The Sights of Delhi

Now as many of you are probably aware, flying to India is an multiple day adventure. In addition to the time differences there are also layovers which results in complete jet lag when you finally land. For me my adventures began even before I left the country as my shuttle service to JFK brought about quite a scare. First I must advice all those ever considering taking Super Shuttle from Philly to Newark or JFK airport to find alternate transportation. Not only does the driver speed down the turnpike recklessly, breaking ever traffic law from speeding to using the emergency shoulder but his english was so poor that when he got lost picking up his final passenger I had to make the call and ask for directions! I spent majority of the ride praying for a safe and prompt arrival to the airport. Once on the flight my luck was no better. Seated in front of me was a young couple with a baby who managed to bring on a whole gallon of water onto the plane. However in his haste to bring it down from his many many bags in the overhead he dropped the gallon on my arm which broke the plastic and half the gallon spilled on my pants. Luckily I wore my silk cargo pants which dried rather quickly, however that was definitely not the best way to be woke up.
Upon arriving in Kuwait airport I quickly realized this place would not be featured on Bourdain's The Layover for the foreseeable future.

With the exception of the bare essentials the airport did not provide much more. It quickly became a dilemma as to how to past the next 7 hours. Had I been 18 I would have jumped at this opportunity to venture out and visit Kuwait City. However finally feeling my age, I quickly decided to take a long nap followed by a nice hot cup of cappuccino instead.
At 4:30am local time I finally arrive in New Delhi where I was greeted by my tour guide and taken to my hotel. The official tour started at 9:30 with the first stop being the Red Fort. The fort is about 2 kilometers around the whole ground, with its name originating from the red sandstones used to built the walls.

Though looking at it today it seems pretty beaten down, at the height of its glory it was the residence of the emperor after he moved the capital from Agra to Delhi.

Our next stop was Jama Masjid mosque, one of the world's largest mosque, built by Shah Jahan the same emperor who built the Taj. The architect of the mosque is a clear representation of Mughal design as presented by the beautiful archways while the structure itself was erected with red sandstone and white and black marble carved with passages of the koran.

At full capacity the courtyard holds 25,000 worshippers, all male however as females have their own special area.

After that we visited the nearby Old Delhi with streets so narrow only rickshaws were able to remove around. Street vendors selling various goods from fruits to clothing set up shops on the side.

Not even the old quarters of Shanghai had streets like these.

The last stop before lunch was the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi, father of India. The site was perfect for the purpose, situated in a serene park with an eternal burning flame.

Lunch was slightly disappointing as the restaurant I was escorted to was clearly aimed at tourists. The food was slightly pricey and the flavor not much different than those I found in Philly. Guess I was hoping authentic Indian to be completely different like Chinese is in China.

To be fair however the Karahi chicken wasn't bad and I'd probably try to make it once I get home. After lunch the combination of the heat and humidity with food coma really set in. To make matters worse, the Lotus Temple like all other temples required walking around the grounds bare foot, which in the mid day sun felt like walking on fire. From the outside it slightly resembled the Sydney Opera House, while inside was just one large empty hall for prayers.

The concept of the temple is perhaps what makes it the most intriguing, as it's open to all religion, emphasizing the worship of God without denominational restrictions! The India gate was my least favorite attraction of the day.

It resembled other similar structures like the Arc de Triomphe, all monuments built to remember fallen soldiers. The final site of the day was the Parliament Building which was built with symmetry on both sides of the street. The buildings provided both a sense of importance yet was also estheticly beautiful to look at unlike other typical government buildings.

Dinner was at a tiny kebab house recommended by all the guide books. Khan Chacha is situated in an expat area tucked in between tiny streets. I ordered the chicken tikka rolls and the paneer tikka, both of which was delicious and probably one of the more authentic food I was going to get to try on this trip.
Rating:
Atmosphere: The air quality was like China, where despite it being a sunny day, the sun is hardly visible due to thick layers of pollution. Instead you are left with a sad looking hazy blue-ish grey sky. The worst is definitely noise pollution as every driver honks at everyone else. With thousands of rickshaws, cars and scooters the roads are completely chaotic. Lanes are blatantly ignored as often someone will drive down the middle just to squeeze by. Surpringly I saw no accidents!
Food: Not bad but not terribly impressed, was hoping for something unique in flavor.
People: Perhaps the hardest to summarize in such a crowded country. The idea of personal space is non existent like much of other over populated country, however they weren't out right rude. In fact there really wasnt any thing special to note or comment really.
Beauty: The architect around the city was truly amazing. Though I've seen many mosques throughout my travels, Jama Masjid was definitely one of my favorites. The intricate carving paired with the delicate curves of the arch was unlike anything I've seen before.
Cleanliness: Anyone who goes to India expecting a spotless city is definitely in the wrong place. However despite all I've heard about India, Delhi proved not to be so bad. Yes some streets were dirty and people were literally all over the place, however I expected nothing less. Instead I actually found the city to be surprisingly green, with trees and gardens everywhere.
Comments: The city is vast and virtually unaccessible without a car. Yet tucked into these shabby streets are some on the most beautiful monuments I've seen to date. What makes Delhi memorable is the balance of how they fit into the everyday life of the people as they change the landscape of the neighborhood.

Scale 1-10: 6.5