Rajiv was my guide and Rahman my driver. It was roughly a 5-hour tour (12-5-ish). They were both very polite and explained everything to me as we went... read more through. I saw the Gate, Humayun’s Tomb, Radhtrapati Bhavan, an ancient mosque, and an ancient well. Everything was amazing, and I learned a lot.
As usual for tours in major areas, be prepared for the occasional beggar, reciprocity donation trick (they give you something “at no cost” and then—as if they didn’t just say what they said—expect you to give them money after you take it), and aggressive street vendor. Nothing the tour guides can do about that, so just be aware and you’ll be fine. I’ve learned to pretend they’re not there and they go away after 30 seconds, but one person out of the blue tried to do something with my ear and I had to step back and brush him off. Again, this is a consequence of being a tourist in Delhi, not this tour.
Near the end of the tour, there is a store stop so be ready if you’re American and not used to the full-scale sales techniques of other cultures. Just remember that you can always just say no and leave. It’s personally the only part of the tour that I wasn’t completely satisfied with since I paid a high price as a solo rider and still had to get that. I’d rather have the option to pay a lower price with the store stop or a higher one with an alternative to sit in A/C with water and try food or something more valuable for my tour time (and the higher price would offset whatever kickbacks they’re getting).
The information provided was very helpful, and the conversation I had was not only interesting but led to my favorite part of the tour: we visited a beautiful Sikh temple. This was not on the itinerary at all, but I asked my guide about his religion (he mentioned it; I didn’t just bring it up out of the blue) and he gave me the option to end with a visit. What happened in this last part was the most fulfilling part of the whole trip. I participated in the prayer ceremony going on, learned about the customs and ethics of the religion, saw the beautiful temple and enormous pool of water for bathing, and then received a back-area tour of the feeding program they have that had to be the most efficient way to feed starving people I’ve ever seen in person. They had huge machines to make meals for anyone who enters from morning until evening. I teared up as I was shown a man humbly washing dishes who was extremely wealthy and how they talked about people coming from villages all over the area to come together for prayer, this meal, and I believe some sort of social cause or movement that I don’t think I fully understood (so I will purposefully leave it vague). It was beautiful, and it reminded me of the power and ingenuity of people with a purpose. I had a front-row seat so to speak as my guide practiced his faith end to end right in front of me, and I only wished I could’ve drunk the water (American digestive bacteria doesn’t mix with the microorganisms of foreign tap water) because I find gestures of the power of faith to be important to human psychological health.
Overall, it was a great tour. There’s so much to see in Delhi that this tour just gave you a taste, but it was a lot in a half day and so you will only wish you had even more time. The guide and driver were both very courteous, and I appreciate their work. I booked mid-day and don’t know if they have a full-day option, but my only regret is not having a full day to see more.
