India - Part 1 - New Delhi

A year ago, I went to India with a group of friends that I also happen to work with for a wedding! Two of our friends tied the knot in a traditional ceremony in the groom's hometown of Bangalore. Why not take the opportunity to go half-way across the world and see a place I would probably never have the opportunity to see again? It has taken me a while to post pictures on social media and to tell all of the stories of our journey. Today I decided that it was time to start telling stories and then, eventually, I will get all the way through our trip. It is a fun way to look back at the pictures and remember the people encounters and the food and the history.

We start our journey with two 8 hour plane rides. The benefit of working where we work, everyone has status so we were able to sit in the area of the plane with more space and travelers like us who respect plane travel and keep to themselves. One of my pet peeves is people that make friends on a plane and/or are restless the entirety of the flight. But more on travel etiquette later...

Hanging out at the Airport Prior to Flight

Ben enjoying a cocktail

Layover at London/Heathrow and the British Airways Lounge

The five of us landed in New Delhi close to midnight and went straight to the hotel for sleeping. It worked out well because the next day, I had lots of stuff for us to see. July is the rainy season in India. The weather we encountered was like 90F with 90% humidity all of the time. I packed a lot of dri fit and I sweat a lot. The look I'm sporting below involves some Chaco sandals, luluLemon studio crop pants and a GapFit v-neck top.

Ready for Day 1

Lodi Gardens

India Gate

Lunch at Chicken Inn

Rajpath - Parliament Buidings

Rashtrapati Bhavan, the viceroy house, where the President of India lives.

At the Iron Gate

First Rikshaw Ride

Some things I learned the first day in a foreign, third world country:

1. Pack appropriately for the weather AND the culture
2. Know how much things are supposed to cost by using the Internet prior to going out
3. Travel with someone who can haggle and who isn't afraid of saying "no."
4. Always buy water bottles when you see them
5. Eat food that is fully cooked, no salad or vegetables that haven't seen a heat treatment

Day one was overwhelming to me. I wanted to take in everything, I didn't want to do anything a dumb American tourist would do and I had my fingers crossed that Trip Advisor hadn't steered me in the wrong direction with the sites to see. Fortunately for me, the day was a success and everyone was appreciative and exhausted. We all came to India with a common goal: see everything as completely as we could for the short amount of time we were there. Traveling with like-minded people makes travel more enjoyable. I see now why the last family vacation I went on was frustrating. It's hard to accommodate the needs of three generations of people. It just is. 

Day two was even busier than the first day and it came with its own challenges. We wanted to see things further away from the hotel which required transportation. Nick, our dad slash haggler, found the best offer and we were off!

Bahai Lotus Temple

Our Shoeless Feet inside the Temple

 There's a slight terror the first time you take off shoes and leave them in a public area. Will my shoes be there when I return? And luckily they were. The temple was beautiful inside. We were not allowed to take pictures. The grounds were peaceful and the temple itself was very peaceful. I see why places like this are good retreats for locals because the main city marketplaces are so chaotic.

Humayun's Tomb

Chandni Chowk, Marketplace

Ben & I ignoring all the stares

Lunch at Karim's

Jami Masjid, India's largest mosque

 Because we are not Muslim, we could not enter the mosque. The call to prayer filled up the entire marketplace and I found it so interesting. I had never been to a place with a large Muslim population.

Red Fort

Bich Taking Artistic Pics

Ben Watching the Sunset

Hauz Khas Village

Budweiser & Pizza for Dinner

For two days in New Delhi, I think we did a grand job. We saw a lot and all came away a little more educated and a little more appreciative of Dallas. Ben and I were in the minority in India with our blonde hair and light eyes. While in the grounds of Humayun's Tomb, two little girls followed Ben and giggled the entire time. We were told that fair skin and light eyes are a sign of good luck in some cultures and evidently it was true. Being stared at was weird. Going in to Chandni Chowk without a local or a guide was overwhelming. If you plan on going to local markets in India, go with someone that knows the lay of the land. Streets and alley ways all look the same and can be a cause for stress. While Bich was adventurous and just wanted to roam, it made me incredibly nervous. Having a balance for this situation was good because I did go to the market but I kept her from taking us down INCREDIBLY sketchy streets. The Red Fort was amazing. The detail in the columns and floors was soooooo impressive. The fort had some marble structures and craftsmanship which Bich took pictures of every two seconds. She did an amazing job documenting the whole trip, not just the fort. In the evening, we went to the "young" part of town and had pizza and beer at the club before crawling back to the hotel. I say crawling because our taxi was going against the grain to get out of Hauz Khas. When the street is only wide enough for one car, it makes travel difficult and requires a lot of creativity. There was honking. There was driving up and over things. There was a lot of holding my breath and gripping the armrest. 

You can look at the whole photo album here if you so desire. I hope you enjoyed my tales from New Delhi. 

xoxo,

Liz