart, pushing and shoving in the way that is common in India. My phone, which was in a cargo pant pocket that I neglected to zip up, was an easy target. Security tried to call the phone but it was off-line.

With the loss of the phone, we lost almost all of our Taj Mahal photos. Meg took very few. We lost our internet as I had the SIM card for India. Our Indian phone number was gone. I was devastated. Heading back to our hotel I frantically thought of what to do, but honestly, I was a mess.

How I dealt with my cell phone being stolen

The hotel staff were great, they walked me some things to do with a lost iPhone, however I could not initially access my passwords. Eventually I was able to log into my iCloud account and “lock” the phone. I have since instructed the phone to “erase”. The phone has not accessed the internet since it was stolen. From the Apple site, the phone, with that EMI number, is nothing but a paper weight. According to Apple, no one can use it until I unlock it. I’ve read the phones are used for parts after being stolen. Who knows?

The past few days have been difficult for us; however, it is getting easier and this too shall pass. I do not intend to get a new phone until I return to Canada. There are subtle continental differences in phones and warranty may be an issue. I did check my warranty and I had declined theft coverage. House insurance has a $1,000 deductible and the phone was $1,050 – not worth the time/paperwork to file a claim.

There were things that were magnificent in Northern India. The Taj was amazing, Jaigrah Fort in Jaipur had incredible displays and only a fraction of the crowds of the nearby Amber Fort. Some things in northern India left a lot to be desired. For example, when we were heading to Jaigrah fort, we ordered an Uber from Meg’s phone. While walking to the pick-up point, we saw what could only be described as feral people in the streets and alleys. Everywhere was dirty and dusty. 

Jaipur Homestay – a bright spot in our travels

One exception was our homestay in Jaipur. Our was beyond amazing. It was the best hotel experience we have had in India other than the safari lodge which was $400/night. In Jaipur, we truly felt like family and we welcomed to dinner with the host and another travelling couple.

Pollution in Delhi – terrible on a good day

Delhi was dirty. Air quality index hovered between 375 and 500. People in Victoria go crazy if the index hits 20. You could see the pollution in the air. When we flew from Mauritius to Delhi, on an overnight flight, we landed at Delhi’s airport around 8:00 AM. This was well after sunrise. As we were on our final approach, I honestly thought we were still flying through clouds. At about 100 meters from the ground, we saw the runway break through the smog and the plane touched safely down.

Our flight from Jaipur to Delhi had a similar experience. Half way though the 75-minute flight, the pilot said the visibility in Delhi was 50 meters due to haze, they don’t like to say the air is polluted. In order to land they would require a CAT 3 trained crew. The pilot then said the crew was CAT 3 trained and as long as the visibility stayed at 50 meters or better, they could land. Similar to our previous arrival from Mauritius, we did not see the runway until about 100 meters above ground.

There is no way they would try that in Canada, however if they did not do this in India, they simply would not fly. Beside, the alternate airport likely had the same visibility so why use the alternate? A number of Indian people we met said India is famous for two things – people and pollution. There does not seem to be a will to fix the pollution problem. Breathing the air is like smoking a pack or two of cigarettes a day. I wore a mask about half the time. Meg wore her mask about 95% of the time.

Moving forward and being safer

I hope to write more about India, because I did enjoy much of it, I am hopeful I won’t paint the entire country with the brush of one organized pickpocket group. As for me, I am getting used to not having my security blanket (phone) next to me. I have tightened up my personal security, zipping pockets and using a money belt. I am thankful that my passport was not stolen, nor my credit cards.

Thanks for reading and stay safe.