Advertisement
They say that some days you love India and others you wonder why you came. Today is one of the former. I had an AMAZING time today exploring Old Delhi, which was originally built as part of the Mughal empire. I wish I would have lodged here to begin with. Outside of the monuments I only rarely saw other foreigners. The people were incrediblly friendly. Most want to stare at you a while, which is a little wierd, but once you say "hi" they always smiled and said it back. I almost never got hustled for anything (which is definitely a change) and got to see real daily life in the old town.
I met a guide, Arlin, who was very good (he is the first person I have allowed to guide me since most just want to sell you something). He was older and new a lot of information you can't find in the guidebook. He took me into people's homes (with their permission) and into parts of town where their are no tourists, the streets are clean, and the architecture is pretty amazing. People still live in buildings that are 400-500 years old (mostly with no upgrades). We sat in a hole in the wall (literally), a little cafe not even visible from the street, and had chai tea and talked about the city. He also helped me with some Hindi. I am finding that under the chaos there is a distinct rythym, the way people do things around here.
Oh yeah, I also saw the Red Fort and climed the narrow staircase to the top of a tower in the largest mosque in the world...barefoot.
It was a good day.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.112s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 5; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0817s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Sara
non-member comment
Hi Tyler!
Hey you! I almost went to call you today to ask if you'd be at Caribou...then I sadly realized you're off having an Indian adventure! So jealous... Looks like India will be full of surprises and amazing moments. Be safe in Jaipur :) I can't wait for the next blog...