Sept 13th
Delhi
India is fucked! That is my first impression. Of course, I was staying in the Paraganj
which is the budget are of India. I arrived at like 4 in the morning and took a taxi
directly to my hotel. We got near there and my first instinct was to have him take me
somewhere else but I realized there were like 40 hotel so I figured I was in the right area.
I was warned by a friend to not stay in this area, but being cheap ($10-20/night) and close
to the train station I opted for this over other options. I went straight to bed and woke
up around noon to explore the local area. I walked to the pharmacy where of course they had
most every drug you could ask for w/o a prescription. I stocked up on antibiotics. A
months worth of diarrhea meds, malaria meds, valium, etc was like $10 total. Got a SIM card
for $2 and put $10 credit on there which supposedly lasts 500 minutes. The process was
ridiculus because I had to get a passport photo, photocopy of my passport, and lots of
details to get a SIM card, but I guess they want to be able to keep track of you. I figured
I had a month here so worth the hassle.
A walk down the street reveals the local scene. Stray dogs with more diseases than I've
ever seen in one animal. Distemper, mange, ticks, otitis, scars, etc on pretty much every
beast. They have rabies here so I didn't get to play with them that much :( At one point I
saw a guy carrying a dog with a sheet wrapped over its body so I assumed it was dead and he
was bringing it somewhere...soone enough it started to slip so he slung it over his back and
carried it by its back legs (head dangling downwards) for a block or two. I of course
followed this with my video camera. Pretty sure the guy was on drugs. He eventually slung
it onto the hood of a car. The locals were even looking at this guy funny. I later saw the
dog on a hotel stoop and he was looking fairly normal.
People are wearing flip flops, but not on their feet, on their hands because their feet are
rotting and falling off so they just scoot around on the ground. Others have who knows what
(polio?) and are walking with their feet and hands at the same time (bent straight over at
the waist) as they can't walk upright. The scene was nightmarish at times. Quite the
culture shock and I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I didn't really fear for my
safety oddly enough. I think I felt safer there than I would 1 mile from my house in
E.Austin at night....I guess the lack of guns is the difference. I felt paranoia about
getting pick pocketed, but otherwise not in physical danger.
I took it all in and got oriented, walked to the train station and even the toursit booking
desk was down a scary hallway with beggers in the stairway and stuff. I'm not talking
healthy bums like you see on the corners in Austin, I'm talking about cachexic (look it up),
crippled, diseased, one eyed street mongers who scoot around the train station to survive.
The rest of the people just hassle you for a ride in their autorickshaw which is actually
really fun. I kind of want one. They are 3 weel golf car type things that are super cheap
to get around in. Traffic is chaotic. There are literally no rules except for getting on
the major highways and intersections where everyone actually obeys the lights. Otherwise,
its every bicycle, rickshaw, car, and person for themselves. You weave in and out with no
regard for lanes, go against traffic when needed and just honk your horn whenever you are
about to run over someone or another car is in your way. Its amazing that I never saw a
fender bender in spite of being inches from other vehicles at all times.
The commonwealth games (a minature olympics) starts in a few weeks, so the city was supposed
to be cleaning everything up and getting organized and building new stadiums, but basically
it sounded like nothings was actually finished yet. So everywhere there are people painting
things and they had all the snakes, monkeys, and cows removed from the main areas. On top
of that, a few thousand people got flooded out of their homes from the monsoon the week
before. There have also been several thousan cases of dengue fever (look it up) in delhi
with like 70 deaths in the previous few weeks. In any event, I can't imagine being here for
the games, especially if I came as a paying tourist rooting for Austrlia or Uk or something.
I'd rather have gone to the world cup in S. Africa by the looks of things. Its crowded,
dirty, and overcongested as it is.
The average income for an Indian is $1000, so everyone wants a piece of your action if you
are an obvious foreigner...which I am. In spite of staying it the backpackers area, I saw
like 5 white people per day. I felt like a stood out, but nobody seemed to stare or
anything....keep in mind the British ruled here up until about 50 years ago so at least
everyone speaks English and they are sort of used to white people. Of course they all try
to get a bit extra money out of you. A 15 minute rickshaw ride should cost about $1 and
they always try to milk $2 out of you. Sometimes I pay it because a lot of them have like 1
eye or some other problem. Most are pretty nice, you just have to realize whatever they are
charging you, they charge everyone else like 25%.
I stayed in the first night and sort of took it all in stride. Watched some cable as I'm
actually kind of addicted to teh bollywood dance thing where groups of guys and girls take
turns singing and dancing to each other...great entertainment.
Sept 14th. I figured I only had 1 day left in Delhi, so I just hired a driver from the
front desk of my hotel and for $20 he took me around for about 8 hours sight seeing in a
brand new, air conditioned car. I was still sort of shocked and lost by the whole scene
that I didn't fell like trying to figure out where everything was. So, my Nepalese driver
took me around to about 8 different sights and other than dropping me by a souviner shop at
one point, was well worth it for what I got. The shop he dropped me at was a hard sell and
was trying to sell me crap painted wooden statues for like $1200 and even little crappy
things for like $45 when they could easily be found for like $2 in a markert I'm sure.
Places I saw:
Red fort (sort of unimpressed)
Huyaman's tomb...probably the best thing to see, met some nurses from Chicago there who were
volunteering or something
Ghandi's cremation site...very nice as well
I got a bicycle rickshaw to take me to the mosque near the red fort...this place hosts 25k
people on Fridays. Its free to get in (as I read in my guide book and evidenced by the fact
that everyone was walking right in), but you have to take your shoes off (but can just carry
them around with you). Theh only rule is that if you take a camera in you have to pay $4
regarless of if you take pictures. so this 13yo kid stops me and tells me I have to buy a
ticket and its $4 which I argued with him and said how come as dozens of people walked
by...he said its for foreigners. I understood as all the main attractions cost $.20 for
Indians (and nearby countries) and about $5 for tourists. But I told him it was free. He
argued with me and said i needed a ticket. I pulled out my guide book and read it to him.
He also tried to tell me I couldn't take my shoes and it was a 5 rupee (10cents) fee. I
kept pointing to everyone elses shoes as they carried them in. He said the camera fee was
on top of all that. So, I told him I wasn't paying anything since I didn't have a camera
and to get out of my way...i was actually arguing with a kid at a mosque who I wasn't even
sure worked there or not. He didn't believe I didn't have a camera, so I emptied out my
backpack and he was about to let me in, but then he patted me down and found my camera which
I had cleverly hidden in my back pocket. Now he refused to let me in because I tried to
trick him. I said, Ok, you can keep the battery until I got out but at that point he point
blank said no I could not enter. I laughed and started cursing at him and was making a bit
of a scene. My cycle rickshaw guide even walked up to see what the fuss was about. I
pointed out that he tried to screw me out of 200 rupees and lied to me so of course I was
pissed off and in response tried to hide my camera (with no intentions of takign pictures,
rather I just didn't feel safe leaving it with anyone as it costs about what they make in 2
months and about what I make in 4 hours. So in the end, I didn't get to see the mosque and
didn't get to climb the tower, and got to fight with a kid.
The cycleshaw guy took me through the crowded narrow street market full of utter crap and to
a little hidden temple thing that was out of the way. I went in and they made me take my
shoes off and leave anything made of leather downstairs and also leave my bag (this was all
well posted) and wash my hands and face before entering. I obliged, but with reservations.
The cyclesahw (who i actually trusted to some degree) guy assured me it was Ok. I took my
passport and money with me but left my bag at the entrance. The priest gave me a tour
upstairs and showed me these like 1000 year old shrines and cool statues and explained about
them all....the whole time though I was paranoid about my bag. I just realized that I was
taken deep into the narrow streets of a crowded market to some hidden churce thing and that
this could be their scam. They take your shoes, all your belongings, and just leave you
there. I was wondering if the whole church was a face thing and only there to lure me away
from my things. After 5 minutes I was ready to go. I went back down and everything was safe
in its place. I was still ready to go back to my real car/driver who was waiting for me. I
guess a little paranoia is not a bad thing and ultimately $4 isn't a lot of money, but its
the principle of once someone tries to hussle me I don't care to spend any more time with
dealing with them...one shot and move to the next place/driver/whatever.
So, back to the car, drove to India gate and parliment, then headed down to Quitab Minar
which is a 5 story tower with variuos other grounds. even the security guards here were
trying to hustle me into renting a guide friend of theirs.
The best part of the day was actually when the group of Indian school girls at Ghandi's
memorial thing all stared at me and said hello and practiced their English...made me feel
important and happy at the same time.
At this point I was supposed to meet up with one of Octavia's friends (an Aussie) who was
livinging in Delhi and working for a non profit women's rights group. We drove there and I
told my driver to leave me and I would find another ride back but he said it was no problem
to wait.. i explained he could be waiting like 5 hours and he said it was Ok. So I said
whatever... I met up with Phaedra and her roomate Joe and we had a few beers and an amazing
Indian dinner for like $12 each. We headed back to their place after (where octavia used to
live) and had another couple of beers before heading home....all while the Nepal driver guy
waited in/at the car. He drove be back at midnight. The next morning I went to pay the
hotel for the car/driver from the day before and of course they tried to charge me more
because he had to stay out with me. I told them to fuck off because he opted to wait for me
even after I told him to go home as it was a 5 hour wait. I also told them that I was unable
to see all the sights I was promised because he kept stopping at these shops and markets.
So that turned into an argument (over $10 mind you) as well. I finally gave him more money
because I felt bad for the driver having to wait all night for me (even though it was his
own fault). But at that point I felt I had been screwed and told him to stop bothering me,
then went to the hotel staff and explained that I was promised wifi which was in fact not
working. The first night they just refused to give it to me, the second night they gave me
the password and it was in fact not working. So, I asked for a $1 discount per night (as
that is what I spent on internet per day for like 3 hours/day) and they refused.
Sept 15th
I checked out and went to the bus station after another stop at the pharmacy for mosquito
cream (they don't have spray for some reason) and a few other things. They asked if I was
coming back through Delhi and if I would like to stay there...I told them no, I'm leaving
and not coming back because of the travel desk guy and the lack of the $1/day discount for
not having wifi. They sort of laughed at me and continued to ask what day I would like to
reserve for my return trip to Delhi. I just rolled my eyes and left.
Bus ride was 6 hours, A/C bus, only white person again. Seats lean back like 45 degrees
which is great if you are the one leaning back, but fuckign sucks if you are clostrophobic
and the people in front of you are leaning back and the guy next to you is larger and hogs
the arm rest. I opted for a xanex time machine on this one...woke up and was halfway to
Jaipur (a major stop in the tourist circuit). The rest of the way I read about 100 pages of
Agassi's autobiography which is the first book I've read in about 2 years. Everywhere else
I've been watchign movies on my laptop, but somehow I just didn't feel comfortable doing
that given my surroundings. Everyone was nice, I had a little chat with the guy next to me,
but I guess I actually felt bad having a computer, ipod, etc. given my surroundings. But
that's a good thing too I suppose.
Made it to Jaipur at 10pm, didn't want to sort out a map, so paid $.40 for about a 1/4mile
ride to my guesthouse which was again like $14/night and was quite nice. I had dinner and
tea for another $3 and caught up on this journal and facebook pics as they had actual wifi
and a nice rooftop terrace to chill out on. I'm finally getting used to India and starting
to relax a bit...but it took getting out of Delhi and all its hassles. I've heard Indians
are very nice people but again, it wasn't until today that I felt comfortable. The cast
system is appearant as there are several people lower down on teh totem pole who fetch you
tea and take your bags and open doors at the beckoning of the higher ups.
