We made it. New Delhi. On day three now and we’re still pretty much speechless. India is a lot, yes, as to be expected, but it’s more. More than more. Not comparable. It’s suffocating, intimidating, yet, of course, fascinating. We flew in Tuesday evening, snagged an Uber from the airport, Uber en masse here, more on that later. We chose to stay in Hauz Khas/Deer Park, south Delhi, a popular/hip and classified as a safe area. While there is security, and limited traffic flow, it by no means feels overly safe. But it’s doable. It flanks an old collection of monuments and a walking loop around the lake, which is widely used by locals and visitors. A green space and reprieve from the cacophony of life.

Check in went alright, AirBnb, phone call to the host, semi reception, third floor, balcony overlooking a quiet area. The accommodation is owned by a doctor, who also (?) I think – owns a restaurant in HKV, which you can easily order delivery from, which we immediately took advantage of as we were famished. Oof, our flight meals were beyond bizarre, and I’m usually not picky. Lotus dumpling with seafood soup – chilled, spicy cod roe squid. Egg sandwich with bologna and tomato. Like, I swear they just want to make everyone as gassy at humanly possible. It was a 10h flight and we had two small prison style meals. Oh! But häagen dazs! They gave us cute little mini caramel ice creams and I got 2, so I was pleased. Small things. Anyways, dinner on arrival was delicious, cliche but so very delicious. Butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, jeera rice, 2x garlic naan. Super fresh, hot, mouth watering delicious. She spicy though. There’s no spice level requests happening here, which is definitely fine, but I would’ve eaten more had I ordered a cooling mango lassi. We gobbled up all we could and hit the hay. Still not a terribly restful night. Less than comfortable, and we’re both fighting the lag still. We got up around 6, flabbergasted that we’re actually here, and Thor agreed to go on an Airbnb experiences tour, it was 930 by the time we booked it, it started at 11 in Old Delhi, so we hustled down to the partition to order an Uber across town. Also. Uber tuk tuk here! No haggling, unwanted stops, gas scams or round about trips, so that’s what we did. I’ve always been a fan, but Thor doesn’t like the scammers, which is valid, so we don’t regularly partake.

We tuk tuk across town to Chandni Chowk market, a massive bazaar, choked with congestion, yet retaining its historical character. Once famous for silver merchants, as silver is referred to as Chandi in Hindi, a slight variation of which forms Chandni. We meet up with our guide JD, and one other tour goer Patricia from the Philippines. We start with some history and tours of religious sites, Jain, Sikh and Hindu places of worship. JD made a point of mentioning that the Gurdwara offers free meals, no strings attached, to anyone, and the beggar children that frequent the area asking for food can get a meal anytime. Which puts into perspective the parents use of their children as manipulated unpaid workers to collect/steal from whoever is willing/unwilling to give and deliver back to said parents. Also, if you do give, the kids will let it be known and you’ll be surrounded for the duration of your time in the area. It’s sad, and they’re awfully persistent. The only way to be left alone is to not engage. We head off, to our guides well vetted stops for the day. He’s very proud that none of his guests have been pickpocketed or food poisoned. We start off with jilebi, a fried treat, thin batter poured in a continuous stream into hot oil – akin to a funnel cake – but immediately dunked in a sinfully sweet syrup while still hot. As expected, overly sweet, but when they’re fresh and hot still – actually quite nice. We continue on, samosas, kachori, chai, spinach pakoras, saffron lassis. Wanders through narrow alleys, spice vendors and up to the rooftop for a view.

Once we bid adieu to JD we head back into the masses, I think I forgot the mention it’s a literal sea of people as far as the eye can see. We’re insatiable for chai, and eventually we make our way back to the same vendor, because safe is safe. We linger around, savouring our steaming hot shot glass sized portions, a few refills are in order.

We stop at Haldirams, mostly to break big bills, but also because I wanted to see what all the hype is about. Haldiram is India’s kingpin snack/treat brand, around for over 100 years, pulling in over a billion a year, with a b. More than Pepsi India. And the place was buzzing. Case upon case of mouthful sized sweets, boasting over 400 products, all beyond foreign to me, but each artfully decorated and presented. Dusted with pistachio, saffron, nuts, coconut, sold by the kilo, or individually. We ask the nice man behind one section of the counter for what we’d like – 2 confections decorated with kiwi & pomegranate, he gives us a bill to pay at a different counter before collecting our goods. We return, retrieve and consume. I could feel the diabetes taking hold. Definitely a treat.

We eventually Uber back to HKV, slight glitch in the system so it takes a bit, and I’ll reiterate that I really wouldn’t want to be a solo female traveller in these parts, at least not out in the wild. Definitely reminiscent of Kenya/Uganda, where peace can be found within compounds and you must be constantly vigilant elsewhere. Don’t keep things in your pockets folks. That said, we do spend time walking about and exploring different locales – and by we, I mean I am holding onto Thors arm at all times and listening to my gut as to when it is time to turn around/call it a day/catch a ride.

Although the street food looks and smells amazing, we refrain from partaking, with a high probability of gastrointestinal retribution. We eat at restaurants in and around the village with decent reviews, a Nepali place called Llama Kitchen for momos and HKV Social – where I was quite keen on trying golgappe/pani puri. A roadside staple. You take your crispy hollow bite-size puffed ball, poke a small hole in the top and spoon in a flavourful mix of potato/lentils/chickpeas/onions and finally pour in a watery flavourful sauce, usually tamarind or mint, and pop it into your mouth, whole. A literal flavour explosion. It’s pretty surprising that the water can be held at all, even temporarily. Very delicious and I was quite pleased. Fun fact, Nepal has banned the dish in an effort to cut down the rampant spread of cholera through contaminated water. Hence the preference towards a restaurant setting. Street chai seems to be a safe option to partake in though, with all the rigorous boiling. We’ve had some delicious street chai that definitely puts what I’m used to as a westerner to shame.

That’s all for Delhi folks! Off to Agra, might view some sights while we’re there, I’ll keep you posted!