Shifting into High Ghee-r (Delhi)

Arriving in India – First Impressions

As is the case for many visitors, Delhi was our first taste of India. And true to its reputation, the city turned out to be…flavorful. The sprawl of people, animals, cars, bikes and scooters runs for miles in every direction, and the general sense of chaos extends with it. The noise level is unbelievable, and the air is dense with a fine mix of diesel fumes, frying ground nut oil, and a smorgasbord of spices, among other less savory “aromas.” As we quickly discovered, though, there’s a lot to love about the city. Although we arrived a little nervous, we soon found ourselves embracing daily life. We learned to use the metro, deter over-eager salesmen, successfully haggle for bottled water, and cross the ever-flowing traffic without serious injury. We enjoyed mind blowing food, learned a load of history, and made some great friends. By the time we finally left, having extended our stay several times, we were full of excitement for the rest of our travels in the country.

Massive excitement or a crick in the neck? Leaving Heathrow

A solid diet of brainteasers and Bollywood flicks sustained us while en route

We’d been warned repeatedly about how overwhelmed we would feel upon arriving in Delhi, but in the end we found that we were more than prepared for what we encountered. Our time in New York had left us with some well-honed big city talents which we put to good use – slipping through crowds, avoiding eye contact with strangers, and selectively ignoring certain repulsive sights and smells on the sidewalk. And surviving rush hour on the 6 train is about equivalent to the Delhi metro so we were set on that end.

One thing that did really take us by surprise was the traffic. It is truly terrifying. Vehicles of all sizes and states of repair push their way down the streets, paying no attention at all to road signs or traffic signals, preferring instead to follow the one key rule of Delhi driving – if something bigger than you is approaching, get out of the way. We even saw cars driving the wrong way up the highway on several occasions. Fortunately people have great braking reflexes, but the constant games of chicken when crossing roads do make life more interesting.

Not pictured – an ear splitting cacophony of car horns

The single biggest reason we had such a good time in Delhi, though, was our temporary home in the city, and more importantly, the incredibly warm hospitality of our hosts. We stayed (once again through Airbnb) with a fantastic couple in Saket, a calm and leafy residential area towards the south of the city. Choosing somewhere a little out of the center meant that we had a peaceful refuge to return to when we’d had our fill of street noise and crowds. Our hosts not only provided some great tips on where to go and what to eat, but helped us with tons of the basics like which apps can be useful in India (Zomato, BookMyShow, SeekSherpa, Ola etc.) We had some excellent evenings sitting around with beers and snacks, comparing notes on daily life, and daydreaming about future travel.

It’s traditional to serve guests something sweet upon arrival

Once first introductions are complete, you can move on to more convivial libations, or instead, elect to indulge in collective self-punishment with a mixture of vodka and tabasco. Much fun was had

Comestibles

We like to start most discussions with food, and Delhi made this easy for us. All of the different threads of the city’s history have left their mark on its cuisine, and the resulting mishmash is fascinating for the perpetually hungry such as ourselves. Mughal-influenced spicy meats vie with Brahmin vegetarian curries, while Tibetan dumplings compete against wonderfully crispy samosas in open-air bazaars. Delhi is noteworthy as a huge hub for street food, and while we started cautiously due to fears of intestinal repercussions, by the third day we eating anything and everything we found – as long as the venue in question looked busy enough. Jess was especially overjoyed at the cornucopia of vegetarian food on offer.

A small note for what is to follow – Indian food, while consistently mouthwateringly delicious, is not always the most aesthetically pleasing. Particularly when photographed with an iPhone. Some imagination will be required…

Taking the plunge – our first meal in Chondni Chowk. Chole bhatura – stewed chickpeas served with a deep fried bread, common as a breakfast in the Punjab. Samosas in the foreground

The first street dinner: Tibetan momos (steamed dumplings) – we would later learn to make these in Nepal

Due to the large number of vegetarians, there are many veggie options such as this tandoori type dish cooked with soy and a lot of cream sauce. This was early enough that we were still afraid of raw onions because of sanitation concerns. We were later to become less fearful about the fixins

We who are about to die salute you! Diving into assorted curries and some lentil confectionary hand-crushed by a man who likely hadn’t washed his hands that week. Delicious, and surprisingly neither of us came to harm the next day

More chole bhatura, this time served as a breakfast in a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Old Delhi. In the Northwest, it’s typical to have bread with your meal instead of rice, and there is an incredible number of bread varieties

Jess’s new obsession: kulfi, the Indian form of ice cream

Ethan’s first proper Biryani – fiery meats cooked in an earthenware container with heavily spiced rice, and sealed with a ring of dough to keep the moisture inside

A bit of street chow mein. It’s a very common street food in many cities in India, but is served with the characteristic Indian spice palette and intensity (note beaded sweat for confirmation of this)

Visiting a McDonald’s is apparently now a tradition wherever we go since the local variations on common fast food dishes are often quite interesting. Jess sampling the McSpicy Paneer

Ethan went for the Maharaja Mac. Oddly enough, this was the only food in Delhi that made us feel a bit off, likely because of the lettuce

A kati roll, which is basically a piece of spongy bread absolutely doused in oil and pan-fried to seal in a wrapping of various proteins and spices. This one had more than its fair share of egg, chicken, and chilis

An early thali containing bread, rice, and several varieties of curries

Prominent on Ethan’s lifetime rice dish highlight reel: a goat biryani with tons of spicy pickle served in a famous restaurant right next to the Jama Masjid. While the overwhelming spice became progressively more painful with each bite, the flavor was so delicious that he was unable to stop. A half-hour cool down was required afterwards

We were strongly advised while in Delhi to try the makhni dishes, which are basically just bowls of butter and cream with a few lentils or meats thrown in and a tomato or two. Here is some dal and chicken makhni in all its glory. The butter on the bread was just the cherry on top

Although dosas are really a south Indian food, the abundance of people from all over India in Delhi means that you can find some very good versions of these awesome lentil- and rice-flower savory crepes. Our Airbnb hosts in Saket in South Delhi recommended this nearby dosa stall to us. Although it looks and costs the same as all the other stalls around it, it’s actually a huge institution, and there was a long line of cars sidling up. People get their drivers to wait there while they devour their dosas in the passenger seat. Needless to say, we went back more than a few times

We did try one upscale meal in Delhi at a place that specialized small, beautifully presented plates and creative drinks. Here are some fritters on a plate of petrified wood

Although drinking is generally discouraged in India, and can be something of a behind-the-scenes event, Delhi has its fair share of shiny bars, many of them complete with the standard issue exposed lightbulbs and retro tableware. Despite being pretty restrained in this respect, we spent far more on alcohol than we did on food during the visit, since drinks are served with considerable ceremony, and prices after tax are mostly in line with the US / UK

One of our favorite haunts in Hauz Khas, which also serves as a communal workspace during the daytime (sound familiar?)

Another awesome bar and more attractive lightbulbs. You can tell you’re getting old when you have to use your phone as a flashlight to read the cocktail menu…

Jess smiling sweetly from her lair 

Daily Life

We spent more than a week in Delhi – longer than we’ve spent in any other place on the trip so far – and this was great for getting us past the tourist phase to the point where we could begin to taste what day-to-day life is like in the city.

One of the best parts of Delhi is the Metro – it’s clean, cheap, fast, punctual, efficient, and takes you to most of the places you need to get to. It’s one of the finest public transportation systems either of us has encountered. It made getting around the city quite easy, and it also made things feel less tourist-y since much of our travel was done with people going to and from work.

A gloriously clean and well-functioning Delhi Metro station. Since they are backed by a small deposit, the contactless metro cards even allow a temporarily negative cash balance for the duration of a trip. This means that if you accidentally run out, you can still board your train and don’t back up the queue, a feature we could all use in New York

The daily rush-hour madness. Surprisingly orderly and a good chance to make a few new friends in line

Everyone loves the Delhi Metro! It even has its own museum in one of the stations (and we weren’t the only people there)

In addition to the Metro, Uber is a great way to get around, and we were stunned several times at how low the fares were. We also took more than our share of tuk tuks (auto rickshaws) which are a fixture of every Indian city. They’re generally pretty inexpensive, and often quite handy, but you need to haggle for your fare and it took us a couple days to develop the conviction required to argue our way to a good deal.

We have immense respect for all electricians in India. People seem to just string wires up to whatever supply is nearby, regardless of legality, and keeping that resulting system running must be quite the challenge

This is actually a bicycle. India in general is extremely efficient at maximizing stuff moved per vehicle. Small trucks are piled with hay bales three stories high, clown-car-like tuk tuks will take a dozen people, and mopeds will transport an entire family of four. Highly fuel efficient, although perhaps dubious on the safety dimension

We spent a lot of our time in Delhi walking around, and although this gave us a great sense of how the neighborhoods of the city flow into one another, we repeatedly exposed ourselves to mortal peril at every street crossing (not to mention the dangers posed by the randomly spaced giant holes in the sidewalk). However, it showed us a lot of things up close that we might have missed from a car, and despite our resultantly dust-infused garments and respiratory systems, we strongly recommend a lot of walking to visitors with sufficient time.

Air quality is terrible in Indian cities because of cooking fires, trash burning, and vehicles that don’t exactly adhere to current emissions standards – it’s often hard to see more than a couple hundred yards in any direction, and we heavily recommend against looking at the tissue after you blow your nose, but it does lead to some beautiful sunrises and sunsets…

A typical, utterly chaotic central street

Many places in Delhi let young kids try driving small toy cars. Oddly, the cars are remote-controlled, which we imagine does prepare the better-off children for a future of chauffeurs, and definitely minimizes the chance of a kid “going rogue” and chasing pedestrians

Your standard-issue Delhi bazaar

Shopping at the other end of the spectrum – the malls in India are often great and typically have beautiful decor. They also provide a much-needed respite from the crush of the busy sidewalks (once you make it through the airport-style security). 

Walking around Delhi, yet another hazard is presented by the various animals wandering the streets, all of which are adorable, but many of which are most definitely out to get you. Monkeys, in particular, are seen as a major pest by the locals, and regularly steal food from anyone who looks vulnerable, as well as wreaking havoc with unattended laundry. Due to their penchant for randomly chasing people, when they decide to occupy a stretch of the road most people find an alternative route – although if you’re brave you can try charging through with a big stick!

A few monkeys doing their best to look harmless in Lodhi Gardens

Some friendly goats hanging around. Sadly their destiny is likely in a biryani, but they seem to have a pretty good life along the way

Old Delhi, Old(er) Delhi, and New Delhi

Delhi has had numerous inceptions over its long history, and has borne witness to a succession of major dynasties – the city is spilling over with amazing fortresses, tombs, palaces, and mosques. Historically a muslim center, the population mix changed dramatically during Partition in 1947, when many muslims were forced out and their dwellings were taken by those fleeing what ultimately became Pakistan. Signs of the muslim community’s glory abound throughout Delhi, though, and many of the most important historical sites are of muslim origin.

Grandest of all legacies is that of the Mughal Empire, centered around ancient Shahjahanabad, or Old Delhi, which forms the bustling heart of the city today. The Mughals came from central Asia in the 16th century, and were descended from the two terrors, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, so they basically breathed military conquest. They rapidly took over most of the Indian subcontinent with war and a set of alliances with local rulers, and despite their bloody heritage, actually maintained a certain degree of tolerance for others within their empire, leading to a flourishing of the arts and culture, as well as some amazing construction. Starting in the 18th century their empire began a decline that lasted through the mid-19th century, during which the British ascended.

One of the several hundred year old former mansions of the muslim commercial class in Old Delhi. Now inhabited by many families at once, and in need of some repair, signs of the former glory are still visible

The Red Fort – this is the biggest palace in Old Delhi and takes the better part of a day to visit properly. In typical Mughal style, it’s a great tension between martial functionality (the walls and fortification) and refined courtly beauty (the throne area, royal apartments, etc.)

Looking up at the massive sandstone walls. An aspiring attacker’s view would be similar, albeit through a hail of spears, arrows, boiling oil, etc.

This is a reconstruction of the throne which the Mughal emperor would sit upon to receive guests and petitioners. It’s inlaid with all sorts of semi-precious stones and ornamentation. You can see the Persian influences in a lot of the artwork. The chief advisor would stand on the table in front and relay conversation to and from the emperor. 

Part of the sprawling expanse of the emperor’s living area

Behind the royal apartments are vast gardens containing many buildings for various functions. While in a worse state than in their heyday, the effect is still overwhelming in scale and intricacy

Another of the “can’t miss” sights in Delhi is Qutb Minar, an impossibly tall brick minaret with a cross section that would excite any geometry teacher, built from a dazzling combination of marble and the standard Delhi red sandstone. It was built in the 13th century by the pre-Mughal Delhi Sultanate, and absolutely towers over everything around it. Qutb Minar is part of a vast complex containing numerous buildings of considerable elegance.

Regrettably there was only the “before the climb” selfie since the stairs inside the tower have been closed to tourists since an accident in the 1970s. You can see the combination of square and circular columns in the construction of the tower, as well as intricate carvings adorning it

Wandering around the Qutb Complex you’re continuously amazed at how light and airy stone construction can be

One of the major attractions of the Qutb Complex is the (creatively named) Iron Pillar of Delhi, which apparently dates from the 5th century. As our audio tour explained, it’s incredibly corrosion-resistant because of a layer of high-phosphorous iron, demonstrating the impressive level of metallurgical know-how during the Gupta Empire when it was built. Later in our trip we stayed with a retired metallurgist who suggested that a supernatural explanation was perhaps an easier one given how difficult making something like this would have been with ancient equipment and fabrication techniques.

The iron pillar in the background – and in the foreground, one of the great photo sessions we observed in front of the Qutb minaret. 

The mihrab (the Mecca-facing niche) of one of the mosques in the Qutb Complex. Due to rules against depicting the human form, many mosques are instead decorated with incredibly intricate carvings and writing

The six-pointed star was an  important ancient symbol in India, among other places, and shows up all over the region, even in this muslim tomb

Although today it is perhaps better-known for its smattering of upscale boutiques and hangouts, Hauz Khas is an area with considerable history, having formed part of the ancient stronghold of Siri around 700 years ago. On weekend evenings, people flock to the beautiful Hauz Khas Complex and spend the twilight hours wandering around the ancient tombs and religious buildings which sit next to its namesake reservoir. As we discovered, once it gets dark everyone is unceremoniously kicked out, and the party disperses to several archetypal hipster bars which would not be out of place in Williamsburg.

The garden is studded with pavilions – which on closer inspection, are covered with graffiti declarations of love from the teenagers who frequent the secluded arches (it can be hard to get rid of the parental escorts in India….)

The Madrasa of the Delhi Sultanate era

The royal water tank – in Farsi, Hauz Khas

Lodhi Gardens is another popular green space in Delhi which just happens to be littered with ancient treasures. We sat and gazed up at the 15th century Lodhi tombs, surrounded by locals practicing yoga, picnicking and playing music through the afternoon.

If you’re going to die, do it big – the first rule of ancient empires. The main tomb in Lodhi Gardens

The actual tombs arrayed around the inside of the dome

The Shishi Gumbad (“glass dome”) in Lodhi Gardens, which used to be covered in amazing blue glass tiles. Today only a few remain (the blue horizontal line), but the decaying empire / jungle chic feeling is strong

Everything worth doing is worth doing thrice. Generally where there’s one dome, a few more are nearby

A large portion of the modern city took shape when the British took the decision to move the Indian capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, and created the deliberately awe-inspring New Delhi. Apparently relishing the abundance of space in the city, they designed large, imposing government buildings set among broad, verdant streets. Even today, the area stands in total contrast to the dense, ornate Mughal architecture surrounding it, and the equally dense, practical housing complexes spreading outwards to accommodate the bulging modern population.

The Rashtrapati Bhaven – or the presidential palace – formerly the viceroy’s house. 

The secretariat building, with imposing classical features aplenty – tuk tuk for scale

This is one of four “dominion columns” donated by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa at a time when India was expected to become a dominion itself

The Rajpath (King’s Way), running down towards India Gate. Surely the fewest people per square meter of anywhere in Delhi?

Back to normal population density

At the heart of New Delhi is Connaught Place, a huge tourist hub and center of transport, shopping and nightlife for the city. It was modeled on the Georgian architecture of Bath, but on a far, far grander scale. Although today somewhat changed – and a huge hassle to walk through as a visitor – we paid a visit and snuck into the Imperial Hotel for a little bit of classy gin time when we’d had enough.

The grand Imperial Hotel was the first luxury hotel in India, opened in 1936

Sitting in the bar, we made like those who came before us and ordered some proper G&Ts. These turned out to be some of the most expensive cocktails of the entire trip so far, to our mild incredulity upon receiving the bill

Diverse Delhi

Over the city’s very long history, numerous groups have moved in and out of Delhi, leaving a hodgepodge of different temples, mosques, churches, and other religious houses scattered around the city’s many neighborhoods. As a visitor it’s remarkable since many of these religious sights are right in the middle of the bustling city and you can frequently spot a magnificent temple down some cramped alleyway off a bustling market.

One of the city’s still-active mosques. It’s down a few alleys so it’s hard to find, but enormous once you get inside

A hindu temple in all of its glory at the edge of a major park near Hauz Khas

The Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the main Sikh temple in Delhi. All visitors are welcomed, whatever their religion and background, and are provided food as well if they need it. Head coverings must be worn within the temple, and a variety of interesting colors and patterns are offered for those who need them. Ethan mistakenly took one from the ladies bin as should be obvious to the viewer (but not him)

Visitors gather around the sacred central pool of the Gurudwara

Holy carp! The spiritually elevated inhabitants of the sacred pool

The famous Jama Masjid of Delhi, one of the most impressive mosques in India

Children play on the front steps of the Jama Masjid as it transitions from a holy place of worship to the bustle of a busy market (and home of fantastic biryanis)

The closest we got to a picture of the Swaminarayan Akshardham complex, a spectacular modern hindu mandir. The intricate carvings, sparkling golden statues rival anything we saw in Italy – and in fact the building is made of Italian marble. We urge you to google it for pictures, since our cameras were seized as part of the extensive security checks