May 22 – India

We arrived in Delhi late and shared a taxi with a guy we met on the plane, Charles, also from Montreal. I have been looking forward to India since we started the trip but I wasn’t sure what to expect. So many people we met have said that Delhi was extremely hectic and overwhelming. We were told that we would be constantly harassed by vendors, beggars, kids, taxi drivers, etc… But it’s not nearly as bad as what we were expecting. Maybe because it’s the low season for tourism or maybe because after Africa everything seems relatively tame. Delhi still is definitely intense; there are cars honking, cows in the streets, monkeys climbing around on electrical wires and rickshaw drivers everywhere. The biggest shock is the heat – it’s usually around 45^oC before humidity and combined with the air pollution, it sometimes makes our eyes burn.

We spent our first day in Delhi planning an itinerary for India, wandering the streets, sampling the delicious food and getting Lungi some traditional clothing so that she feels more comfortable walking around. The tailor insisted that she wear a thin scarf to cover her “lumps”.

 

 

Rather than taking buses and trains, we’ve hired a car and driver for the week to drive us through Rajasthan, a desert area south-west of Delhi. After a 6 hour drive through green desert and some minor car problems, we arrived in a small town called Mandawa (population of about 15,000). The town is filled with Havelis, mansions built 200 to 300 years ago by wealthy families. They are covered inside and out with colourful paintings telling stories of the Maharaja’s, Krishna, Ganesh and the caravans that would pass through as part of the silk route. We are actually staying in a Haveli which has been converted into a beautiful hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we’re continuing our road trip and heading to the religious town of Pushkar.