I came to India for Diwali, the Festival of Lights, and decided to make a larger trip out of it. India has been on my travel list for a long time, and seeing the country during one of its biggest celebrations seemed like the perfect excuse to finally go.
I will admit, though, that this was one trip I was a little nervous about.
I have traveled solo plenty of times, but India felt different. It is huge, busy, unfamiliar, and everything I read before coming seemed to fall somewhere between “You’ll love it!” and “What are you thinking?”
So, for the first part of my trip, I decided to hire a driver and a guide. Sanjay was great!
After three days in Delhi, I can confidently say this was one of my better life decisions.
Because Delhi is a lot.
The traffic alone is an experience. I’m not entirely convinced there are actual traffic rules here. There appear to be lanes, but they seem more like suggestions. Cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, buses, bicycles, pedestrians, and occasionally a cow all somehow move together in what looks like complete chaos.
And yet…it works.
I have decided the most important part of driving in India is apparently the horn.
Honk if you are passing someone.
Honk if someone might pass you.
Honk if you are turning.
Honk if you are not turning.
Possibly honk just to let everyone know you are still there.
I was very happy to be sitting in the passenger seat.
Another thing that surprised me almost immediately was how few women I saw out and about compared with men. There were women, of course, but in many places the streets, shops, restaurants, and traffic seemed overwhelmingly male. I also saw very few Western women traveling around on their own.
My sightseeing started at Akshardham, a massive Hindu temple complex filled with incredibly detailed stone carvings. It was also my first real introduction to just how important religion is to everyday life in India. Unfortunately, you can’t take photos but trust me, it is impressive.
Over the next couple of days, I visited the Lotus Temple, Humayun’s Tomb, India Gate, Kartavya Path, and drove past Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India.
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| Red Fort |
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| Raj Ghat, Ghandi’s Memorial |
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| India Gate, Memorial for those fighting in wars |
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| Qutb Minar, impressive tower built in 13th century |
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| Lotus Temple, Bahá’í House of Worship |
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| Memorial for Prime Minister Indira Ghandi |
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| Humayun’s Tomb, Mughal Emperor |
I also visited Qutub Minar, wandered through Old Delhi and Chandni Chowk, rode in a rickshaw, explored the spice market, saw Jama Masjid, visited Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib, and saw the Red Fort.
What impressed me most about Delhi wasn’t any single monument. It was the religion.
India is predominantly Hindu, but Delhi gave me a chance to see several of the major religions practiced here almost side by side.
I visited Hindu temples. I went to Jama Masjid, one of Delhi’s great Muslim mosques. I visited the Sikh Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib. The Lotus Temple belongs to the Bahá’í faith and welcomes people of all religions. Christianity is here too, along with several other faiths.
Before coming to India, I knew academically that the country was religiously diverse.
Seeing it is completely different.
One minute you are looking at the architecture of a Hindu temple. A little later you hear the Muslim call to prayer. Then you walk into a Sikh gurudwara where people from all backgrounds are welcome.
There are complicated parts to India’s religious history, of course, but as a visitor it was fascinating to see so many traditions existing within the same city.
One of the ironic things about traveling in India is that Indian food is my favorite cuisine, and yet I still had to be careful about what I ate. I was trying to avoid the usual traveler problems—unsafe water, raw produce, or anything that looked like it had been sitting out a little too long. I was very grateful that my guide knew which restaurants were considered safe, because otherwise I’m pretty sure my Delhi diet would have consisted entirely of bottled water, potato chips, and the occasional Kit Kat (which I had one evening, but only cost $.80 total!). Thankfully, I got to actually enjoy the food I came all this way for—and so far, my stomach and I are still on speaking terms.
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| Butter Chicken, only $8.00 for two meals |
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| Marsala Dosa. Yum! |
Tomorrow I leave Delhi and head to Agra.
And then comes something I have wanted to see for years: the Taj Mahal.
At sunrise.
Which sounds beautiful.
The 6:00 a.m. departure required to see it at sunrise sounds slightly less beautiful.
But I have a feeling it will be worth it.