If my comfort zone was on a map, I'm so far outside of it right now, I don't even know which way to go to get back in.
New Delhi is the dirtiest, most inhospitable place one can imagine. I spent my first few days here just trying to figure out how to get out and into some place that might be okay. Initially I thought I wanted to visit the so called Golden Triangle - Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra (the Taj Mahal). But after looking into all options and experiencing Delhi for a few days, I decided it might be best to just make a run for the hills. So, I've booked a plane flight to Dharamsala tomorrow. Dharamsala is in the Himalayas and is where the Dali Lama lives. While it would be wonderful to be in his presence, I have no expectation of that happening. I just don't want to be here and would hate to flee the country without giving it a chance - Dharamsala seems like the best bet, though I do anticipate it being a bit cold.
About Delhi. If Indonesia is an education in how to protect yourself in a third world country, India is graduate school. The touters and scammers here follow you - usually striking up a "friendly" conversation. I changed hotels after the first night, and met the first of these guys during the 2km walk to the new, slightly less nasty place. He fell in stride with me and his English was excellent. After some introductory conversation, he started to tell me how the area I was going to be staying in (this is the "backpackers" area of Delhi - though I see few westerners) wasn't safe and I should take a tuk-tuk down the road to the central area where I could stay for just a couple of dollars more ("only 20 rupees" for a tuk-tuk I'm now sure he had on standby). He was quite friendly and believable but if I learned anything from Indonesia, it's that a local friendly always has an agenda. So when I spotted a McDonalds, I told him thanks for the advise, I'm going to slip in here, get something to eat and assess the situation. Which I did. As I was eating, I spotted another guy who seemed to be just hanging around and watching me. Honestly, I was feeling a bit frightened and was digging around the internet on my phone for as much objective information as I could find to figure out my next move. One of the suggestions I found on a forum was to ask a local female about the area. God bless the internet. There are few women in the streets here (another reason it's so uncomfortable), but a young girl and her mother came in and luckily she spoke enough English to be able to reassure me that the area we were in was safe "for me" in particular. I decided to give the new hotel a look and buy some time to figure out my next move. As I walked out of McDonalds, the lurker followed me and started telling me how the area wasn't safe. I politely asked him to leave me alone and when he persisted, I snapped and firmly told him I'd seen him watching me and it wasn't acceptable behavior - it took about 30 seconds to send him bolting back into McD's with his tail between his legs. I felt better after that. Though I am still very much on my guard any time I go out and cannot wait to be clear of this city.
That said, yesterday was actually a really good day. After a failed attempt at sightseeing the day before (a long boring story of discomfort and frustration), I almost had resolved to just stay in my room for the 2 days until my flight to Dharamsala. I'm glad I didn't. Humayun's Tomb is a world heritage site and is the precursor to the Taj Mahal. The site itself was impressive and interesting and I'm sure much less of a tourist nightmare than the Taj Mahal. But the real redeeming part of the day happened during the 2km walk from the metro to the Tomb. On a relatively civilized street (the first since arriving in India), I passed a street vendor with several people standing around eating. He waved me in and I accepted. They were 2 middle aged, warm and friendly men who served up a delicious, filling meal for 40 rupees (about 60 cents). While I was eating, one came over and asked me for one US dollar. Misunderstanding him, I told him I didn't have a dollar but I would be willing to pay more rupees for my meal (it really was so cheap), he walked away leaving me confused. Before leaving, I tried to offer him some more money but he refused saying they served a good meal at a fair price and hoped I would come back tomorrow. He really did just want a US dollar for a souvenir, I wish I had had one for him. It was an experience of such generosity and kindness, it brought tears to my eyes - perhaps a reflection of how isolated and targeted I'm feeling. Many people tried to tell me it would be rough here but others really love it. I suppose I am stubborn and just have to go see for myself. I am quite sure it's an experience I'll never forget and will cherish (once it's well behind me). Today is a national holiday celebrating the formation of an independent republic. I watched some of the parade on TV - no way am I going out into the streets.
New Delhi is the dirtiest, most inhospitable place one can imagine. I spent my first few days here just trying to figure out how to get out and into some place that might be okay. Initially I thought I wanted to visit the so called Golden Triangle - Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra (the Taj Mahal). But after looking into all options and experiencing Delhi for a few days, I decided it might be best to just make a run for the hills. So, I've booked a plane flight to Dharamsala tomorrow. Dharamsala is in the Himalayas and is where the Dali Lama lives. While it would be wonderful to be in his presence, I have no expectation of that happening. I just don't want to be here and would hate to flee the country without giving it a chance - Dharamsala seems like the best bet, though I do anticipate it being a bit cold.
About Delhi. If Indonesia is an education in how to protect yourself in a third world country, India is graduate school. The touters and scammers here follow you - usually striking up a "friendly" conversation. I changed hotels after the first night, and met the first of these guys during the 2km walk to the new, slightly less nasty place. He fell in stride with me and his English was excellent. After some introductory conversation, he started to tell me how the area I was going to be staying in (this is the "backpackers" area of Delhi - though I see few westerners) wasn't safe and I should take a tuk-tuk down the road to the central area where I could stay for just a couple of dollars more ("only 20 rupees" for a tuk-tuk I'm now sure he had on standby). He was quite friendly and believable but if I learned anything from Indonesia, it's that a local friendly always has an agenda. So when I spotted a McDonalds, I told him thanks for the advise, I'm going to slip in here, get something to eat and assess the situation. Which I did. As I was eating, I spotted another guy who seemed to be just hanging around and watching me. Honestly, I was feeling a bit frightened and was digging around the internet on my phone for as much objective information as I could find to figure out my next move. One of the suggestions I found on a forum was to ask a local female about the area. God bless the internet. There are few women in the streets here (another reason it's so uncomfortable), but a young girl and her mother came in and luckily she spoke enough English to be able to reassure me that the area we were in was safe "for me" in particular. I decided to give the new hotel a look and buy some time to figure out my next move. As I walked out of McDonalds, the lurker followed me and started telling me how the area wasn't safe. I politely asked him to leave me alone and when he persisted, I snapped and firmly told him I'd seen him watching me and it wasn't acceptable behavior - it took about 30 seconds to send him bolting back into McD's with his tail between his legs. I felt better after that. Though I am still very much on my guard any time I go out and cannot wait to be clear of this city.
That said, yesterday was actually a really good day. After a failed attempt at sightseeing the day before (a long boring story of discomfort and frustration), I almost had resolved to just stay in my room for the 2 days until my flight to Dharamsala. I'm glad I didn't. Humayun's Tomb is a world heritage site and is the precursor to the Taj Mahal. The site itself was impressive and interesting and I'm sure much less of a tourist nightmare than the Taj Mahal. But the real redeeming part of the day happened during the 2km walk from the metro to the Tomb. On a relatively civilized street (the first since arriving in India), I passed a street vendor with several people standing around eating. He waved me in and I accepted. They were 2 middle aged, warm and friendly men who served up a delicious, filling meal for 40 rupees (about 60 cents). While I was eating, one came over and asked me for one US dollar. Misunderstanding him, I told him I didn't have a dollar but I would be willing to pay more rupees for my meal (it really was so cheap), he walked away leaving me confused. Before leaving, I tried to offer him some more money but he refused saying they served a good meal at a fair price and hoped I would come back tomorrow. He really did just want a US dollar for a souvenir, I wish I had had one for him. It was an experience of such generosity and kindness, it brought tears to my eyes - perhaps a reflection of how isolated and targeted I'm feeling. Many people tried to tell me it would be rough here but others really love it. I suppose I am stubborn and just have to go see for myself. I am quite sure it's an experience I'll never forget and will cherish (once it's well behind me). Today is a national holiday celebrating the formation of an independent republic. I watched some of the parade on TV - no way am I going out into the streets.
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| Humayun's Tomb |
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