New Delhi/Old Delhi

We forgot how populated India was while being down in the little towns of Palolem and Hampi... then we landed in Delhi.

Our sickening taxi ride from the airport to Old Delhi was an hour of holding on for dear life as our driver seemed to take great pleasure in seeing how close he could come to hitting other drivers and pedestrians. It actually was quite impressive how he maneuvered, swerved and slammed his brakes all while holding his horn down.

Our first hostel was located in the "Old Delhi" part of Delhi and overlooked Jama Masjid, the biggest mosque on India (capable of holding over 25,000 people!). As it was a busy Friday evening, our taxi driver let us out on the opposite side that our hostel was to avoid the traffic jam of people, goats, mopeds, bicycle rickshaws, beggars, food vendors, ox-drawn carriages and whatever else you could think of. The scene was madness and as soon as we began to walk, the crowd swallowed us in its massive current and it was all we could do to pull out of it when we spotted the sign for our hostel.

We thought Mumbai was a dirty, smelly and polluted city. Delhi, especially Old Delhi is way worse. The smell of urine is everywhere as you walk around the bazaars. Garbage is pilled everywhere as if there is no central trash collector (actually have not seem a trash truck here yet). We have given up looking for trashcans on the streets and do as the locals... litter. In Mumbai (at least where we stayed in the nicer southern area) the streets were congested, but traffic flowed. In Old Delhi, the cycle rickshaws, push-carts and goats clog up the roads. Also, many of the roads are bazaars with all kinds of goods for sale with people spilling off the much too narrow sidewalks and onto the street. It is chaos.

I hope the photos posted will do justice to this chaotic and marvelous city. There are treasures on every street - from Kashmir tapestries to car and motorcycle parts. The street food smells, looks and tastes amazing. We tried chicken tikka - basically chicken kabab from a street vendor and also ate at a very famous Mughlai restaurant called Karims (photos for both above).

The past two nights we moved locations in Delhi to a more touristy area called Paharganj. Since our first hostel only had a bucket showers and a toilet that was a cross between an Indian squat and American (very difficult to use), we decided to upgrade and spend a little more for some luxury. For about $10 each/night, we have access for the first time to hot water, consistent electricity, clean sheets and room service! It has been paradise and really has rejuvenated our spirits for the travel we have yet to do.

Tomorrow we leave for the Thar Desert of Bikaner, Rajasthan. We plan on riding some camels and taking it easy in a smaller town.