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| Crazy statue of Lord Hanuman at metro entrance. |
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| New Delhi view from Moti Masjid Minaret. |
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| Peter devours meat at Karim's. |
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| Yes, the puddle is pee. |
We arrived in New Delhi Monday morning and after checking in at our hotel immediately set out on exploring the city. Wow. New Delhi is huge. There is no way to see the whole city in 2 days. You probably need at least a week here if you want to hit up all the important points on the map. The monuments are enormous, the streets are jam packed with people and traffic, and the distances are far. We decided to make use of the brand new (2002) metro system and it was very nice...clean and modern. You have to go through security to get in just like at the airport. The cars are set up New York style to fit in as many people as possible and boy were there lots of people on the train. We took the train around 11 am, which is not a very high traffic time, and we were literally squished in the car. I was the only woman there as they have special woman only cars where most women seem to go. Those were not as packed. Getting in was daunting because a mass of people exits at about the same time as another mass of people enters and you can only hope that you will make it in, or out. Everyone pushes and shoves. But, I guess that is pretty typical of India. Usually, when you stand in line people stand super close to the point that you are pressed up against the person in front and in back of you....there is no such thing as personal space. And not everyone uses deodorant! Also, in line at the ATM everyone looks at your screen while you enter your information and get money.
So, our first day we visited Old Delhi and walked through walls of people on the street markets. It seemed like we walked for miles because it was so difficult to weave through the masses. We tried to visit the Fort, but it was closed and so we visited the Moti Masjid, which is the largest Mosque in India. We ate the best dinner we have had in our entire stay in India at Karim's. We had an entire tandoori chicken as well as a few kebabs and the best naan in the world. We tore into our dinner like meat deprived carnivores. We also tried to return to our hotel on the metro, but the masses during rush hour proved to be our breaking point. As we watched people attempt to contort their bodies in order to fit into the tiniest bit of space between arms, legs, and the closing doors, we decided to take a rickshaw back. I wish that I had taken a picture, but photography was “strictly” prohibited and I was not about to take any chances with law enforcement in Asia.
Unfortunately, though, that night the infamous Delhi Belly struck once again. This time it was nausea and vomiting. I spent most of the night in the bathroom and most of the next day sleeping. So, we did not get to explore any more in Delhi. We missed out on Connaught Place, the Lotus Temple, and Humayun's Tomb. My last dinner in India was a banana while Peter went back to Karim's for another meat and naan feast.
Today we boarded the plane for Bangkok. We had a great flight. Thai Airways is excellent. The plane was spacious and comfortable...probably the best flight I have been on. There was a whole bank of bathrooms in the back of the plane. Each seat had a TV with a ton of movie options. It was so pleasant. When we arrived in Bangkok the airport was spotless and the city seems to be deserted compared to Delhi.
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