Once upon a time in Delhi...
Once upon a time, there was a pale (and by now, slightly smelly) Scottish girl travelling the vast and colourful country of India, with only a dirty backpack and a Dostoyevsky for company. She had seen many beautiful and shanti places, but now the inevitable had happened. She had to go to the dark and dangerous city of Delhi. With anxiety in her heart she boarded her carriage, and there in front of her stood a tall, dark, handsome stranger with an exotic accent. Soon, her fears would melt, and for a few days, Delhi would become their own little kingdom....
Enough of that though - here's how it really went.
As I board the night train from Varanasi, I am feeling totally apprehensive about arriving to Delhi, and feel completely resolute in my decision to get out of there as soon as possible. Recently, there have been increasing reports in the Indian media of horrific gang rapes of women in the city, and the week before I am due to arrive, a Danish woman is gang-raped right in the heart of the tourist district of Pahar Ganj. I have planned to spend only 1 hour maximum there; just enough time to catch a bus to the foothills of the Himalayas. But of course, this being India, things never ususally turn out as you expect them. Take all of your plans, ideas and expectations and forget them...
The train journey from Varanasi turns out to be one of the best train journeys that I have taken in India. In my little carriage, there are 2 hilarious Danish guys, a group of Indian art students, and a solo Catalan, who for the purposes of this story, we shall call O. It's a really nice group, and the journey passes pretty quickly as we sit up chatting till late, while the (super talented) artists sketch for us, and draw portraits. Of course, the trasin is late by 4 hours, and so by the time we arrive to Delhi the following day it's already too late for me to catch my connecting bus. I'm absolutely knackered anyway - the train was freezing cold so i barely managed to sleep - and a dodgy bag of namkeen that I ate is coming back to haunt me. I feel feverish, my stomach is aching and it's becoming increasily essential that I am near to a toilet at all times. Basically im living in constant fear that I could shit myself at any time. Disgusting, but the harsh reality of anyone travelling in India. So with little choice, i decide to spend the night in Delhi.
The Danish boys, who have a significantly higher budget than me, disappear off to an upmarket hotel, while me and O (whose budgets are what I would refer to as "rockbottom") decide to find a cheaper place, and split the cost of a room. We quickly find a pokey wee room on the Main Bazaar for Rs500, and although it's no great shakes, I'm too tired to care.
After a spot of food, I spend the afternoon wandering around the Pahar Ganj area, deftly trying to dodge the countless touts and scammers trying to sell me hash/opium/gemstones/pashminas/train tickets. The Main Bazaar is a long straight street lined with typical tourirst-tat market stalls and hotels with the obligatory neon signs - and for precisely this reason, it reminds me of a much smellier, much grimier version of the Khao San Road in Bangkok.
Desite my initial apprehensions though, I am not completely repelled or intimidated by Delhi. Yes it's stressful, yes its cold and and yes it's the offically the most polluted city in the world, but it's significantly better than I anticipated. WIth the benefit of hindsight, I now understand that my fears and negativity towards Delhi have been completely internalised. It is not the city that is negative, but my attitude towards it. The same can be said for other places, for people, for anything really. Negativity is an attitude that we project upon something.
So I allow myself to surrender to Delhi; to wander the market and to roll with it. In the evening, me and O head off exploring all of the little narrow backstreets and alleyways in Pahar Ganj. There is no way I would have done this alone in Delhi, and so for the first time in a long time I am grateful to have man around to walk with me. Although it is still my plan to get up early the next morning and head out of town, me and O sit up all night talking, and before we know it, it's 7 am - and time for a sleep. So it looks though I won't be catching my 10am bus again!
After a very indulgent lie-in, me and O decide to spend the day doing a little sight-seeing around the city - we may as well since we are here! So we head down to the metro - a clean, modern and totally efficient transport network spanning much of the city - and go to Old Delhi. It's a warm and breezy Sunday afternoon, and totally perfect for wandering around Chandi Chowk market, the imposing Red Fort and the bustling Mosque, where the hypnotic and hauntingly beautiful call to prayer echoes throughout. We drink countless cups of chai sitting on street corners, watching the frenetic hustle and bustle of Old Delhi whizz past. It's a perfect and completely unexpected day.
Back in Pahar Ganj, night has set in and so has the misty chill that permeates the city. To keep the chill at bay, we head to a little rooftop restaurant and have a couple of beers ("special tea", wink wink). Although a little expensive, it can be worthwhile to enjoy a rooftop eaterie once in a while - the sheer number of beggars, street kids, scammers and touts that frequent the ground-level cafes can be a bit overwhelming at times.
Then, on the short walk back to the hotel, veritable disaster strikes. O - rather naively - goes to pet a fat, docile looking labrador, when it suddenly lunges at him and bites him pretty badly in the most unfortunate of places.
Right in the bollock.
There is a lot of blood and the quite a significant open wound, so we head straight to the nearest ER hospital. Thankfully we don't have to wait too long, but the hospital is questionable at best. Grimy, dirty and ramshackle, it's definitely not hygienic, but faced with little other choice it will have to do. Nurses and doctors are dressed very casually in jeans and t-shirts, and it's difficult to identify who they actually are, so when we eventually find someone "official" looking, he nonchalantly requests that O clean the wound himself in the public toilet before being seen by a doctor. Toilets in India are scary places - stinking, dirty cess-pits that have induced vomit in me several times. And sadly, the toilet situation in this hospital is no better; no electricity, dirt everywhere and a distinct reek of shit. But somehow he manages, and within minutes he is lying on an a bed being stitched and jagged with a variety of painkillers and potent anti-rabies vaccines. To the credit of the hopsital - which is a standard government hospital - the whole process in pretty quick, and there is no charge for services rendered and very little paperwork to filled out. The only cost to O is the antibiotics that he will require for the subsequent 2 weeks.
We are both completly astounded by the bizarre turn of events - what a shit end to a great day! But lesson learned -NEVER NEVER NEVER TOUCH THE DOGS IN INDIA!
So, with a bit drama to add some masala to proceedings, I decide stay in Delhi with O. There's no way that I can leave him invalided and hobbling about like an old man. And besides, (for those of you that can't read between the lines), we are enjoying a lovely little Delhi romance. I'm in no rush to be anywhere, so why not hang out a bit longer?
The next couple of days are spent wandering the city - getting lost and finding ourselves hours later. It's actually a really enjoyable way to see Delhi and we discover plenty of places that otherwise we wouldnt have seen. About a 20 minute walk from the hustle of Pahar Ganj is Connaught Place - an absolutely beautiful part of the city. Clean, afflent and filled with designer shops and chains like Levi's, Costa Coffee and Marks and Spencers, Connaught Place doesnt feel particuarly like the India that I know. Rich trendy young Indians everywhere, couples holding hands and barely a saree in sight. It's all skinny jeans and even a few high heels. At this point, it feel as though we could be in any city in Europe - even in London. It makes quite a refreshing change, and we while away the hours sitting in the central park chatting.
On our last night in Delhi, we decide to switch hotels to something a little better. The hot water that was promised in the first hotel never materialised once, and the noise of the man next door snorning is becoming ridiculous. So for the same price, we find a quieter place just 5 minutes walk away, with hot running water and a balcony, with great views over...the graveyard. At least we are promised a decent nights sleep!
The next day, we have a train-station farewell; O is bound for Agra, and I am heading to Dehradun in Uttarkhand, where I will start a 10-day silent meditation. Delhi has really been a pleasant surprise - somehow my plan for 1 hour has turned in to 4 great days. And I have finally overcome my Delhi fear, and would be happy to return alone again.
Now the question remains...will the pale Scottish girl and O - stranges on a train - be reunited again...?
DELHI
If you arrive to New Delhi railway station, then Pahar Ganj and the Main Bazaar are a 2 minute walk away. DONT SPEAK TO OR TRUST ANYONE IN NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION. I have spoken to too many people who have been ripped off/scammed/nearly POISONED here. Just be calm, breeze through the crowds and walk to Main Bazaar to find a hotel.
The closest metro stop to here is Ramakrishna Ashra Marg.
Where to stay: Prince Palace Hotel, just off of the main bazaar. Large, spacious rooms, very clean, wifi, TV, hot running water and some rooms even have balconies. Quiet side-street, but right in the centre of the action. We paid Rs500 for a double room.
Eating: There are hundreds of places to choose from -street food is always brilliant and mega cheap. Food prices range from Rs10 upwards. Beers are significantly more pricey. Ask for "Special Tea" and be prepared to pay around Rs150 or a can of Kigfisher.
Getting Around: Cycle rickshaws are pretty decent for short journeys, and auto rickshaws are useful for the places that the metro doesnt cover. Journeys on the metro are swift and efficient, and cost from Rs12. It's arguably the best way to cover the city easily and quickly.
Shopping: The street around the Main Bazaar are backpackers paradise, and sell all of the usual tat, but at very very good prices. Great place to pick up essentials and clothes cheaply.
What to Do: Old Delhi is a must see - the bustling Chandi Chowk, the Red Fort and India Gate are nice spots to visit, and the parliament and Presidential Palace are both very grand an opulent affairs. Just walk and discover!
Once upon a time, there was a pale (and by now, slightly smelly) Scottish girl travelling the vast and colourful country of India, with only a dirty backpack and a Dostoyevsky for company. She had seen many beautiful and shanti places, but now the inevitable had happened. She had to go to the dark and dangerous city of Delhi. With anxiety in her heart she boarded her carriage, and there in front of her stood a tall, dark, handsome stranger with an exotic accent. Soon, her fears would melt, and for a few days, Delhi would become their own little kingdom....
Enough of that though - here's how it really went.
As I board the night train from Varanasi, I am feeling totally apprehensive about arriving to Delhi, and feel completely resolute in my decision to get out of there as soon as possible. Recently, there have been increasing reports in the Indian media of horrific gang rapes of women in the city, and the week before I am due to arrive, a Danish woman is gang-raped right in the heart of the tourist district of Pahar Ganj. I have planned to spend only 1 hour maximum there; just enough time to catch a bus to the foothills of the Himalayas. But of course, this being India, things never ususally turn out as you expect them. Take all of your plans, ideas and expectations and forget them...
The train journey from Varanasi turns out to be one of the best train journeys that I have taken in India. In my little carriage, there are 2 hilarious Danish guys, a group of Indian art students, and a solo Catalan, who for the purposes of this story, we shall call O. It's a really nice group, and the journey passes pretty quickly as we sit up chatting till late, while the (super talented) artists sketch for us, and draw portraits. Of course, the trasin is late by 4 hours, and so by the time we arrive to Delhi the following day it's already too late for me to catch my connecting bus. I'm absolutely knackered anyway - the train was freezing cold so i barely managed to sleep - and a dodgy bag of namkeen that I ate is coming back to haunt me. I feel feverish, my stomach is aching and it's becoming increasily essential that I am near to a toilet at all times. Basically im living in constant fear that I could shit myself at any time. Disgusting, but the harsh reality of anyone travelling in India. So with little choice, i decide to spend the night in Delhi.
The Danish boys, who have a significantly higher budget than me, disappear off to an upmarket hotel, while me and O (whose budgets are what I would refer to as "rockbottom") decide to find a cheaper place, and split the cost of a room. We quickly find a pokey wee room on the Main Bazaar for Rs500, and although it's no great shakes, I'm too tired to care.
After a spot of food, I spend the afternoon wandering around the Pahar Ganj area, deftly trying to dodge the countless touts and scammers trying to sell me hash/opium/gemstones/pashminas/train tickets. The Main Bazaar is a long straight street lined with typical tourirst-tat market stalls and hotels with the obligatory neon signs - and for precisely this reason, it reminds me of a much smellier, much grimier version of the Khao San Road in Bangkok.
Desite my initial apprehensions though, I am not completely repelled or intimidated by Delhi. Yes it's stressful, yes its cold and and yes it's the offically the most polluted city in the world, but it's significantly better than I anticipated. WIth the benefit of hindsight, I now understand that my fears and negativity towards Delhi have been completely internalised. It is not the city that is negative, but my attitude towards it. The same can be said for other places, for people, for anything really. Negativity is an attitude that we project upon something.
So I allow myself to surrender to Delhi; to wander the market and to roll with it. In the evening, me and O head off exploring all of the little narrow backstreets and alleyways in Pahar Ganj. There is no way I would have done this alone in Delhi, and so for the first time in a long time I am grateful to have man around to walk with me. Although it is still my plan to get up early the next morning and head out of town, me and O sit up all night talking, and before we know it, it's 7 am - and time for a sleep. So it looks though I won't be catching my 10am bus again!
After a very indulgent lie-in, me and O decide to spend the day doing a little sight-seeing around the city - we may as well since we are here! So we head down to the metro - a clean, modern and totally efficient transport network spanning much of the city - and go to Old Delhi. It's a warm and breezy Sunday afternoon, and totally perfect for wandering around Chandi Chowk market, the imposing Red Fort and the bustling Mosque, where the hypnotic and hauntingly beautiful call to prayer echoes throughout. We drink countless cups of chai sitting on street corners, watching the frenetic hustle and bustle of Old Delhi whizz past. It's a perfect and completely unexpected day.
Back in Pahar Ganj, night has set in and so has the misty chill that permeates the city. To keep the chill at bay, we head to a little rooftop restaurant and have a couple of beers ("special tea", wink wink). Although a little expensive, it can be worthwhile to enjoy a rooftop eaterie once in a while - the sheer number of beggars, street kids, scammers and touts that frequent the ground-level cafes can be a bit overwhelming at times.
Then, on the short walk back to the hotel, veritable disaster strikes. O - rather naively - goes to pet a fat, docile looking labrador, when it suddenly lunges at him and bites him pretty badly in the most unfortunate of places.
Right in the bollock.
There is a lot of blood and the quite a significant open wound, so we head straight to the nearest ER hospital. Thankfully we don't have to wait too long, but the hospital is questionable at best. Grimy, dirty and ramshackle, it's definitely not hygienic, but faced with little other choice it will have to do. Nurses and doctors are dressed very casually in jeans and t-shirts, and it's difficult to identify who they actually are, so when we eventually find someone "official" looking, he nonchalantly requests that O clean the wound himself in the public toilet before being seen by a doctor. Toilets in India are scary places - stinking, dirty cess-pits that have induced vomit in me several times. And sadly, the toilet situation in this hospital is no better; no electricity, dirt everywhere and a distinct reek of shit. But somehow he manages, and within minutes he is lying on an a bed being stitched and jagged with a variety of painkillers and potent anti-rabies vaccines. To the credit of the hopsital - which is a standard government hospital - the whole process in pretty quick, and there is no charge for services rendered and very little paperwork to filled out. The only cost to O is the antibiotics that he will require for the subsequent 2 weeks.
We are both completly astounded by the bizarre turn of events - what a shit end to a great day! But lesson learned -NEVER NEVER NEVER TOUCH THE DOGS IN INDIA!
So, with a bit drama to add some masala to proceedings, I decide stay in Delhi with O. There's no way that I can leave him invalided and hobbling about like an old man. And besides, (for those of you that can't read between the lines), we are enjoying a lovely little Delhi romance. I'm in no rush to be anywhere, so why not hang out a bit longer?
The next couple of days are spent wandering the city - getting lost and finding ourselves hours later. It's actually a really enjoyable way to see Delhi and we discover plenty of places that otherwise we wouldnt have seen. About a 20 minute walk from the hustle of Pahar Ganj is Connaught Place - an absolutely beautiful part of the city. Clean, afflent and filled with designer shops and chains like Levi's, Costa Coffee and Marks and Spencers, Connaught Place doesnt feel particuarly like the India that I know. Rich trendy young Indians everywhere, couples holding hands and barely a saree in sight. It's all skinny jeans and even a few high heels. At this point, it feel as though we could be in any city in Europe - even in London. It makes quite a refreshing change, and we while away the hours sitting in the central park chatting.
On our last night in Delhi, we decide to switch hotels to something a little better. The hot water that was promised in the first hotel never materialised once, and the noise of the man next door snorning is becoming ridiculous. So for the same price, we find a quieter place just 5 minutes walk away, with hot running water and a balcony, with great views over...the graveyard. At least we are promised a decent nights sleep!
The next day, we have a train-station farewell; O is bound for Agra, and I am heading to Dehradun in Uttarkhand, where I will start a 10-day silent meditation. Delhi has really been a pleasant surprise - somehow my plan for 1 hour has turned in to 4 great days. And I have finally overcome my Delhi fear, and would be happy to return alone again.
Now the question remains...will the pale Scottish girl and O - stranges on a train - be reunited again...?
DELHI
If you arrive to New Delhi railway station, then Pahar Ganj and the Main Bazaar are a 2 minute walk away. DONT SPEAK TO OR TRUST ANYONE IN NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION. I have spoken to too many people who have been ripped off/scammed/nearly POISONED here. Just be calm, breeze through the crowds and walk to Main Bazaar to find a hotel.
The closest metro stop to here is Ramakrishna Ashra Marg.
Where to stay: Prince Palace Hotel, just off of the main bazaar. Large, spacious rooms, very clean, wifi, TV, hot running water and some rooms even have balconies. Quiet side-street, but right in the centre of the action. We paid Rs500 for a double room.
Eating: There are hundreds of places to choose from -street food is always brilliant and mega cheap. Food prices range from Rs10 upwards. Beers are significantly more pricey. Ask for "Special Tea" and be prepared to pay around Rs150 or a can of Kigfisher.
Getting Around: Cycle rickshaws are pretty decent for short journeys, and auto rickshaws are useful for the places that the metro doesnt cover. Journeys on the metro are swift and efficient, and cost from Rs12. It's arguably the best way to cover the city easily and quickly.
Shopping: The street around the Main Bazaar are backpackers paradise, and sell all of the usual tat, but at very very good prices. Great place to pick up essentials and clothes cheaply.
What to Do: Old Delhi is a must see - the bustling Chandi Chowk, the Red Fort and India Gate are nice spots to visit, and the parliament and Presidential Palace are both very grand an opulent affairs. Just walk and discover!
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