Delhi, oh how smelly..

We’ve just returned from India’s sprawling capital Delhi with over 15 million people it is one of the worlds biggest cities. The thing we hear most about Delhi in Mumbai is the delayed flights in the winter with the fog/smog that engulfs the city on a daily basis and the notorious smell in the streets. Our early morning flight had no problems and landed in the air thick with a mix of pollution, smoke and morning fog. The air was like this all day leaving the sun filtered as a perfect orange ball in the sky. Delhi is more of a planned city with wide streets and expansive parks breaking up the urban sprawl but the traffic is the same chaotic mess. The city is preparing to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games so the people have a new Metro service and new shiny bus stops for the beaten up old buses but the city planners have neglected to solve the matter of city streets being a wash with men urinating. It’s bloody horrible as you walk along a modern(ish) street only to have to step over the urine tracking to the kerb from the blokes openly pissing on the footpath. Sharon asked one well dressed fella why this had to be his toilet…no stage fright for him…

The Red Fort in Delhi is a little over rated in comparison to other historical buildings of India.. Getting through the main gate was like an obstacle course fairly typical for any Indian tourist site.. Firstly the player must avoid the impulse to buy postcards, guidebooks, novelty beards and employ “very good guide sir” in the plaza, then let go of any personal space hang ups as the guards at the security pat you down and without a fuss make it past the guard with the itchy trigger finger on the mounted machine gun directed at the visitors. From there run the gauntlet of the “very cheap bazaar” all to get to the monument/park inside. I have to say the park grounds around the monuments of Delhi were fantastic, a great feeing of space with people walking at their own pace and even on the grass.. But you will be moved along by the security if you and your girl are caught "entertaining yourselves" that is, sitting too close together for too long..

The Jama Masjid Mosque is an active place of worship in Old Delhi, so it’s shoes off and some more rupees for the foreigner with the camera. It was impressive but I glad to leave as the hassle inside continued worse than on the packed streets below.

The National Modern Art Gallery was fantastic for the senses. I’ve never been in a place in India where I could hear my own footsteps. The gallery had some interesting modern angles on traditional Indian art. The walk back to the middle of town took me past the India Gate and the shopping strip around Connaught Place for the tourists…

Humayun’s Tomb, world heritage was a highlight from Delhi. This 16th Century red and white sandstone building and surrounding formal parks and gardens were beautiful. This tomb to the senior wife of the second Mughal emperor is a predecessor of the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was great to explore the grounds with buildings in partial ruin or in a state of grand perfection.


As the major cities of India expand there is a push to build brand new cities like Navi (new) Mumbai and Gurgaon outside Delhi. These city expansions although providing modern housing and new industry for big $$$, have the worst of western consumer influence with large shopping malls, one mall claiming 1km of wall space with massive advertising boards being built next to broken down roads and people sleeping in the dirt.. We still struggle with it but have to realize that although India professes to be first world it is still battling in the third world.