Everything in India, and tenfold in Delhi, is intense. The heat, the pollution, the noise, the smell, the traffic, the crowds, the rubbish...is intense. Most certainly you don't come to India for peace and serenity. I seriously thought I had seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt everything...until I came to India. I've been in Delhi for a few days now and things haven't gone as planned. It turned out the dental procedure that I need done requires me to come back in six months. I'll admit straight away that Delhi is not one of my favourite cities. It's really hot, the sights that are worth seeing are all spread out, and it's not a walkable city by any means. The pollution is so bad that I can feel it in my nose and throat.
Cattle run amok all over the roads but there is no grass for them to eat; they eat rubbish or whatever they can find. Crossing the roads here is a real-life game of Frogger, and I'm shocked that I haven't seen any accidents with the way people drive. I've already gotten a case of "Delhi belly" by eating something my stomach didn't agree with (although it could have been Amritsar or on the train on the way here). The Delhi Metro relieves some of the traffic congestion but the trains are sardine-packed and a frottoir's paradise, especially during rush hour. In the face of it all, I'm doing my best to enjoy it. The other day I went to Red Fort...
...and yesterday I went to the Gate of India.
One place that is really fascinating (as well as being rubbish-free) is the National War Memorial.
Unveiled only in 2019, it was built to honour the fallen in wars of independent India. It's a nice wander as the sun is going down. In Delhi I'm staying with a CouchSurfer named Rajnish and his partner, Oksana, who is from Ukraine but has lived in Delhi for several years. With a population of nearly 17 million in the city and 28 million in the metropolitan area, Delhi is often listed as the world's most polluted city. Rajnish told me that since he lives here and works out a lot, that he's able to live anywhere. If he visited somewhere like New Zealand or Iceland, it would be a literal breath of fresh air.
Connaught Place is a decent place to have dinner and then have a wander with a beer or a cup of masala tea, but I don't see it as a destination in its own right. When I travel, I'm often able to find ways to enjoy a place even if I'm not the biggest fan of it. Cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, and New York City aren't places I want to spend too long in but I still find things to do and manage to enjoy it. However, I can't say the same thing about Delhi. Due to train delays, late buses, and postponed dental appointments I was forced to spend an entire week in Delhi when I only have two weeks in India. Agra Fort and the other attractions are interesting but absolutely not something I'd fly from around the world to see I'm even considering another place (Thailand perhaps) to have my dental surgery. The only reason I would come back to Delhi is to visit Rajnish and Oksana. We have been discussing a trip to Ladakh for this summer or next year.
My least favourite places in the world, in no particular order, are Delhi, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. India will shock your senses to begin with but Delhi will easily put them into double-overload.
