We didn't realize how spoiled we were in Mumbai and Goa until we arrived in Delhi. We were immediately accosted by touts: Indian men aggressively trying to sell us everything under the sun. We couldn't walk more than 5 steps without someone approaching us about taking their rickshaw, coming into their shop, or "helping us" to find our way. And they gave a whole new meaning to the word persistent - one or even several no's would not dissuade them from following us and insisting we take their offer. One of the most common reasons for their approach was to get us to come with them to the "one and only official government tourist office" which was always in a different direction depending on who you talked to. It was all quite exhausting and definitely affected our ability to fully enjoy the city.
But like with everything, Delhi wasn't all bad. We went around Old Delhi by auto-rickshaw and perused its many markets, most impressive of which was the spice market. The odor emitting from the barrels of pungent spices was enough to bring on tears and a fit of coughs and sneezes, even from the shop owners who are exposed to it daily. We visited the largest mosque in India, Jama Masjid, which was great for people and pigeon watching. Another favorite was visiting the Gandhi Smriti, the place where Gandhi spent his final days and was assassinated. It is a memorial of his amazing life and you can actually retrace his final steps there.
Delicious as we both find Indian food, eating it twice a day was getting to be a bit much, so we finally caved and gorged on the most Western meal we could find, at none other than TGIFridays. Our lamb bacon cheeseburgers (remember, no beef here), washed down with a 2 for 1 vanilla milk shake, was just what the doctor ordered.
In the end, we're glad we experienced wild Delhi, even if just for the purpose of making the rest of India seem a bit tamer.
Check out videos of the spice market and our rickshaw ride:
Rebecca's pics: http://s609.photobucket.com/albums/tt175/werperipatetic/Delhi-Rebecca/
Nick's pics: http://s609.photobucket.com/albums/tt175/werperipatetic/Delhi%20-%20Nick/
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MD 15 April 2009
ReplyDeleteCool videos. Nice juxtaposition of color and B & W shots.
You're both excellent photographers. I really enjoy all your pics !
sooo.....are those wax figures of mr. and mrs. ghandi? and #2, surprised to see a bunch of white children running toward you in the grass (that's pc to say, right?)
ReplyDelete:)