We have been traveling in India just over a week now. Although I had read about what it would be like, listened to other travelers stories and even watched a few youtube videos, it was still a bit of a culture shock. There is so much to take in that it takes awhile for all the senses to adjust. The best thing we did was travel light - bringing only a small school backpack, with my SLR camera, 3 shirts, one pants, and one skirt! Granted a week into my trip I am a little tired of the same clothes which are a bit smelly :) but happy that traveling has been so much easier. Also a huge thanks to those who recommended pepto bismol tablets every morning. They have been working like a charm. The food here is amazingly good, and I am still not sick of eating Indian food every day. My goal is to try Shahi Paneer, my favorite dish, in every city. So far Delhi has been the best.
The first day began in Delhi with a tuttuk adventure through Old Dehli. There are no real driving lanes here. Instead, it was a dimension of ordered disorder at its finest, with a sea of cars, motorbikes and tuktuks jam packed, all simultaneously weaving in and out of non existent lanes often heading directly toward on coming traffic with a constant series of near misses. My favorite quote of the day was from Yenyy when she looked over at the car next to us and said "They aren't inches away from us, they are centimeters away!". It was true, and has became the norm.
The air in Delhi was thick and visibility low from a combination of dust from the dirt roads and pollution from the millions of cars on the road. The sound of constant horns blaring at first was over whelming, but your mind soon adjusts and in part takes comfort in knowing you are still alive. The smells were blurred with diseal, urine and curry.
Delhi is a big, over crowded city and in away like Bangkok. You must go, to know why you don't want to return. We did tour both Old and New Delhi but were happy to head to a new city.
