The Baha'i Temple in Delhi
When we were planning our trip, we didn’t necessarily want to just spend one day in Delhi. What can you see in one day? It’s kind of a disgrace, especially if you think of yourself as the adventurous, special breed of traveler who has made it all the way to India. (As the guidebooks say over and over, India — with its poverty, and crowds, and traffic, and inefficiencies — is not for everyone.)
But Crayton and I only had two weeks together in Rajasthan and Mumbai, and we hoped to make it west to Jaisalmer, by gum, if our lives depended on it. That meant breezing through Delhi right after our plane landed. Delhi was a way-station — the place where our plane dropped us off, and where we refueled and reinvigorated before moving on to the next spot.
“Invigorating,” in the end, was not the correct word to describe Delhi. The place was loud. Polluted. Crowded. (Did I mention loud?) Men on bicycles, rumbly auto-rickshaws, cars, and pedestrians carrying bundles on their heads swarmed the streets. Every person with access to a horn honked it, as often as they could. I thought I knew horn-honking, but no. These people rarely paused. Just honk, after honk, after hooooooonnnnk…
When our plane landed at 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, the entire city lay smothered with fog. As we taxied to the gate, outside it looked like we were still flying through the clouds. How did the pilot even find the runway? Later, I pondered the same thing about our cabbie, who attempted to drive us to our bed and breakfast with about two feet of visibility. Luckily we got there safely.
So yeah. We did not have much time in Delhi, and overall, I didn’t like it much. Not exaggerating when I say that when we left, I felt like I’d swallowed three liters of exhaust.
Negative Nelly-ness aside, there were a handful of things I did enjoy about Delhi. Our homestay, Delhi Bed and Breakfast, couldn’t have been more comfortable or quaint, and I’ll never forget slathering up potato parathas with butter and curd at breakfast, the kick-ass evening toast and tea, and sipping chai in the mornings.
I enjoyed our five-hour city tour, and winding through Old Delhi’s narrow streets on a rickshaw. And I loved my first introduction to South Indian food at Sagar Ratna, a dosa joint in Defense Colony.
I’ve listed each in more detail below, with photos. (Warning: Lots of photos. You may need a few minutes to scroll through them all.)
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