Arriving and Surviving (The Beginning)

By Kat and Denise

We arrived at noon on Saturday, in New Delhi. Armed with nothing but a name and address, we rode the 2 hot miles to Hotel Blessings via bicycle rickshaws. After settling in our (air conditioned, thank god) room, we went for a walk to a nearby bustling bazaar loaded with daily goods for locals and souvenirs for tourists, alike. 

Jama Majid 

Initially, we explored the bazaar, fighting to suppress our culture shock. Our curiosity and excitement, hand in hand with the vibrance of Delhi, helped us overcome our surprise at our dirty and dusty surroundings, the extreme poverty evident ten times over on every city block. Yet this is what we bargained for. We knew what we were getting ourselves in to. For most Americans, India is not an “easy” vacation, but rather an enriching and challenging adventure. One has to be able to look past the apparent  injustices and inequities within and between countries, and learn to strip away ethnocentric understandings and judgements on the meaning of life, success, and happiness. Because in reality, happiness isn’t dependent on wealth, material possessions, or just one socially constructed definition of success. 

Humayun's Tomb

Our second day, we took a marathon tour of Delhi, with the help of Bhanu, our new friend and travel advisor. He arranged for an unassuming man, by the name of Anil, to drive us around to enumerable sights, including the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutb Minar, the Bahai Lotus Temple, and Lodhi Garden. While our ability to communicate with Anil was minimal, his deep understanding of the city, and the comfort of an air conditioned taxi, were all we needed. Each of these sights, was a popular tourist destination, not just for foreigners, but for Indians hailing from all parts of the country. Yet, at each of these sights, to many, we were a novelty. We were repeatedly approached by men, women, and children alike to pose for a photo with them. We’d often try to communicate with our new friends, but while everyone said they spoke english, hoping to practice and sincerely wanting to help, most knew only a few select words. 

Qutb Minar

We went into this trip knowing that we both have the tendency to do too much. Within 24 hours, we broke our own rule (or the one that Kirk Wilson proposed), which was to pace ourselves, in order to not overwhelm ourselves. We learned quickly that we don’t need to see every single tourist sight. With lessons learned, we ended the day with a tour of Old Delhi, and delicious North Indian cuisine with Bhanu. 

Lotus Temple

Monday, we did a handful of errands, worked with Bhanu and a number of agents at the train station, to develop our itinerary. We found ourselves much more relaxed and assimilated for our train ride to Amritsar on Tuesday.