The sights and smells of Delhi

What an amazing place. I think there are around 16million people in Delhi. I feel like I saw 500,000 to one million on my first full day. The horns are constantly beeping. A mixture of bikes, rickshaws, cars, people, and motorcycles are on the roads. Plus there are three wheeled tuktuks.

The smells change from a fennel/cardamom blend just hanging in the air to incense to a smell reminiscent of an auto mechanic shop. There are many trees and green space. This surprised me. Sometimes you get a hint of the flowers in bloom. Then you walk by a street vendor making samosas, fresh naan, and many other things I don't even know the names of...

What glorious smells!

Most people speak some English and it very easy to get around. However, someone is always offering you something.

After being on the plane for so many hours, I spent my first full day walking as much as possible. I went to the India Gate, Red Fort, and braved the narrow windy streets and alleys in Old Delhi. I also took a few tuktuks.

I didn't buy anything in Old Delhi but went in many stores and tried my pitiful bargaining skills from time to time.

I had some amazing moments with locals. There were 6 teenagers playing cricket in the park. I stopped to watch them play. They immediately came over to chat with me. They wanted to know my name, where I was from, if I was married, and the answers to many more questions. I just wanted to watch them play. They finally went back to play and I watched them show off for me.

My friends Keith and Lydia in Utah connected me with a friend of theirs in Delhi. She was very generous and invited me to her home for tea and gave me a contact in the tea business in Kolkata. I will be sure to contact him as I will likely spend at least one night there before heading to China.

In the evening, I was done with bargaining. I went to the government stores which have items from all over India but better yet, everything is sold at a fixed price. I found some beautiful pashminas and a few other items.

A local boy started chatting with me and walked me there. He was a junior in high school and wanted to practice his English. His first words to me were, "Don't worry I'm not trying to sell you anything." He was true to his word and we had a nice talk.

On the way back to the hotel another young boy who worked at the government store was trying to show me the way back to the hotel. Instead, he offered me a ride in his friend's tuktuks at the "locals" price.

Both of these young men thought I looked a slight bit Indian. I must have tricked them by wearing a shirt and pants I purchased here.

I ended my day at the hotel restaurant called Fire. I had run into a man on the elevator earlier who gave it fabulous reviews. It was the oasis I was looking for - no walking, no horns beeping, set prices on the menu, and great Indian food!

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