Namaste! Welcome to India: New Dehli

“Namaste!”  Welcome.  Holding both hands in a prayer like position in front of your face and bowing your head slightly.  Welcome to India!  We were greeted with warmth and open-hearted friendliness.  We realized, with great pleasure, we were back in Asia…

I had this idea about Dehli as suffocating, the heat unbearable, pollution, half-limped beggars not letting you out of their sight and a concrete jungle that would pollute my soul.  But I was quite surprised to find (yes, a bit of the above) a lot of trees, green shrubbery and parks, beautiful monuments, laughing men stopping in the middle of a traffic circle to chat or just to say hi, beautiful women in colorful, bright saris which swoosh around the bells on their ankles as they walk.  Children dressed in neat school clothes on their way to school,”tuc-tucs” hooting around every corner (and every other moving vehicle for that matter).  But the noise didn’t agitate or irritate.  Instead, it welcomed, embraced and enriched the senses.   And so did the rest of India. 

Paharganj - this photo represents India for me:  the hustle and bustle, the sounds, the smells, every tangible object moving and me, the observer, caught in the middle of it all, being absorbed by it all.

The heart of Dehli

We explored the heart of Dehli on our first day and found green parks, lush trees and a lot of wreckless driving...



Rajpath (King's Way), stretching from India Gate to the president palace.  Lined on both sides by green lawns and trees. 

India Gate - commemorates Indian soldiers who lost their lives in World War 1

The Lotus temple

The Qutab Minar 

The Qutab Minar - 72.5 meter red sandstone tower

Paharganj 

Paharganj is a bustling market place, ideal for backpackers with affordable hotels, restaurants and shops.  Diwali (the 5 day Hindu festival of lights) was just around the corner and all the stalls and shops were selling lights, candles and accessories transforming the streets into a festive hub.
We used this spot to do all our shopping for family and friends back home.  Really affordable clothes, shoes, leather products, beautiful embroideries and jewellery can be found.