New Delhi or "The City of Complete Chaos"
Trip Start
Sep 02, 2008
1
12
Trip End
Dec 22, 2008
New Delhi,
India
Saturday, September 6, 2008
After walking out of the airport I was swarmed by about 10 taxi drivers, picked one and told him the area of town I wanted to go to. He "forgot" where Paharganj was and took me to two different tourist offices that give him a commission for taking people there. Well, finally I got to Paharganj and found a cheap hotel. Have been there the last 3 nights and tomorrow I head northwest about 250 miles to Amritsar which is near the Pakistani border.
New Delhi is absolutely insane, words can't really describe how different it is than America. I feel like I've been slapped in the face with a harsh reality that I didn't really believe existed. Ya, I read about how poor and dirty the city was. But it is quite different when you step out of your hotel at 5:30 AM and see hundreds of people sleeping on broken concrete who can't even afford shoes or a blanket or see children so skinny they look like they are about to die.
On the other hand, pretty much everyone is nice. Yes, there are the obnoxious rickshaw drivers and salesman who say "please just have a look" over and over till you just have to ignore them. But the majority of people just stare and look astonished at the tall white guy, but whenever I smile they almost always grin or wave which makes it better.
Thanks for reading!
Gabe
Comments
It's Prisha
Hey there! So glad everything is going so well. Yes I agree with you when you say it's definetely a country that is very different from the States. I'm glad you are enjoying your experience and look forward to catching up next week. Email me if you have any questions. By the way... what has been your favorite meal so far? Take care!