We arrived in New Delhi around noon on Thursday. We were tired from our long train ride and I had very little sleep during those 22 hours. We weren’t sure of where we were when we arrived. From a friend, we heard about a small area where backpackers go to called Pahar Ganj. We didn’t have reservations anywhere so we hopped into an auto rickshaw and headed to Pahar Ganj.
The photo is of the little alley way where out hotel was in. Pahar Ganj was a main bazaar (the lit part of the photo) and several thin alleys were there were shops, restaurants, internet cafes, and hotels. I really enjoyed the area and I wish I had had more time to explore it.
The first thing that hit me when we arrived in Delhi was the pollution. The sky wasn’t blue, it was a shade of light blue/gray even though the sun was shining. We wanted to see some tourist sights in Delhi so we got in an auto rickshaw (we were over charged) and went to the Red Fort. It is a fort (as well as the residence of the royal family and emperor Shah Jahan) used during the Mughal empire but then was used by the British when they occupied India. Now it’s a popular tourist site and also a UNESCO world heritage site.
Right after visiting the Red Fort we took a bicycle rickshaw to Jama Masjid. I really didn’t like the bicycle rickshaw because the streets were packed but the driver was going slowly since there were three people in it and I’m sure we were pretty heavy. Luckily Jama Masjid is right down the street from the Red Fort. Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India. To get to the main entrance first we had to walk down a long path where there were street vendors. It was terrible because all the the beggars crowded around the two girls I went with since they are fair skin and obviously foreigners. I went unnoticed by the beggars which was a relief for me. Then we went up the stairs but when we got to the entrance, one of the girls I was with and me had to put on a long robe they gave us. We were showing too much skin according to them so we put it on. I wore a hideous robe that was painfully bright orange with huge white flowers. It was large so it looked like I was wearing a curtain. I didn’t mind too much because the men who were wearing shorts had to wear skirts the looked even worse. It was the first time I had ever been in a mosque and I was a bit surprised. I was expecting maybe an alter or something like that but there wasn’t any. It was a wide open space with some arches. I didn’t get any photos of the inside because I didn’t want to pay the fee because it was ridiculously expensive.
The next day we did some more touristy things. First we went to Humayun’s Tomb. Humayun was a Mughal emperor and his tomb was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s made out of red sandstone and white marble which looks very elegant in my opinion. I had never seen pictures of it before I went so I was pleasantly surprised when I went.
After Humayun’s Tomb, we went to the India Gate which was constructed as a memorial to the Indians who lost their lives during WWI. The visit was a bit of a downer because there was a man following us so we rushed to get some distance but he continued to follow us so we left. He was obviously following us because we had walked a distance and he stayed pretty close to us. Then we all turned to his and gave him a look like he needs to go away and he blew a kiss at us. We were pretty angry.
We got in an auto rickshaw to go to the art museum of Delhi. The driver got confused and took us to the wrong museum so it took longer to get there which meant we had only one hour or so to walk around the museum. I really enjoyed the art, I wish I had more time because I only got to see only one part of the museum.
Later that day we met up with a friend of my roomate, Supriya, and we went out to eat at shopping area called Khan Market. It’s a pretty upscale shopping area but it was nice to walk around.
The following day we went to Agra, but I’ll post about that trip later.
