I spent the full weekend in Delhi while few of the others headed to Agra for a day to see the Taj Mahal. I am sure you are wondering why I didn't jump at the chance to see the Taj, as I am semi-obsessed, but I will be returning to Delhi and Agra in August and will see the Taj, also known as the love of my Indian life.
Delhi has beautiful architecture and a rich history, so overall being able to see and experience India's capital was great. However, my two days in Delhi can only be described as an adventure Indiana Jones would be proud of, minus snakes, plus street dogs and aggressive shop owners.
The first day of my Delhi adventure, I saw quite a bit through out the city. I did have a friend to view the city with, so that was nice. We started the day at Coronation Park, which contains old British statues from India's past. Unfortunately, many of the statues have been stolen, so there were only a few to view. Also in the park were a few young boys playing cricket, which were very excited to see me based on their hooting and hollering. Viewing important statues is always much more exciting while accompanied by inappropriate pre-teen boys.
After safely leaving Coronation park, without having to attack a young boy, we headed towards the center of the city (Old Delhi) where the Kashmiri Gate is located. Near the Kashmiri gate, we stopped to visit St. James Church, one of the oldest churches in Delhi. The church was gorgeous. As I stepped into the church with old bibles, pews, and stained glass windows, I couldn't help but think about the meaning of religion. This church was small with no amenities, not even A/C in the 100 degree Delhi weather, and you could feel the passion and following that the church had. It was unbelievable.
After walking around Old Delhi and taking in the side streets and shops, we went to visit Humayun's Tomb, which was the first garden-tomb in India. The tomb is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the kind of stuff I live for. It was a beautiful tomb, with rich colors. The tomb is well known for its Mughal architecture, which is very similar to the Taj Mahal. Sadly, on the way to the tomb we walked through quite a bit of poverty. The downside to such a large city, is the large amount of poverty, especially children facing poverty. Very difficult to see.
At this point, I had already had a long day, but it wasn't over. We went from the tomb to shopping in the Khan market. The market was filled with various shops from clothes, to jewelry, to books. After shopping, we met up with our fellow travelers for dinner, since they had returned from Agra. After drinks and dinner, I was exhausted! and dirty. We headed back to our hotel, which was located in Connaught Place.
One thing I should note about Delhi is that the heat is unreal, reaching close to 100 degrees, and believe it or not this produces quite a bit of sweat, which then allows the dust and dirt in the air to stick to your skin, causing a small layer of grim. Hence, you become very dirty after wandering around the city.
After a shower and a sound night of sleep, I was ready for Day 2. We had to leave for the airport by 3 pm, so the day was abbreviated. We began the day by traveling to Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest markets in Delhi. Insert street dogs and aggressive shop owners here. The market was comprised of connected streets lined with shops selling anything you could want or think of.
We spent some time walking through the market, while we dodged moving vehicles, street dogs, and mud puddles. (At least I think it was mud.) We barely survived being attached by the monkeys that roam the electrical wires that run across the alleys. I got extremely good at saying NO, as it seems the natives think Americans will buy and pay for anything. Getting haggled, was quite annoying and would have become unsafe for the shop owners. Towards the end of it, I was at the end of my rope and debating a physical altercation. Luckily, I kept myself in check knowing that the shop owners need to make a living too.
Through all of the chaos in the market, there were still some very interesting and beautiful sights to take in.
After leaving the market in Chandni Chowk, we stopped by one more market near our hotel. As we left for the airport, I was glad I came to Delhi and experienced the city, but I was also glad I was living in Bangalore and headed home. After getting harassed by pre-teen boys, surviving 100 degree heat, not killing a shop owner, and avoiding a monkey attack I thought my adventure in Delhi was coming to a close. However, I was wrong.
Our flight back to Bangalore was the worse flight I have ever been on. I was 99% sure I wasn't going to make it through the flight. I was extremely motion sick because the turbulence was so awful. It was the kind of turbulence where the plane feels like it is about to fall out of the sky, and your stomach goes with it. I thought for sure I was going to get sick, and when I wasn't concentrating on being sick, I was certain the place was going to crash. So... wait for it, wait for it.. naturally, I had a melt down mid-air. It lasted for about 30 minutes. After being tired, hot, dirty, and sick.. it just happened. I am proud to say that it took almost getting sick and thinking I was going to die to crack me. India just might calm be down a bit. Imagine that.
As I am sure you've gathered, I survived the flight and landed safely in Bangalore. I was glad to be back, but I was also glad I was able to have my first successful adventure in India.
i hope those monkeys are still hanging around when we go back! :) unless they are creepy, in that case i could live without them.
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