the journey begins: new delhi part I
New Delhi, India / Wednesday, May 17, 2006
"Write everything down," Mark told me. "Don't leave anything out!" So, Mark, here it all is. In bits and pieces, spurts and bursts, but accurate and written fresh from my mind.
Where to begin? ... There's so much to write about. An overwhelming amount, really. So many sights and sounds, people and cows ... (OK, just kidding about the 'lots of cows' part. I've only seen 5 or 6.)
The best place to start, I suppose, is with today. We started our day off early at the (very nice) hotel Nikko in downtown Delhi. I woke up bright and early at 6am, tired but too excited to go back to sleep. We had a yummy Indian buffet breakfast where I discovered mangos. They're OK in the states, but here -- oh, here! So good. Golden, ripe, juicy and full of taste. Actually, all the fruit was amazing, from the oranges to what I think was papaya. The yoghurt was different than in the USA -- much more bitter, with a sharp bite to it. No sugar added and needless to say much tastier.
We met with our guide at 9:30am. We also had a driver who's sole job was to cruise us around the streets of Delhi in his white Toyota van. The seats were covered in linen and the back row even had black cushions with beadwork. Very classy touch.
Driving in India is a mission of suicide. Seriously, it's that bad/fun/scary. There may be traffic laws, but no one pays much attention. Cars vye with trucks who vye with auto rickshaws (3 wheelers called 'tuktuks') who vye with motorcycles for ownership of the road.
Honking is a national pastime while swerving around pedestrians is a national sport. 99% of the drivers on the road are male, which translates to a whole hell of a lot of testosterone behind India's wheels. This manifests itself in the death defying stunts that drivers continously pull. Traffic is heavy and the roads are downright anarchy. Roaring through red lights, parking in the middle of side streets, ignoring lane divisions and liberal use of horns are all common features of India's motorized world.
I love seeing men on their motorbikes with their sari clad wives sitting sidesaddle behind them. The women, in colorful pinks and blues, grip their husbands around the waist and look quite regal doing so. Even when wearing trousers women do not straddle the passanger seat. It is always sidesaddle for them. I suppose this might be a manners thing, but I'm not sure.
Pollution is so bad in Delhi that public transport is required to use a special gas called 'CNG'. I think it stands for 'Compressed Natural Gas' but could be wrong. Anyway, all the buses and tuktuks have a green stripe of paint that signifies the vehicle runs on CNG. Many are also painted 'CNG' as well.
On an unrelated note, vehicle owners love stenciling in 'Honk Please' onto the backs of their cars. Honking isn't rude here -- it serves an actual purpose, unlike, say, in New Jersey where drivers use it to be obnoxious and make their presence felt. In Delhi the horn signals many things. "Get out of my way," "watch it," "hurry up," "stop blocking traffic" and "go ahead" are some of the things a horn may mean. Flashing lights are popular too, at least at night. This serves a similar function as the horn beeps.
Our guide was very knowledgeable. He'd been in Continental Airline's magazine, which he had a copy on hand to show us. He worked with many journalists and was very friendly, confident and a complete professional. Rajan had a business degree from a university in Delhi and spoke to us about how competitive schooling is in India. To become a tour guide one needs a university degree.
Education is important stuff in Delhi. The Hindustani Newspaper this morning had an article on a 15 year old girl who'd commited suicide after worrying about her school exam results. Her little brother had found her hanging in a self made noose -- horrifying, tragic stuff but more common here than in America.
But, enough traumatic stories. Our tour of Delhi began at the Parliment & at the President's House. The President's House was a mammoth structure of over 300 rooms, all ensconced behind impressive iron and sandstone walls and gates.
A big pillar in front of this gate was a gift from the king of Rajasthan.
The guide was mystified over the fact that Mr. President had never married. Of course my dad made some little joke about the president's wisdom in refraining from wedding a woman, which got a small laugh from the guide and rolled eyes from me and mom.
I have a 3:45am departure from this hotel, so have to cut this entry short to get to bed. Will need to write lots more about last night and today, including:
-- the turbaned door men
-- friendly breakfast waiters
-- being celebrities
-- living the luxe life and drinking Kashmari tea.
Notes on The Entry
Mark = my boyfriend of several years.
Cows = are holy in the Hindu belief system. They may not be harmed or killed, and tend to roam free in the streets in smaller towns and rural areas. Delhi has tried to put a stop to wandering cows and has largely done so, but still has problems with bovines stopping traffic.
Parliment = Delhi is the seat of national government in India. The parliment meets here and the president resides in the city.
Labels: new delhi, parliment, people, places, president, traffic
posted by cityflip at 8:14 AM
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