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Published: August 17th 2006
Overlooking Delhi
It just goes on forever and ever and ever... We've been in Delhi for 3 days - getting used to the food, culture, heat and sweatiness.
So far our tummies have been kind to us and we haven't gotten "Delhi Belly" The food is fabulous and not too spicy, just a good nasel clean out.
Our first day we stuck close to the hostel and walked around. It was India's Indepance Day, so not all the shops were open, but a lot still were. The first stroll down the street I was stunned and excited. The street is filled with smells of incence, curry, sweat, garbage and shit - I love it! People are selling all sorts of nick nacks from shalls and flip flops to fresh squeezed lime juice and car parts. Autorickshaws and bike rickshaws are zooming past you beeping for no aparent reason. I almost got squished once between a car and a bike rickshaw, but I'm still here to tell the story. It's chaios but I haven't seen any accidents or blood yet.
We went to the Red Fort which used to be, back in the 1700s, a kings palace. When Britian took over, the army used it as a base camp because
Delhi Landscape
View of Delhi from tower in Mosque it has big thick walls and a moat (moat is dry now though). Coming off the street into the Fort was like going from the dusty desert to an oasis. The fort was quiet, peaceful, cleanish and green grass. The old buildings were great, you could still see a lot of the detail work in the walls and ceilings from when the king lived there.
We also went to the biggest muslim mosque in India, Jama Masjid. We had to take our shoes off and the shoe care taker tried to rip us off when we went to claim them back. But in the mosque we got to climb up the the top of a tower and it was a outstanding view of Delhi that sprawled out forever in every direction.
Around "New Delhi" which is slighly posher and cleaner than Old Delhi, there were a lot of insurance companies, banks, and mutual fund companies. We found a Scotiabank, but no CIBC and not the Excel India fund headquarters. I'm still looking for those!
Tomorrow morning we are leaving Delhi on the train for Haridwar. About 4 1/2 hrs northeast of here. The Ganges is supposed to
be clean enough to swim in there? Getting the train ticket took the entire day as it seems everybody wants you to buy something through them as opposed to the buying from the train station. People stand outside and tell you all sorts of stories about not being able to buy tickets at the station, renovations, moved, holiday, whatever. Then they tell you you need a ticket to enter so go down the street to get it. What they really mean is I have a friend that I will take you to and he will sell you a ticket or trip, it may or may not be valid, but we will try anyways cause this way I get a commision and can feed my family tonight. Nothing in India is as it seems!
ttyl
Love Jarrod and Carol
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Louise
non-member comment
WOW!
Hey guys, thanks for keeping us updated -- it feels like you are in a different world to me as I sit in my office sipping my starbucks! So thanks for transporting me for a moment to all the sight sounds smells and wonders you are experiencing! Hope your tummies continue to stay strong! Have fun and take care -- can't wait for the next posting. Louise xx