Once you are in the North, you won't get around Delhi. Delhi might has an excellent metro but otherwise it is the same chaos than in other Indian city. Smog, chaos, dust and currently extreme heat up to the mid forties. So not necessary the best temperatures for a city tour. In some sites like the Lotus Temple or the big Jama Masijd mosque visitors have to take off their shoes which makes the visit extremely fast as the marble/stone floors are so hot that you could fry an egg on them... or your feet.
If you have read your guidebook properly, you wouldn't have dismissed the warnings about the famous Delhi touts targeting travellers. By now we have all experienced them, no matter how long you have travelled in the region. Last night my rickshaw driver wanted to drop me at midnight in the middle of the Delhi highway after I refused his re-negotiations during the ride from the bus stop to the hotel. I guess it was wise to pay the extra dollar and not running around through the slums with all my gear in the middle of the night. Or there was the shoes cleaner who increased his agreed price from R20 to R650... you are getting used to it and deal with it. However, I met an American couple who has never travelled in Asia before and was on their way to see three countries in three weeks: India, Nepal and Thailand - quite a stiff program. So they went to Delhi train station and - of course - were approached by somebody telling them that the ticket office has burnt down and trains were not going anymore - the usual line is that the booking office is closed or that the trains are booked out. Surprise surprise he had a friend who was a taxi driver and who had time (which taxi driver in India doesn't have time for foreigners?) and they got this brilliant deal of only $200 for the drive in an old none a/c car to Agra... I told them that my luxury a/c bus was $6 for the ride and that for $200 in India you could probably ride once around the entire country... They were not happy about their first time in India - guess they learnt their lesson. Get over it.
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If you have read your guidebook properly, you wouldn't have dismissed the warnings about the famous Delhi touts targeting travellers. By now we have all experienced them, no matter how long you have travelled in the region. Last night my rickshaw driver wanted to drop me at midnight in the middle of the Delhi highway after I refused his re-negotiations during the ride from the bus stop to the hotel. I guess it was wise to pay the extra dollar and not running around through the slums with all my gear in the middle of the night. Or there was the shoes cleaner who increased his agreed price from R20 to R650... you are getting used to it and deal with it. However, I met an American couple who has never travelled in Asia before and was on their way to see three countries in three weeks: India, Nepal and Thailand - quite a stiff program. So they went to Delhi train station and - of course - were approached by somebody telling them that the ticket office has burnt down and trains were not going anymore - the usual line is that the booking office is closed or that the trains are booked out. Surprise surprise he had a friend who was a taxi driver and who had time (which taxi driver in India doesn't have time for foreigners?) and they got this brilliant deal of only $200 for the drive in an old none a/c car to Agra... I told them that my luxury a/c bus was $6 for the ride and that for $200 in India you could probably ride once around the entire country... They were not happy about their first time in India - guess they learnt their lesson. Get over it.
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| The usual chaos |
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| Would you? |
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| Lotus Temple |
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| Red Fort |
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| Jama Masijd - Delhi's Mosque |
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| India Gate |
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| Street food |
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| Street life |
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