Delhi - too much of everything

Either you love Delhi or you hate it – that's what I read about the 25-million-megacity before my trip and heard on site. And I actually didn't want to come here, for a beginner in long distance travel and as an introduction to India, Delhi seemed too intense to me. But then our flight went exactly here, and we would have had to spend a night here anyway. And Indian experts among our friends also provided additional persuasion. So we decided to jump into the deep end - to be honest, into the lukewarm water. Because with the support of a dear friend, we hired a driver who should carry us through the foreign world for two days. And he warned us right after arrival: Delhi City, that's too much of everything.

And that's exactly how it is: The city is overwhelming and floods you with impressions: It's unbelievably crowded: Cars and people everywhere. It smells different on every corner and not always good. Trash and dirt are simply lying around everywhere, the Bobo nightlife neighborhood Hauz Khas would be a slum for us (although with boutiques and restaurants). The tourists find it picturesque and enthusiastically take photos of crooked, colorful houses, of which you would rather not know how people live inside.

But at least they live inside - and not on the street. A few years ago, we spent three months in Paris, in the immediate vicinity of one of the illegal refugee camps that regularly spring up there in the middle of traffic islands and along major roads after being cleared by the police. For us, this was unimaginable conditions, as we walked past the refugees every day on our way to the metro. But it must be said that the refugees there lived like gods compared to the local street residents: in tents or at least on mattresses. Every morning, the street cleaning came, the entire camp was lifted for a short time, the garbage was swept together and everything was rinsed clean with hoses. The well-off people from our middle-class residential area (also from our apartment building) brought food to the refugees every day. Here in Delhi, on the other hand... We also stayed in a good middle-class neighborhood here. On the way to dinner, we also passed people who live under the projecting corner of a house at a busy roundabout - really live: In the morning we saw them getting ready for the day, in the evening before dinner preparing to go to sleep, and when we returned to the hotel they were already asleep. There was no sign of street cleaning or neighborhood help. How could there be, Delhi would have to be taken care of entirely, as there are actually people living on the street among the piles of garbage everywhere.

The option with the driver was good for us. We saved ourselves the negotiations with taxis and tuk-tuks that would have been necessary otherwise, because it would have been too adventurous for us to use public transportation. In Tbilisi and Uzbekistan, we did that and it surprised the locals a lot. We were always the only foreigners: In Tbilisi, for example, the subway passengers immediately stood up and gave us their seats, and in Bukhara and Samarkand we caused quite a stir. We saw Delhi to a considerable extent through the window of an air-conditioned car, but we also walked a lot. We never felt scared or uncomfortable - unlike what we imagined in Vienna. However, I can't understand how someone can love a city like Delhi - with all the garbage that floods it and the poverty that is present everywhere. But there is also no reason to hate it. And yes, we would come back. Maybe it's because of the really great food you get here (my stomach finds it a bit too spicy😉)?

And because Shafi - the agency owner through whom we booked our Delhi babysitting - not only made our stay pleasant through his driver, but also made sure that my stubborn Vodafone card actually works, which is certainly not his job, and he is also an incredibly nice guy, I am advertising for his travel agency. If you want to come to Delhi, the Taj Mahal, Rajasthan, or the north of this huge country, ask him: www.invictatour.com (business card can be found among the photos).