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Published: October 21st 2007
DELHI - (Our) gateway to India
We have arrived in
Delhi and it's an exciting and sobering introduction to India. Getting off the plane we were confronted by dozens of guys trying to stand in front of us and pitch their taxi and tour services to us. Instantly it became apparent (as we fully expected) that people are not shy about trying to engage / solicit you, and your personal space often becomes a rare luxury. However Lauren's friend
Samir (who lives here) had organized us a driver to take us to his place where we have stayed for the first 3 days.
Samir has been absolutely fantastic and taken amazingly good care of us. Not only have we been staying with him, but he has also taken us on a guided tour of Delhi, taken us to two superb restaurants and even out to a trendy Delhi nightspot. We could not have asked for a more benevolent host and we have promised to return the favor when he (and his girlfriend Diya) come to visit us in the future.
Delhi seems fast-paced, majestic, colorful and a little bit chaotic to us. People are everywhere (population 14 million) and it's easy to get a little overcome when you first venture out onto the streets.
Some traffic
The traffic in Delhi is "interesting" (to use a euphemism). Cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, auto-rickshaws (AKA tuk-tuks) race around at breakneck speeds and pass within a hair's breadth of each other. Lanes and intersections are largely ignored; driving seems to be a case of "let's get from point A to point B in the shortest possible time". Luckily the vehicle speeds in the city never get too high, making it easier to avoid any number of pedestrians that might try to cross the road unexpectedly.
Old Delhi street
You can see some shops and some modest housing in the background.
We haven't taken a picture yet which captures the true nature of
poverty in India (in part because we feel a bit guilty in doing so) but suffice it to say that a lot of people are very poor. About 40%!o(MISSING)f the population live in poverty and it's very plain to see this as you walk around the city. Many people are literally sleeping on the street in certain areas and there are many untreated injuries, malnourished children and many other visible consequences of poverty.
Lauren at the Red Fort in Old Delhi.
Red Fort 2
Red Fort 3
Mark, Samir, Diya and Lauren just about to devour a delicious meal at
Park Balluchi restaurant
Humayan's tomb
This was a precursor to the larger Taj Mahal.
Qutb Minar
A very large sandstone minnaret (the call to prayer is made from the top of these).
Some more architecture inside one of the tombs near Qutb Minar
This is typical of the Persian influence of a lot of sites at the time.
Ok that's it for now. We have just arrived in Jaipur (capital of Rajasthan) so we will report on that soon. Please leave comments and tell us if we're writing too much or too little!!
M+L
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David Wait
non-member comment
Hey, this looks fabulous, just the right mix of photos and description. I feel like I can smell and feel the place. Now if only I could work out how to taste the yummy food.... I know what you mean about taking photos of poverty. The best photos always involve people just going about their lives, which sort of requires a take photos now ask questions later approach, which can be a bit intrusive. Nevertheless, it is fast approaching Movember (growing a mo to raise funds for male health issues) and I'm in need of inspiration so if you see some good ones TAKE PHOTOS NOW!