Waaaaah, Delhi is freezing! It was 9 degrees when we got in last night, and I was
just totally miserable. I am going to live in my thermals for the next
month. I had bought a warm jacket in Goa for nearly $30 and that saved
my skin last night. However, now that we are here i am tempted to ditch
it for another, as it is a bit bulky and uncomfortable to wear. We
bought woollen gloves, hat and scarf today, so with some more tops i
should be fine. I think. Its so hard to dress for the cold!
At least Delhi is the furthest north we plan to go in India. I would die in Nepal right now.
Delhi
and northern India is very cool, very different to southern India. We
are staying in an area called Main Bazaar, and its full of very tiny,
old windy streets and alleys. It feels more medieval and old. There are
more people around too, the city seems very packed all the time, unlike
the full, but not so crowded spaces down south. Touts are not so bad, I
think Goa was the worst we will have with these. Today we went to visit
an old tomb of a Mughal emperor. It predates the Taj Mahal (built in
the 1500s), but is very similar architecture, and is world heratige
listed. It was just amazing, and has been totally restored by the
Indian government to its original glory. The style is very Islamic in
its soaring domes, and stars, but the Indian influence shines through
in its use of white marble and glorious ochre red accents in the
building.
I am really excited, as tommorrow we get to explore Old Delhi,
which I expect to be even more small alleyways, medieval style winding
streets and crowded Bazaars. Aside for the bazaars, we will visit an
ancient mosque there and the famous Red Fort, a grandious protection
for the city from ancient times.
Ooh, I also had my first experience of the Indian public
healthcare system today. The last hospital I went to (in Mumbai) was
private, and today I simply went to one listed in the Lonely Planet,
not realising that it was public. It was messy, confusing and totally
chaotic. And sad. I got directed to about 4 or 5 different places until
I reached the rabies centre. There were masses of people lined up
outside, including the old, very poor, and very young who had also been
bitten by dogs etc. And when i say lined up, I lined mean Indian lines,
ie massing. The office had to shut early for lunch and I had about 3
doors shut in face before any one explained that. So we sat around for
an hour, only to be told then that I couldn't get treated bc I had no
forms. Argh. So i went to one woman to get forms, lined up in another
place to see a doctor and get them stampled and then another place to
finally get the injections. Even here, or maybe especially here it pays
to be pushy - you get in first. It also pays to be a foreigner. I was
partly revolted by how quickly I got propelled past lines by staff and
partly thankful. The whole experience still took hours for what should
have been a simple jab. It may not be possible to get the necessary 5 rabies shots if I
have this much trouble at a major hospital in the captial of the
country! I have my fingers crossed that it gets easier...
....and warmer ;)
