Blogs from New Delhi, National Capital Territory, India, Asia - page 9

There’s nothing better than the Indian Railways for the intrepid traveller to experience India in all its insane unity and diverse perversity. But then, India is a large country, which means one must be prepared to spend 24 hours or more on board a train. Often, the combined anatomical and gastronomical challenges posed by crammed coaches, cramped berths and jammed toilets might overwhelm you and prevent you from performing even the simplest of tasks like breathing, eating, changing clothes or shaving. This in turn could cramp your enthusiasm (if not your innards) and very easily spoil your holiday. But despair not! With a few simple tips, you can be as comfortable on the train as you are at home, and do all your routine tasks as well—with a few innovative modifications as needed. Buoyed by this ... read more

Our first morning in India found us taking refuge in our hotel room by 11 AM, exhausted and scared off the streets of New Delhi.The night before, we had a relatively uneventful trip from the airport to the hotel. After over 24 hours of travel from JFK Airport in NYC to Ghandi International Airport in New Delhi, with a 4 hour layover in Vienna, we arrived in India. The first thing I noticed stepping off the airplane into the airport terminal was the smell - it smelled a bit like a campfire that's primary fuel was trash. The smell lingered through the entire airport. When we walked outside, we saw why.The campfire smell here was much stronger, and everything I looked at was through a thin haze of smoke/smog. At this point we were walking with ... read more

Landed in Delhi from Dubai via Jet Airways. We were sure not to repeat the nonsense which surrounded taking Air India Last year. One of Anant's cousins, Rahul, was getting married to a lovely Sindhi girl he met in Boston, named Namrata. The wedding was a three-day affair with a sangeet the first night, a Sindhi wedding and aarthi at the temple on the second day and a reception on the third day. I had brought my nicest silk sarees from home to wear for the various occasions but ended up feeling overdressed amongst the elegant simplicity present. Oh well. The Sindhi ceremony was held at a small temple in Delhi. Many Sindhi people, originally from what is now southern Pakistan, hold beliefs which are an interesting mix of Hinduism and Sikhism. The rituals took about ... read more

My flight from London was jammed back – not an empty seat on the flight. One odd thing was at the end of the flight the flight attendants came through and sprayed some stuff in the air. According to the lady sitting next to me it was due to something regarding the World Health Organization. While preparing for the trip to India, various individuals kept telling to be prepared for the massive amounts of humanity once I get off the plan. So, I was preparing myself for that. However, I got off the plane and the only people in the airport were the ones who were on the plane with me – so much for massive amounts of humanity. Customs was really quick and easy because I was able to go through the “foreign’ line – ... read more

The slogan "Incredible India" which is used by the Indian Tourist Board, seems in my mind incredibly apt. There are so many aspects of the country which are hard to believe and yet so many other factors that stand at such a contrast to them. I feel that the three weeks we have spent here have given us a good overview and an insight into the way the country works but it does cause me to question what is being done by the government to benefit the impoverished and for me particularly, the leprosy affected. There is a huge wealth gap here in India. We haven't really seen or met the upper classes fully but what has struck us both is how a beautiful five star hotel can be situated next to a row of shacks ... read more