The second most polluted city in the world.
Trip Start
Sep 21, 2006
1
44
101
Trip End
Ongoing
Delhi,
India
Thursday, December 21, 2006
So he dropped me at the end of a street he claimed was close enough. I left on foot with my 40 lb back pack in search for my hotel. I couldn't believe what was unfolding in front of me. The thick crowd, the noise, the bad smell, the pollution, the touts, the beggars, and the darkness that seemed to bind everything together, it was way too much for a single man to bear. I was completely overwhelmed. But I didn't have a choice. I was there and I had to find my hotel, that was all I could do. I kept telling myself that tomorrow would be a better day. I sure didn't know how but I knew I was going to get used to this, the same way I did in the countries I had visited before
A street barber shop.
.The narrow street was so crowded, I could hardly go forward. And all those rickshaws and motorcycle that forced their way into the crowd and nearly ran me over in the process made it even worse. It was absolute madness. One of the first things that crossed my mind was that I was going to need every little thing I had learned in my life and every once of experience I had acquired in order to survive here.
When I finally made it to my hotel, they didn't have a room for me. I learned quickly that a reservation doesn't mean a thing in India. I wanted to cry like a baby. But they helped me find something in an adjacent hotel and I quickly went to bed, looking forward to a new day.
You know you're far away from home when:
- you get stuck for 20 minutes in a pedestrian traffic jam.
- your biggest challenge in a day is not to step on cow crap.
- the mere sight of a Pringle chips box is very comforting.
Andre.
