The REAL adventure begins.

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The 15 hours on the plane from New York to Delhi, in comparison to the first ten minutes in Delhi, were well...completely and utterly incomparable.
Just stepping out of the airport we had a rushing feeling of being on a totally different planet.
The first breath I took was very telling. It smelt a little like smoke, a little like mango, a LOT like urine and alot like many unidentifyable things.
We got into the minivan with the driver who came to get us from the hotel (bless him!) and we were on our way into the city of Delhi.
At one point the driver tried to explain to us that he had to park the van and that we would have to walk the rest of the way to the hotel, which was very confusing to grasp because of the language barrier, but we finally understood what he was saying.
Today is the day of famous Hindu holiday of Diwali and the street by the hotel was "closed off to cars" (though that didnt stop alot of people).
Diwali is a celebration of lights, when people light candles, oil lamps, give gifts to each other...
and...oh...shoot fireworks and firecrackers into the streets.
We've seen this type of behavior before, during Thailand's Loy Krathong festival, but it could be the mix of everything (the long flight, lack of sleep, complete sensory overload and of course, fire crackers zooming past our heads leaving the explosion booming in our chests) that has made such a large impression.
The 20 minute walk to the hotel was quite something.
Filled with many firsts for us; we saw our first holy cows roaming the streets and blocking all traffic (decorated with beautiful flower garland necklaces), saw our first "open-air" public urinal in the street (truly a urinal, with tiles and all...make sure to hold your breath when you walk by), first glimpse (of what will soon be a passionate affair) of street food vendors, first sight of Fido Dido (on a 7 UP bottle) in years, and finally...the first time in a long time that I've felt truly rocked to the core by being in a country...
oh wait...maybe that was just the hotel manager setting off firecrackers IN THE LOBBY! (not joking about that one).
The first night in a country is always exciting, stressful, overwhelming but its ALWAYS rewarding as well.
And mostly Im talking about our very FIRST Thali meal in India.
And it was ABSOLUTELY and completely outstanding and I cannot wait for my next hit.
**Unfortunately, the next day of sightseeing, I couldnt take any photos as my camera battery was dead, and I missed out on taking photos of the largest mosque in India. You will just have to imagine how big it was.

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Photos

The Airport Waiting Game
I actually LIKE it.

Our very pink hotel room
It served us well.

Hotel Lobby decorated for Diwali
Just moments after the firecrackers were set off.

Children playing
With firecrackers in the street.

Rooftop View
Of the Diwali festivities and the massive amount of smog.

Splurging on a meal
Because we do it best.
This time our first true south indian meal.And it was ridiculously good.
Well worth the splurge.

Chaotic
isnt even the word to describe the streets of Delhi.

Comments

[Raman]

hi there
hi, I'm a design student and an architect here in India and I'm researching on the problems that tourists face while finding there way in Indian Cities. Please mail me your comments, ideas, observations on this. I'm based in Delhi and this research is for the improvement of signage systems in the city. Thanks Raman

[JenGui]

Hmmm..comments?
Hello there, Im not sure about what to say. Usually we find our way around easily enough. Because we are always just hopping in a rickshaw and letting the driver take us where we want to go. The subway (skytrain) is amazing. Very easy to facilitate and get around with. I guess the problem is just with the steet signs, there are not enough of those around. It is easy to not know what street you are on. If you need to know anything else, just email me, I'm happy to talk about our travels in India. Thanks!