Well, I asked for the ‘real’ Delhi, and I got it. My roomie Stanny and I spent Thursday (Feb. 20) afternoon in a car, trying to get to Raj Ghat, Ghandi’s final resting place. It is the ‘old’ section of Delhi. He was cremated here and his ashes are buried here, commemorated with a flame which is always lit. There are other famous people’s ashes here as well, but we came to see Ghandi’s. It was a serene and quiet place, very open spaces, not anything like when you step out on to the street.
Our next stop was the Red Fort, a massive fort constructed in 1638 when Mugal Shah Jahan wanted to move his empire from Agra to Delhi. It is very impressive to see, and once again, I found myself thinking, we have no massiveness anywhere in Canada that I’ve been. You could picture how it once was back in its day, the grandeur and how it would be busy with market lined streets, the baths, the public square, the gardens. I really enjoyed the walk around the grounds and happy I went. The weather was nice too, not too hot, so it was a great history lesson!
Our next stop was supposed to be a market, but we were running short on time, so we drove through on our way to see a massive mosque, Jama Masjid. This was the highlight of the trip, because the car ride was an experience in itself. I told our driver that he has skills. The sheer amount of people in this area is amazing. The cars, the tuk tuks, the motorcycles, the pedestrians, the people with bikes and wagons carrying whatever they can find to sell… the street was full of them, weaving in and out of traffic. I thought the driving we did in new Delhi was an experience, but this was probably 10 times the chaos.
We saw the mosque from the outside, which was nice but I’m sure we would’ve had a better view had we gotten out of the car and walked across the street, but then we would’ve missed our driver trying to do a three point turn in a crowded laneway which I’m sure was not meant for one way traffic, let alone cars and tuktuks attempting to make it a four lane, two way passage. There were people every surrounding our car, and cars trying to get past us in both directions. Our driver started backing up as people kept walking behind and around and cars trying to whiz pass, all the while honking like crazy for him to hurry up and get out of the way. Amazingly, he managed to make the turn without hitting any market stalls, people or other cars. I can’t even describe how crazy it seemed to me that he did that.
Here’s a video I took on our drive from Raj Ghat to the Red Fort:
So, we didn’t get to do any shopping in the market, but we got to see (and smell) one in old Delhi. It was also a sght… live chickens in cages waiting to be bought and defeathered, meat hanging from a stall unrefrigerated, tons of fruit and veggie stalls, bakeries, women on the street making chapattis and others selling fresh fruit juice. I really wanted to try some coconut and fresh pineapple but I refrained. I told Stanny that I would’ve done it though if I were alone haha.
In any case, I’m glad I got the chance to see it, if only for a short time.
Later that night, we were going to Sudha’s brother’s home as having dinner with a host family was on our program schedule. We took the metro there and this was another experience in and of itself. It took us almost an hour and a half and at 5:30 p.m. it was a crazy mess. I told Ian he would’ve died here from the stress, him hating crowds and no order and wanting to live in the quiet suburbs. LOL.
So, we get on at the station near the volunteer house which wasn’t so bad. It was crowded to the doors, but not unlike a busy bus at home in Ottawa during ‘rush hour.’ When we transferred trains about half an hour, however, the madness began. When we got off the train, there were people everywhere, making a mad dash to the next platform.
The best way I can describe it is 20,000 people leaving a stadium post-concert/hockey game/whatever at the exact same time… crowded, right? In Delhi, it’s a whole new meaning. There is no patiently walking out in a somewhat organized fashion. This is 20,000 people (well, I don’t know the exact number) walking in every direction, pushing, and running past you to get where they need to go. When we got to our platform, there were people waiting to get on the next train, and when it came, and the doors opened, they literally pushed each other in. Sudha had her hands up, ready, and pushed in front of her. I grabbed on to her and followed. People were pushing me in and we were stuffed in the train car like sardines. Everyone was literally pushed up against the other so that as many people that could possibly fit in the train did. There was no concept of personal space, not even just a little. Everyone was literally up against each other. It was one of the most uncomfortable feelings ever. As we got near to our final stop, the crowd began to dissipate and there was some breathing room.
When we got out of the station near Sudha’s brother’s home, we had to walk about five minutes, and the sounds were just amazing. There was no quiet. Just honking horns, people shouting, tuk tuk drivers asking if we needed a ride. Crazy!!
The dinner at the house was nice (veggie!) and we got a tour of their home. It was a modest place, but I’m sure gigantic in Delhi terms. Sudha’s mom is a devout Hindu and has a temple in her closet. She has a Lord Krishna statue when he was a baby, and treat it like a living being. She actually bathes him, changes his clothes, feeds him, puts him to bed, and does everything as if he were a real baby. Very highly interesting. Sudha’s son asked me what religion I am and I said nothing. He replied, “You’re a non-believer?” I said yes. He said there are very very few non-believers in India. He actually used to work for Bell Canada’s call centre. In any case, we left a few hours later, and took the metro back to the house. It was not as crowded, and we could actually sit down! We took a tuk tuk from the metro station to the house. I was happy with the ‘local’ feel that I got that day… definitely an experience I won’t forget.
I’m in Jaipur now and will start my volunteer placement tomorrow. Can’t wait to see what this Pink City has to offer over the next three weeks!
–Bea
Bea Vongdouangchanh 