Old Delhi, and back to tell about it.

our intrepid tour guide

September 18th

      With one full day in New Delhi before departing for Nepal, Russ assured us that we could NOT miss experiencing "Old Delhi." After a string of busy metro and hot rickshaw rides, we found ourselves in what seemed to be a collision between an ancient and modern world.

     Remember our first experiences of the intensity of New Delhi? Forget about that now. Old Delhi wins. There is a sea of people covering every inch and corner of a labyrinth of streets and alleys, some so narrow that the buildings across from one another nearly touch at their highest points.  The streets are too narrow for cars, yet enormous traffic jams of rickshaws,  motor cycles, and carts carrying all imaginable cargo congest the streets.

      Buildings of every colour, from every era, and in every condition are stacked on top of one another, seemingly ready to topple with only a shove. Enormous tangles of electrical wires run up and down poles, around doors frames, and in some areas, droop at eye level. A road to a silver shop was blocked off due to an electrical fire. Remember what I said about the electrical wires?

     Colours, textures, aromas, and sounds change every few feet; incense, prayers from a Muslim temple, strings of vibrant silk decorated in gold, shopkeepers calling out to you, herbs and spices of all kinds for sale...it feels impossible to adequately detail the explosion of life and activity in Old Delhi. 

     "Karims" (Kah-REMS) is a restaurant hidden in a maze of tiny streets known for delicious bread, roasted and curried meats.  Family recipes at this place have been kept secret and unchanged since they were first served to the Mughal Emperor five generations ago. We partook. We approved.

famous for their Roti (secret recipe)

tandoori chicken

keeping watch and serving

family style meals are the best

     Russ lead us in to the heart of the spice market, where the sharp aroma of hundreds of pounds of chilies and all kinds of spices enveloped us, causing us to cough and sneeze. Men carry massive loads of red chilies on their heads, and unless you jump out of the way, you'll get knocked over. We climbed dark, narrow, winding stair cases until we were on the rooftops of the spice market, with a birds eye view of the ceaseless buzz of Old Delhi we had just been immersed in.

chilies glorious chilies

our view from the top

the very large bags (we stayed out of their way)

     Hot, sweaty, and with full bellies, we made our way back to the metro. In a city as populous as New Delhi, we literally allowed ourselves to be jelly-legged, pushed and stoked by a rolling sea of people around us onto the train. 

   Another crazy wonderful day in this colourful noisy city.