Adventures in Delhi

Adventure 1: Walk to Lotus Temple from hotel
A walk in a city should be pretty easy, no? Especially when the walk is about a mile. Yeah, that's not so in Delhi. Co-worker S and I decided to walk to Lotus Temple from the hotel, just as a break from being driven around everywhere (yeah, a hard life). The walk started by asking the security guard at the gate of the hotel which way Lotus Temple was. When he just stared at us, a 'helpful' rickshaw driver pointed the direction and said it was very very far, why don't you take my rickshaw? No thanks, walking today. The temple is less than a mile away.

Except that mile turns into 2 when trying to actually walk there. Lotus Temple is the neat looking thing on the map

It was a hour-long walking journey where the sidewalks disappear and reappear covered in who-knows-what, crossing streets where pedestrian crossings just don't exist, walking on an overpass, dodging cars and rickshaws and bikes and motorcycles, seeing Ecto-Cooler water underneath a bridge. And it was fun! I'm just glad I don't have to do it every day.

The end result of the walk was awesome. Lotus Temple was built in the late 1980s for people of the Bahá'í faith. It's made of concrete, but you would never guess it. It looks amazing and is peaceful and serene inside.

Lotus Temple

Adventure 2: Auto Rickshaw

We were tired of walking in the 90+ deg. heat, so we took an auto rickshaw to our next destination, Connaught Place. Auto rickshaws are everywhere in Delhi, small and sneaky in traffic. No doors and no seatbelts, but they can't go super fast so it's ok. You just have to trust the drivers here. They know what they're doing.

The pervasive auto rickshaw. Don't be fooled by the lack of traffic, we happened to find one of very few empty streets in Delhi, and it was wonderful

Connaught Place was a total disappointment. It's basically like the mall shops around Times Square. But dirtier. And, it's listed as one of THE places to see in Delhi. All was not lost though, we had an excellent Indian veg lunch there. Mmm coconut rice.


Adventure 3: To Market!
We asked our auto ricksaw driver dynamic duo to take us to Dilli Haat, an outdoor market. Along the way we stopped in some ritzy shop (very nice, very popular say the rickshaw guys). Mhmm. After laughing out of the store at the prices, we went to Delhi Haat, which is not an outdoor market. It's a shop. They must make a killing on tourists. Yep, I bought stuff there too. So, real Dilli Haat next weekend.

One of my favorite things in Delhi is what's written on the back of trucks and buses

STOP
Please Honk
Use Dipper at Night

Everything that's aggressive driving in the US is normal driving to Indians. Constant honking, flashing lights at night, weaving in and out of traffic, 10 cars going through a red light. One of my favorite traffic signs? Lane Driving Sane Driving.

The view from the auto rickshaw

Adventure 4: Sunday Brunch
Apparently THE thing to do for Delhi's elite is to go to Sunday brunch. With unlimited champagne. So we went. Easily the most ridiculous, extravagant thing I've ever done (that list keeps growing while I'm here, btw). We drank our champagne and watched a bunch of expat kids running around the lawn unsupervised while their parents drank their champagne in the AC. Yeah. Today felt like college again: wake up late, go to brunch, take a nap, avoid the (home)work you should have done all weekend. Except I drank half a bottle of champagne with my brunch, took a rickshaw to and from expensive hotels instead of walking through the commons in my PJs, and napped in a 5* hotel.

If you find this all completely absurd, don't worry. I do too.