India 2008

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So here I am starting off 2008 in India. After ringing in the new year on a Virgin Atlantic flight somewhere over the middle east, I land in New Delhi on New Years Day. Thankfully, I had the hotel send a driver to pick me up at baggage claim, so I didn't have to think or mistrust any of the pre-paid taxi drivers.

New Delhi is not as hot as I imagined it to be. It's rather cool - but the air is smoggy and hazy and the smell of burnt ash lingers. The traffic is crazy! There aren't any sectioned off lanes, it's every man for himself. I wasn't impressed with the landscape of the city. It's was dusty and dirty and every building looked in shambles. There were trees, but it wasn't a lush greenery at all, more like a dry forest. Of course saw many cows and homeless beggar families living together on the side of the road.

As we pulled into the section of town where my hotel was --I started to get nervous. I was staying in Paharganj, which is a collection of small alleyways with shops and cheap hotels. Recommended in my Lonely Planet as the place where most backpackers stay. My god, it was a real shit hole. The narrow streets were filled with pushcarts of vegetables and other foods, richshaws, masses of people walking around, cows, cow shit, men crouching around fires, smoking and sleeping. There were no fellow travelers in sight and few women at all around. Mostly it was men with headscarves and proper Indian attire walking around conducting their business. It wasn't an inviting place for me to walk around and do some window shopping. However, to combat my fears and probably from lack of sleep after 24 hours of traveling -- I wrapped myself in a shawl (for coverage) and went exploring. I wasn't about to hole myself up in my room. I wanted to get out and see what else was out there. I held my head up high, shoulders back, and using my best New York confidence walked around the alleyways. It was then that I noticed more backpackers like myself, more women and got used to the constant stares from the men around me.

While I was getting more used to my environment and regaining my strength to deal in general with whatever came my way -- I was still questioning my reasons for coming here. I thought Delhi would be more like Coconut Grove, a cool city with treelined streets and full of colors. Instead it was hazy, dirty and noisy. I was not excited to find out what the rest of India was going to bring. I had imagined a different experience. A more majestic, prettier place with a welcoming vibe. But, I was here. I had to make this thing work. First things first. I needed to seek out a more chill environment. I needed yoga and less hassle. I made arrangements to travel to Rishikesh.

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Photos

Rickshaw ride
This guy tried to con me into visting his friend's shop (he got comission if I bought anything). We literally were stopped outside of the store. He refused to start the rickshaw until I went inside - I refused to step out of the rickshaw. The standoff lasted 5 minutes. He finally got the message and dropped me off at the museum. My first day in India.