We left Rishikesh on Saturday, February 22. We flew directly to Delhi, as Catherine was leaving from there back to Australia the next day. Ryan was nice enough to let us stay at his apartment again, even though he was back in Australia for a couple of weeks.
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| Hauz Khas (photo courtesy of the internets) |
Once settled, we caught a cab to the Hauz Khas village for dinner and exploration. Hauz Khas itself is actually the ruins of a 13th-14th century water reservoir and religious school that now serves as a popular hangout for students, musicians and young lovers. Access to the ruins is almost completely unrestricted, so people can be found all over. I'd never been to such a relaxed public space in India, and the fact that it was among medivial ruins made it even cooler. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to take any pictures. Surrounding the ruins is the Hauz Khas village - a collection of boutiques, restaurants and bars strung through a series of narrow streets. The look and vibe reminded me a bit of Yorkville in Toronto, but less high-end. Again, I'd never been to an area like this in India; it was great.
For dinner we ate at a Tibetan restauant called Yeti that had been recommended to us. The food was incredible and unlike anything I'd ever tasted, including cured bison salad and fried goat lung (surpringly delicious).
Following dinner I focused on finding accomodations for the next day, given that Catherine was flying out in the morning and I would have to vacate Ryan's apartment with her. I was a bit stressed, as the rates in Delhi were very high and most of the cheaper-plus-nice options were booked up. I was annoyed at myself for not having reserved anything earlier and was very much hoping to avoid the possibility of being virtually homeless at 7:00 am the next morning. Once back at Ryan's, I eventually found a room in a centrally-located YMCA hostel that had a decent review in Lonely Planet, albeit with "an institutional vibe and hint of eau de mothball". At this 11th hour (literally), I was in little position to be choosy. Relieved to have a place to go the next day, I finished the night drinking beer while listening to classic rock and watching Catherine pack her bags.
We vacated Ryan's apartment at 7 o'clock the next morning and said our goodbyes. Inevitably, it was a bit sad, but we were happy to have spent many nice days discovering India together; it really made the journey a lot more fun. The memorable random encounters and fast friendships like this are one of the best and most memorable parts of travelling solo. Even though you might not keep in touch regularly or at all once home, it's nice to know that you've got friends to visit should you ever be in their part of the world. The goodbyes are always a drag, but that's the way it goes.
The rest of the day was equal parts good and annoying. I arrived at the YMCA hostel before 8:00 am, but was not able to check in before noon. With four hours to kill, I took advantage of thier internet in the lobby to make some calls and send some emails. I then took a walk up to touristy Connaught Place, which is supposed to be worth visiting, but is definitely not at 8:00 am on a Sunday morning. Instead of browsing up-market shops and restaurants (all closed at this hour), I only encountered desparate rickshaw drivers and people trying scam me in one way or another. That and the fact that a political rally was about to get under way close by gave the area an eery vibe, so turned around and headed south to the National Museum and the Rajpath - a long mall linking various government offices, the Presidential residence and a stone memorial arch called the India Gate.
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| Thanks guys, but the flags were really not necessary |
This part of the area known as New Delhi is organized via a series of large, tree-lined boulevards that are home to many civic offices, institutions, monuments and museums. Visually the district is very nice, but the large boulevards would be better explored by car. The walking can get long and monotonous, and many intersections have large roundabouts that make crossing by foot a challenge. Once I got to the Rajpath, things got more interesting. On its western end is the 340-room Presidential residence, flanked by the cemetrical, dome-crowned North and South Secretariats that house various government ministries. The architecture and vastness of the space is very impressive. I was also surprised to see the Canadian flag hanging from many of the flag poles. It turns out that the Canadian Governor General was visiting at the same time as me. ...but I like to think that the flags were in honour of my visit.
I then headed to the National Museum, which contains artifacts from India's last 5000 years (5000 freakin' years!). Lonely Planet lists the museum as a must-do in Delhi and I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the museum's layout and organization grossly failed to do justice to its vast collection. I don't think I've ever been in such an underwhelming national museum that did so little to get its visitors excited about the history and artifacts it was designed to showcase. When information was offered about a particular collection, it was way too detailed. Otherwise, there was nothing at all. Lonely Planet suggested two hours to half a day for a visit, but I think I breezed through in under an hour. If the goal was to get me completely unexcited about the history of India, they succeeded that afternoon.
Apart from a biryani at a popular local canteen, the next few hours were a drag and consisted mostly of sitting in the lobby of the YMCA hostel (into which I had not yet formally checked in) and mooching their wifi to reschedule my flight to Bangkok from Thursday (i.e. four days away) to tomorrow (Monday). The reason for the change was that I was not feeling the Delhi vibes. Notwithstanding the fact that I had several friends in the city, I wasn't interested in four additional days of sightseeing here. Most people will tell you that Delhi is a hard city and after just a bit of time there I was feeling the same. In Mumbai nobody paid me much attention, but in Delhi I constantly felt like I stood out and that someone was looking to take advantage of me. To be fair, I didn't visit many places in the city, but the short amount of time I'd spent there didn't leave me wanting more. Hence my decision to get the hell out of dodge ASAP.
With my flight successfully rescheduled to the following morning, I paid my friend Anika and her family a brief visit and then went to join my Hampi friends Rahul and Rashmi at the rock gym for some climbing. Rahul was kind enough to arrange a night's accomodations for me at his friend's place in south Delhi, so I didn't even spend a single rupee for a night's stay at the Y.
I was only that evening that I realized that I was spending my last night in India. It came so suddenly that it was difficult for me to process. I didn't feel happy or sad; nor was I even mentally prepared for Thailand. But there I was, so I bid farewell to my friends that night and got ready for the next phase of my journey. Overall, I can say that the almost two months I spent in India were very positive and even exceeded my expectations - exceeded in the sense that travelling solo in the country was not as challenging as I thought it might be, nor did I suffer much culture shock. There were many things I had to adapt or get used to, this wasn't a big deal for the most part. On the other hand, what I'll most remember are the many amazing things that I saw, the oddball1 day-to-day stuff that made me smile, and the people that I met along the way.
Some things that I won't miss from India:
- Constant f'ing honking
- Too many motorcycles and scooters
- Litter everywhere
- Stepping in cow patties (though this is kind of funny)
- Rats crawling around after dark
- Rickshaw drivers telling you they know your destination and halfway through the ride you realize that they've no bloody idea
- Trying to find your bus at the bus station, where all the busses are unmarked and there are no signs on anything and people point you in different directions
- Indian beer, with its added corn syrup, sugar and preservatives
Some things that I will miss:
- The amazing people I met throughout my travels, including Dolly, Bakhu, Gauvind, Tanvi and her family, Reema, Kaashvi, Zoya, Arthur, Dhillan, Vinay, Banit, Suhail, Rahul, Rashmi, Soren from Denmark, the folks at Goan Corner, Neha, Sharvari, Pallavi, Anika and her family, Sreemoyi, Sudeep, Shraddhaa and her family, Jon from New York, Ryan, and Catherine.
- The food, oh, the food! ,,.and for cheap!
- The cute, carefree kids and women dressed in beautiful saris
- Cows, chickens, monkeys, pigs, goats, dogs, cats, etc., roaming free on the street
- Rickshaw rides
- Seeing vehicles carrying way too many passengers
- The Indian head wobble (yes, no, hello and more - all in one!)
A few photos:
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| The North Secretariat |
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| The Presidential residence |
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| Outdoor bouldering in Delhi |
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