Vacation - Dilli

VACATION TIME FINALLY!!! Yes, it has happened and I am on vacation for full 7 days. Away from home, away from french, miles away from classes. I am at Delhi and will be going to some other places.

So, as I stepped on our national capital, I was elated.... for I came here 20 years after I had first visited this place as a tourist... as well as because after ages I'm seeing a new city. Yup! my friends have contra-complained; when I complained that I don't go anywhere... they say "you run to Singapore at every given opportunity, don't you?" Yes, I do but that's hardly vacation VACATION... its home away from home, thus I am not a tourist there!

Ok.. so here goes....

The foremost :: New Delhi is BEEEEAAUUUUTIFULLLL!!!! I'm impressed.... the roads are chaka-chak clean.. no garbage, no filth, no potholes.... Road signs everywhere and well maintained green circles. The feeling is just AHA! I loved, loved, LOVED it around here.

Me and amma were the tourist for the day since dad had office work and did not join us. My main aim was to go to the "PARANTHEWALI GALLI" and have the scrumptious paranthas there. Our driver cum guide chalked out a plan for us so that we reach the hotel by 6 in the evening.

Our first halt was at the "Red Fort". Nothing much to boast about the place except that there was cleanliness and no chaos even though there were hoards of people. We saw around for an hour - museums displaying the old scriptures/ tattered clothes of the mughals/ larger-than-necessary weapons etc. Frankly, I never really liked the idea of seeing what the dead people wore / used. Also lotsa firang population that seemed to enjoy the whole tour.

Then the cycle rickshaw took us to Chandni Chowk... the must hyped part of old Dilli.... The sights and sounds were similar to that of Tulsibaug back in Pune... except this was much more colourful. Shopping around there was virtually impossible due to the crowd and also our time constraint. Apparently, the only best thing to do was to head towards paranthewalli galli. Need I describe this part, because words fail me to do so. The paranthes were heavenly.... 1 mirchi paratha - made of green chillies entirely, 1 mix parantha - gobi/ aloo/ gajjar/ muli etc. and 1 papad parantha. I had my eyes on this place since I saw it on Discovery Travel n Living. I was mistaken though.... I was planning to hog at the "Karim" which is famous for the mouth watering, lip smacking kebabs and mutton curry and tandoor rotis...Disappointment was in store for me when I came to know that Karims is near Jama Masjid. Yet, I am adamant ... and will go there before I leave this city.

Then we fluttered from there to India Gate (where he said "ek ka pacchas", I snapped decisively "ek ka pacchis"... and we got our snaps for "saath[60] main do" =))) to Lotus Temple and finally to Qutub Minar. It was indeed pleasing to see all these places with my own eyes in front of me, for a change, than to ogle at them through Disc. TnL. Also noted one thing, entry fee for Indians at Qutub Minar and Lal Quilla was rs. 10 per head, whereas for firangs it was rs. 250/-... First I thought that was quite unfair to them... but then "its a few daalaas hiir n theyrr" (read it with American accent ;) )

At the outset, amma was really very worried and skeptical about the people here... basically she thought all of them are thugs...and we are just the two of us all by ourselves.... Fortunately it wasn't so! I found them rather, dilwale, these dilliwale. :) Many snaps, which I shall upload as soon as I reach home. My netcon here is dial-up... hence you gotta wait for the snaps.

Thus, was my one day Dilli Darshan... and I'm looking forward to my further travel plans. Until then Ciao.