New Delhi

  New Delhi, India
Saturday, January 17, 2009

  This morning, we arrived in Delhi after a nice flight. The food was Indian and that got us into the spirit. Vineet picked us up at the airport and we had a bit of trouble because of all the people standing there. Driving towards his house was our first taste of the country. People drive like maniacs on the road: cars, bicycles, rickshaws, motorcycles all over the place. Lines on the road are obviously for decoration purpose as Indians take over when and where they want. You need to arrive at destination first.  All the trucks are decorated with flowers and colourfully painted. On January 26th, it is Independence day. A big parade will be planned and we saw soldiers everywhere. All the main monuments where extra guarded for the occasion. We also saw the army practicing for the parade on the camels. Delhi is also extending its metro because the Commonwealth games are taking place in India in a couple of years. That creates extra mess on the road.

Qutab

 

We finally arrive near Vineet's neighborhood. It reminds us of Rio in a sense that slums are next to fancy areas. We are talking real slums now. Favelas looked really posh in comparison. The amount of litter everywhere in India is unbelievable and the poverty is really striking.
Everyone in the Bhatia family is here to welcome us and we all gather in the leaving room for a bit of tea. They are all so nice and friendly. The kids are coming to us with their school books showing us what they have learnt during the year. When we are introduced to the children, they touched our feet so that we touch their heads in return as a sign of blessing. Time for lunch. They have prepared a gorgeous meal, typical from Northern India. The dishes are countless and brought by the staff. It is very common in India in well off families to have employees, such as a chauffeur, maids, etc. They also all leave under the same roof on three floors. The grandparents on one, the 1st son and his family on another and the 2nd son with his family and the last. (encore mieux que la rue Jules Verne et Thiers réunies!!)

I hope we haven't done too many mistakes in our introduction. I think they thought it was weird that Sean was studying and I was working for a start. When Sean mentioned he tried cooking Tikka Massala once and did not turn out the way he wanted, the man of the house answered by "you cook?". We must sound like we are from another planet. After lunch, we decided to give them the presents we brought from home to thank them for their hospitality. That was a big flop. They hardly opened them and did not know what to do with it. That was a bit awkward for us too (grand moment de solitude) and we did not know how to react either. We deducted that guests are not supposed to bring presents here!! We could not help but laughing once we were alone.

With Vineet

To stop the awkwardness, Vineet rushed us to get into the car and do a tour of Delhi. We started with Qutb Minar, a beautiful sculpted minaret and also the oldest mosque in India. India brought recently the smoking ban (arf, so much for my ciggie after my curry!) and they took it to extreme. Before entering any monument, they check your bags to see if you don't have any cigarette with you. As if we were gonna light one during prayer time! We then drove to the Red Fort, at nearly closing town. We walked around it but decided we would do it in depth when we get back at the end of the trip. In front of the fort, was a big market.
The amount of people is overwhelming. Henry street on the Saturday before Xmas looks peaceful in comparison! It is surprisingly no tourist shops but stands for locals selling food, shoes, saris... We stop at a place that does food to go. We get a kulfi, which is like frozen milk with spices on a stick and it is just so yummy. We see people going to temple wearing turbans, they are Sikhs. We continue driving towards India gate, their own Arc de Trumphe, then to the President palace. We finally pass by the street of the embassies which is huge. They all look like fortresses with big walls and keeps going on and on.

Eating kulfi

It is dinner time and Vineet's wife and sister in law join us at the restaurant where we have a very good meal. It is 10.30pm and we start to feel pretty shattered. Going out of the restaurant, there is a man selling food. Vineet takes some for us to taste and says it is good for digestion. It is a green leaf with I don't what inside except in tasted like bath salts. I had the impression I swallowed the entire Lenor bottle but kept going. It was a great 1st day and the family welcomed us so well.