Day1-2
We arrived in Delhi 2 nights ago and we have been savouring its delights and dangers along with catching up on some much needed sleep since then. Arriving at the airport I was surprised to find that the terminal was new, clean and efficient like any generic international airport. Baggage, immigration and customs were a doddle and our pick up driver was easily found. Soon off through the morning rain of South Delhi in our Tata "mini minivan". While the road behaviour was the chaotic stereotype that us westerners imagine, the cars, road conditions and surroundings were not. The cars while small were mostly new/fresh Tatas, Hyundai's and Suzuki's, and of course there was old motorbikes and autorickshaws (tuktuks) but there was also a healthy smattering of 4x4s and luxury cars. The roads were wide and well marked (not that anyone was playing a blind bit of difference to the markings) and they lay within wide tree lined boulevards. As we got to the centre of the city this started to change, we went off the main roads and onto the side roads which became narrower, the footpath started to blend into the street and we were soon making our way to our hotel in between pedestrians, bullock carts, human carts!, rickshaws and motorbikes honking the whole time to make our presence felt. We got to the hotel which is a good hotel in the backpackers ghetto, the Pahargani area. Hotel Krishna is situated on the Arakasan Road which gets flooded in ankle deep water when the heavens open but it soon drains and the relentless flow of traffic and people begins again.
On our first night we went for a quick walk into Connaught Place which is colonial era built circle which was built to be a supposed oasis of calm in the city. We never really found that oasis though and after a dinner which we both agreed was at too expensive of a level to be continuing with, we made our way back to the hotel via a frantic tuktuk ride and a long slumber to shake off the jet leg awaited.
Our first impressions of India were positive, this was an area of much concern to me. Especially with my wife as although I had warned her how crazy it would be, there was a worry she would not like it. You hear of many people freaking out on arriving in Delhi and getting the next plane out and I had vision of my wife going "What the hell is this place? Where have you taken me? Get me outta here" . To a lesser extent I had concerns about myself doing the same thing, as I came close to it when I arrived in Kathmandu as a naive 20year old. But I was a kid on my own back then and I had no one to point out how crazy the whole thing was and I was quite happy as made our through Delhi's bustle even slightly indifferent as it was probably not as bad as expectation. My wife too was enjoying the experience and although the sight of the street children and the incessant honking were bugging her, the frantic street life in Delhi was an experience she was enjoying.
We arrived in Delhi 2 nights ago and we have been savouring its delights and dangers along with catching up on some much needed sleep since then. Arriving at the airport I was surprised to find that the terminal was new, clean and efficient like any generic international airport. Baggage, immigration and customs were a doddle and our pick up driver was easily found. Soon off through the morning rain of South Delhi in our Tata "mini minivan". While the road behaviour was the chaotic stereotype that us westerners imagine, the cars, road conditions and surroundings were not. The cars while small were mostly new/fresh Tatas, Hyundai's and Suzuki's, and of course there was old motorbikes and autorickshaws (tuktuks) but there was also a healthy smattering of 4x4s and luxury cars. The roads were wide and well marked (not that anyone was playing a blind bit of difference to the markings) and they lay within wide tree lined boulevards. As we got to the centre of the city this started to change, we went off the main roads and onto the side roads which became narrower, the footpath started to blend into the street and we were soon making our way to our hotel in between pedestrians, bullock carts, human carts!, rickshaws and motorbikes honking the whole time to make our presence felt. We got to the hotel which is a good hotel in the backpackers ghetto, the Pahargani area. Hotel Krishna is situated on the Arakasan Road which gets flooded in ankle deep water when the heavens open but it soon drains and the relentless flow of traffic and people begins again.
On our first night we went for a quick walk into Connaught Place which is colonial era built circle which was built to be a supposed oasis of calm in the city. We never really found that oasis though and after a dinner which we both agreed was at too expensive of a level to be continuing with, we made our way back to the hotel via a frantic tuktuk ride and a long slumber to shake off the jet leg awaited.
Our first impressions of India were positive, this was an area of much concern to me. Especially with my wife as although I had warned her how crazy it would be, there was a worry she would not like it. You hear of many people freaking out on arriving in Delhi and getting the next plane out and I had vision of my wife going "What the hell is this place? Where have you taken me? Get me outta here" . To a lesser extent I had concerns about myself doing the same thing, as I came close to it when I arrived in Kathmandu as a naive 20year old. But I was a kid on my own back then and I had no one to point out how crazy the whole thing was and I was quite happy as made our through Delhi's bustle even slightly indifferent as it was probably not as bad as expectation. My wife too was enjoying the experience and although the sight of the street children and the incessant honking were bugging her, the frantic street life in Delhi was an experience she was enjoying.
In saying that yesterday we visited Old Delhi and that seems to have curbed her enthusiasm a little. Old Delhi is the area of the city which was build up and around the Red Fort and Jamil Mashid (Mosque). Both of which were build by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (also builder of the Taj Mahal in Agra). It is a maze of side streets and bazaars, a hive of activity and is enough to test anyones patience and any claustrophobic tendencies will surely be exposed. Jamil Mashid is a beautiful imposing mosque build high up above Old Delhi. It can accommodate 10 000 of Delhi's Muslims whose numbers continue to dwindle after the horrors of Indian Partition but those that remain hold on firmly in Old Delhi which was the aristocratic stronghold prior to the Indian mutiny/rebellion in 1857. The views after a sweaty climb which my wife wisely declined to the top of the South Minaret are fantastic however clouds from the impending downpour obscured the view, but even on good day I would imagine the pollution haze would limit visibility.
After taking shelter in the mosques cloisters from the downpour which flooded and muckied everything, our next destination was the Red Fort which we entered through the imposing Lahore Gate which unfortunately along with the huge wall was part of was the highlight of the Fort. The apartments, palaces etc inside the fort are impressive however the wall and gates of the fort do suggest a much grander inside. However according to William Dalyrmple's book City of Djinns much of the buildings inside the Fort were destroyed after the mutiny/rebellion of 1857.
After a walk through the old souks, the monsoon muckied streets were starting to drag our feet and we grabbed lunch at one of Old Delhi's most famous eateries Karim's and we were off to the calm of the hotel and a good shower and nap we were as good as new ready to face Delhi's streets once more. But after Old Delhi alleyways our previously chaotic streets seemed too calm and peaceful only 2 horns sounding at once instead of 20!
So today we head south in Delhi away from the busy centre via the new metro for a few more historic site visits. I have heard many good reports about the metro clean, efficient, cheap, sounds like the tube .... no wait opposite of the tube
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