Delhi Day 1: Part 2 Adjustments

The first part of day 1 was incredibly tough both physically and mentally. But since then I  seemed to have better luck the second time around. I had dinner at a local shop that served Thali which according to the guide is a combination of vegetarian dishes, chutneys, pickles, rice and bread served, especially in South India, as a single meal. The meal was interesting...not tasty but not that bad either. What I appreciate was the authenticity, even the price sounds about right (50 rupees). But the great part about dining locally is that by chance I also get to meet the locals and fellow travelers. And it was nice to talk to someone who’s Indian and who lived in London for four years working for BMW as a mechanic but had to move back to India after his visa expired. He also related how his parents also arranged him to marry an Indian girl. Sure, I hear about this kind of stuff in movies, but it’s nice to actually hear it from someone whose having dinner with you.

After dinner, I ran into a traveler who I had lunch with earlier in the day and whom I related my mishaps. We walked together to the ATM and along the Main Bazaar. It was interesting to see how many Indian people showed up in the streets at night--children, women, boys, you name it. They were all out doing something of which I am clueless. There were thousands of people in a very cramped space enjoying a nighting that would seemed more appropriate on a Friday than it would on a Monday.  Some middle-aged women were haggling over clothes sold on the streets and then it was really neat to see children with grandmothers and mothers in an alley singing a devotional song to Krsna. I think that’s what it was. I was able to take one good photograph of the group. I need to take more pictures. There’s one thing I come to realize is that Indian people love pictures and you know with a smile like theirs, who wouldn’t want to pose for a photograph?

But there were also a few painful sights when I saw beggars living in their squalors, holy men with few possessions begging for a few rupees, a run-away child addicted to smelling toxics (his eyes and entire appearance looked as if he was more dead than alive), and a middle-aged woman who has a little child following after her crying and the mother seems to be in a totally different universe. It was hard to turn away, but turned away I did. I didn’t feel comfortable giving money to anyone when there is a huge crowd around because that would bring unwanted attention. As a foreigner in India, already I am pretty visible despite the huge crowds. And in Delhi in the district of Paharganj, there are crowds everywhere. The crowds are breathtaking and more often than not it can become overwhelming. People in cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, cars, motorcycles, scooters, honking their horn to tell people in the streets to move out of the way or risk being hurt. The driving is reckless but almost seems like an art. I’m surprised there aren’t more accidents given how crazy people drive.