My visit to North India

Having traveled for most of my life, I made it a point to visit a new destination every year. The main intention of this is to gain an appreciation of different cultures, experience unique customs and submerge myself in the lives of the locals who lived in that location.

I visited India many times although most of my previous trips were to the South of India which was quite similar in many ways to my home - Sri Lanka (in most aspects).

I was presented with an opportunity to visit India's Capital in December of 2018 along with another destination close to the Pakistan border - namely Srinagar.

At first I was quite apprehensive because of the horror stories I heard with regards to the pollution and crime rate. Being rated as the number 4 most dangerous city for women and one of the most polluted cities in the world only added to my anxiety but I looked forward to my trip as a new adventure.

So.. it was pre Christmas and I found myself at the Indira Ghandi International Airport with a middle aged man holding a signboard with my name on it.

"Sir - you are late, please pay for parking" was the first conversation I had in Delhi minus the brief chatter with the immigration officials.

I remember zig-zagging through night traffic and the only phrase I could use to describe all the mayhem on the street was "Organized Chaos". There were cops trying their very best to bring in some order to the traffic only to have them side-swiped by the odd auto-rickshaw. There were pedestrians being practically mowed down at pedestrian crossings while some were daring enough to make a dash for it.

I arrived at my hotel which I selected for its location. I wanted to located in the center of Delhi and according to a number of websites on the internet, the epicenter of Delhi was in this area called Pahargan. My hotel was in the Main Bazar and it certainly lived up to its reputation on the web. There was a buzz of activity with shoppers, random people making their way towards the railway stations and of-course the odd foreign backpacker.

Upon checking into the hotel, I noticed that there weren't any females at the reception or for that matter in house keeping, or even in any other department at the hotel. This was a bit strange for me because in the South of India, you would always see a lady in the hospitality trade.

As soon as I walked into my room, I wanted to run a hot shower after my long trip. However, as the hot water didn't seem to work, I asked the reception to send someone upstairs to fix the problem. A large burly man came up to the room and said "Sir, my shift is over and I only came to help you." In a couple of minutes he identified the problem and voila there was hot water. However, he didn't seem to want to leave and asked for a tip for his overtime. I am normally fine with the concept of forking out a little extra for discretionary work but I though it was not too much to ask for the room that I had just paid for to have the basic amenities such as hot water to be working. This was my first lesson in India and from that moment on, I always made it a point to have small notes in my pockets. I realized that even though I had paid the tour operators for a city excursion I had to tip the driver, the guides and anyone else who I came into contact with during my visit.

While visiting some of the heritage sites in North India such as the India Gate, Taj Mahal and Gulmarg in Sri Nagar - I was approached by a a number of people selling anything and everything you can imagine. There were people wanting to take my picture, there were pony unions who insisted you traveled to certain locations only via their modes of transport and sellers of antiques, clothes and food. I remember telling one of my tour guides as I stood at the Taj Mahal that I would really be able to enjoy the view even better if I didn't have someone try to sell me something every time I took a step forward. My guide gave me the nest advise however, and I honestly believe it works. He said "Sir, don't look at them, don't even make conversation with them because if you do, they have reason to come behind you. Simply walk past them." This works I tell you and it helped me to selectively block out these travelling merchants.

In terms of the safety aspect, I feel I was residing in a rougher area of town and although there were backpackers and the location was close to the main railway station, there was always an element of edginess which I felt even during the day. The hotel staff told me to make sure I kept an eye on my valuables and that pick pocketing was the most notable crime in the area. I can imagine why - It would probably be easy to flick someone's wallet in a crowd of hundreds of people walking in opposite directions without the fear of being caught.

I visited a few local markets but made it a point to get back before it got dark. As I sat down for dinner at my rooftop restaurant at the Shelton Hotel - I asked the waiters as to their views on the safety of the city. "It is perfectly safe in the mornings Sir, but be very careful at night time. It is not safe for men or women to go out." I actually asked a number of people the same question and the answers were quite similar in nature. I remember one night when a friend visiting from Sri Lanka wanted to meet up for chat. She was staying at a hotel which according to google maps was 50 meters away albeit it not in a straight line. The 50 meters involved a few short cuts through a few alleys and walkways. As I walked down to the lobby at around 10:15pm, I enabled my google maps on my smart phone and camouflaged myself as a local and was ready for a small adventure. However upon reaching the front of my hotel, the bell boy ran up to me and asked me where I was going. "Sir, I think it is better if I come with you. There are may drunkeds on the street. I will wait for you and walk back with you." At first I though he was pitching this story for a tip but as I walked down the by-roads I saw a few men in groups who were slightly intoxicated (maybe to fight the cold nights) and other random people who handing around the corners of the block. I noticed there simply were no women on the street at this time and even as a male, I felt as though I needed to watch my step. I did see the odd policeman on the roads but I was told that they were heavily bribed and often turned a blind eye on certain illegal activities. I remember one person on the street that night offering to take to this street called GB Road which was tipped to be the red light district of Delhi.

Understandable I understood why the travel advisories were so critical on India's Administrative Capital. I honestly was on pins for much of my stay.. However what I took away from the experience was despite all the shortcomings that I encountered, Delhi still had a charm which is unmatched to no other place. The phrase I used before - "Organized Chaos" was a perfect representation of my sentiment. No one can argue that the heritage and diversity in cultures found in India is amazing. I remember standing in front of the Taj Mahal in awe! I remember looking at the Himalayan Mountains from Sri Nagar in wonder and walking through the bustling shopping bazars and streets thinking to myself "there is nowhere else like this". The food is simply irresistible and every person I met had some story to tell. For example: My Cab driver from the airport said that he earned INR.10,000 a month and he paid rent in Delhi for accommodation of INR.6000. The remaining money was used for his wife and two daughters while sending some money home to his parents and unmarried sisters. He told me that he has come to Delhi to make a better life for his family and that his parents were poor an uneducated and he migrated to the big city to provide a better life for this family. He works 12 hours every day and whenever he gets home, his kids are asleep. He works on weekends and holidays - and he has been doing the same job for the last 20 years. "I cannot afford to loose this job because there are enough of drivers in Delhi. Where will I go it I leave this place."

There were times when I felt that the tips that were asked for were justifiable and I did wish from the bottom of my heart that I could help more people out. This experience did not only open my eyes to the beauty and heritage of India, nor did it fortify what the news said about Delhi - but mostly this trip helped me better understand and empathize with some of the population and gain an appreciation of life in the big city. I learned that there were so many missing children who passed through the Delhi Railway Station on a daily basis who were either rescued or who fell in the hands of predators looking to exploit them. Apparently the average time for a child to be picked up is 15 minutes. That is the window that a kid needed to be rescued by the authorities before he/she went missing forever.

For me, I could not simply get all this experience by reading a lonely planet. This was boots on the ground and getting an actual taste of India's Big Apple. It was an amazing experience and although my perspective may be narrow considering the fat that I only spent a week in Delhi, I have many take aways from trip which I hope will make me a better person, and gain perspective. I know that this article only covers one side of the spectrum and I am sure life in the South Delhi or Noida may provide a contrasting point of view. However, this is what I saw and what I felt during my stay.

Delhi is an amazing place and will provide you with an education that's beyond a typical travel destination.