We arrived early afternoon in Lucknow after our train had experienced a few delays. Because Lucknow is not on most tourists’ lists, accommodation options were limited. We splurged on a comfortable two-bedroom apartment with a generous sitting area, large bedrooms, and ensuites, which worked out well as Steph and I took turns being hit by a vicious stomach bug during our four-night stay.
Welcome to Jurassic Park
With only the late afternoon to explore on our first day, we headed to Janeshwar Mishra Park, which was not too far from our accommodation. The park was massive, with rivers running through it and speakers providing a soundtrack to our stroll. Within the park, we were surprised to find Jurassic Park. For less than a dollar each, we spent an hour being educated on dinosaurs for the second time on our trip. These ones, however, were animatronic and life-sized, except for one that was clearly a person in a T-rex costume.
Elephants and Excess
On day two, Steph was hit by a stomach bug and was not up for leaving the apartment, so Jon and I explored Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Park. The park is a vast 107-acre memorial renowned for its elephant-lined avenues featuring around 124 larger-than-life elephant statues, expansive stone plazas, gardens, reflecting pools, and monumental domed memorials dedicated to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, and the history of social reform in India. We were the only foreigners in the park and took time posing with school children eager to get selfies with us.
Hungry after our visit, we went to the Royal Cafe to try their signature Basket Chaat. The only way I can describe this dish is by referencing the Friends episode where Rachel accidentally combines a trifle and a shepherd’s pie recipe. The dish includes a crisp potato basket overflowing with spiced chickpeas, hot potato, cool yogurt, tangy tamarind and green chutneys, crunchy sev, and pomegranate. While I am glad I can say I tried it, it is not something I could manage eating again.
Old Lucknow
With Steph feeling better on day three, we headed to the old town to explore the more historic sites of Lucknow. We started at Chota Imambara, a space created for Shia mourning and now holding the tombs of the Nawab, the former ruler of Lucknow, and his mother. Steph and I were provided scarves to cover our heads in order to enter the building and were given a tour by a lovely older man with limited English who enthusiastically pointed out the country of origin of every one of the many chandeliers inside.
Our next stop was the clock tower, which offered a bird’s-eye view of daily life on the rooftops below, with little boys flying kites, women doing laundry, and men chatting across neighbouring buildings. We continued checking off locations included in our historic pass tickets and arrived at the Bara Imamabra. We made the mistake of sitting down on the steps for a water break. A lineup instantly formed of couples, families, and young men all wanting their picture taken with us. After a few minutes we managed to break away and started exploring the property.
The Bara Imambara is an 18th-century monument, famous for its central hall, one of the largest arched spaces ever built without support pillars, and for the Bhul Bhulaiya above it, a labyrinth holding a Guinness World Record for the most identical doorways. After spending time navigating its narrow passages, dead ends, and hidden viewpoints that allow you to spy on tourists in the great hall below, we eventually found our way out and finished our visit at the step well.
Our final stop on the historic pass combo ticket was the picture gallery, containing large portraits of the region’s maharajas over the centuries.
The next day, I was suffering from whatever Steph had come down with earlier and was unable to leave the apartment. Jon and Stephanie visited the British Residency, which turned out to be far more impressive than they had anticipated and took several hours to explore. Jon later returned with Steph to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Park so she could see it as well. With the entrance fee costing only about thirty-eight cents Canadian, it was well worth visiting twice.
Kebabs, IMAX and Onward Journeys
Our train to Khajuraho did not depart until 11 p.m. on the day we checked out, so we stored our bags at the station and headed to Tunday, a restaurant famous for its kebabs. The walk through the congested city streets was intense, as we navigated a constant flow of motorbikes, cars, bicycles, rickshaws, and even goats, but the kebabs were well worth the effort.
After lunch, we hired a rickshaw to take us to a large shopping centre so we would have somewhere to wander. We decided to see a movie. It was our first time in an IMAX theatre with interactive seats, something we only discovered once the film began. Predator: Badlands opened with an intense fight scene, and the fight scenes kept coming. For the entire movie our chairs moved up and down, rocked back and forth, vibrated, and repeatedly jolted our lower backs. The theatre also used blasts of air and sprays of water to create a sense of “immersion” whenever a sword was swung or someone spat, which happened frequently. When the credits rolled, we all looked at each other, unsure of what we had just endured.
Later that night, we boarded our sleeper train and settled in for the long journey to our next destination, grateful that this ride was far smoother than our movie experience.
