Extraordinary day. Anuj (our tour leader) said it would be the one day we all will remember and I feel he is right.
We caught the metro train from Patel Chowk to Chawdri Bazaar and then had a cycle-rickshaw ride into old Delhi. Have never had a ride or a taxi like it. Bedlam. A wonderful mix of smells, continuous cacophony of beeping horns and perpetually swerving to avoid tooktooks, buses, cycles, lorries and people. we all loved it.
The we had a peaceful walk barefooted inside Jami Masjid mosque. Then outside to the teeming narrow streets. I have never known such a heaving buzz of humanity, constant pushing, shoving and squeezing along smelly, narrow streets and a million shops, a pandemonium of colour. All at 30+ centigrade. I loved it all. Indian people are so busy, so enthusiastic, so industrious; yes, there is poverty and squalor, but they are so working their way out of it.
We walked for what seemed like hours, through spice markets until our noses ran and everybody was sneezing, past stalls, little shops.
Managed a stop together for a street lunch of curry then went on to overlook the red fort and a huge sikh temple from a distance and then a 40 minute tooktook back to the hotel which cost only 1 pound (this keyboard does not have a pound sign) Again it was joyous chaos.
We saw only a few begging. But our tour leader told us to ignore them, as he did. Did not see anything which upset us.
We saw lots of stray dogs but they are all docile and abject. Not a problem.
We were humourously accosted by some schoolchildren who wanted to know all about us but were not asking for baksheesh, we were just a bit of irritating sport fun for them. Yes there were people pushing us aside but there were equally people saying 'welcome to India''
Awesome day. I like India.
We caught the metro train from Patel Chowk to Chawdri Bazaar and then had a cycle-rickshaw ride into old Delhi. Have never had a ride or a taxi like it. Bedlam. A wonderful mix of smells, continuous cacophony of beeping horns and perpetually swerving to avoid tooktooks, buses, cycles, lorries and people. we all loved it.
The we had a peaceful walk barefooted inside Jami Masjid mosque. Then outside to the teeming narrow streets. I have never known such a heaving buzz of humanity, constant pushing, shoving and squeezing along smelly, narrow streets and a million shops, a pandemonium of colour. All at 30+ centigrade. I loved it all. Indian people are so busy, so enthusiastic, so industrious; yes, there is poverty and squalor, but they are so working their way out of it.
We walked for what seemed like hours, through spice markets until our noses ran and everybody was sneezing, past stalls, little shops.
Managed a stop together for a street lunch of curry then went on to overlook the red fort and a huge sikh temple from a distance and then a 40 minute tooktook back to the hotel which cost only 1 pound (this keyboard does not have a pound sign) Again it was joyous chaos.
We saw only a few begging. But our tour leader told us to ignore them, as he did. Did not see anything which upset us.
We saw lots of stray dogs but they are all docile and abject. Not a problem.
We were humourously accosted by some schoolchildren who wanted to know all about us but were not asking for baksheesh, we were just a bit of irritating sport fun for them. Yes there were people pushing us aside but there were equally people saying 'welcome to India''
Awesome day. I like India.
Sounds like you've got immersed into India very quickly. Your senses are clearly in for a ride. Andy.
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