India

After a 3-month tour of Europe, India was our first foray into the continent of Asia, and it was a fascinating, intense, overwhelming, and memorable experience. We stayed in the capital of Delhi, with a mere 25 million residents! Our Airbnb was in a residential neighborhood where tourists don’t generally go, and it meant we got to experience a more authentic feel for the local culture.

We toured some of Delhi’s highlights and took a day trip down to Agra and the Taj Mahal, but we also had to spend some time indoors and out of the most extreme levels of air pollution we could ever imagine. In fact, we learned Delhi is ranked as the most polluted city in the world. We would wake up to the smell of smoke every morning, and found ourselves coughing every time we headed outdoors.

We found the people of India to be gracious, welcoming, and a culture of community. Although, the effects of the caste system are still very much on display in a heartbreaking way. Poverty, and in many cases extreme poverty, is everywhere to be seen. Yet, everyone seems to just go about their business and do what needs to be done to make it through each day the best they can. It puts our common gripes and inconveniences in stark perspective.

First morning in Delhi

One of the first sights in the Delhi airport; a reminder of how much the Hindu religion influences the culture.

Our flight arrived in Delhi in the middle of the night. We ended up staying at the airport for a few hours, joined by countless people sleeping on the floor waiting to get to where they were going. The smell of smoke was in the air. After a few hours of waiting, the sun began to rise and we saw that the air was a haze of brown; our first glimpse of the sheer magnitude of air pollution we would encounter there.

We then headed to our Airbnb, as our host was letting us store our luggage until the previous guests checked out later that morning. He also guided us to a neighborhood restaurant to get some food while we waited for the apartment to be ready for us to check in. On our walk, he explained that the air pollution was like the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes each day.

The kitchen of this small neighborhood restaurant was outdoors with seating inside.

A grinder in the corner was continually running. They were still getting set up for the day’s meals.

Various sauces simmering on the burners.

The food was very flavorful…and *very* spicy.

On the way back from the restaurant, we saw an outdoor barber chair. It appears many people just do business wherever they can.

A hawk seen from the window of our Airbnb.

The street in front of where we were staying.

Roaming the street right in front of our Airbnb. We were told that bulls aren’t owned by anyone, but cows are owned by families.

Later in the week, we heard some kids playing in the driveway next door. Paxton joined in, and despite not being able to speak each others’ language, they taught Paxton some games and had fun.

On the roads

As we quickly learned, traffic in Delhi is a chaotic mix of cars, buses, motor bikes, tuk-tuks, bicycles loaded with huge loads of all kinds of goods, bicycle taxis, pedestrians…and not to mention horse drawn loads of goods. Add to that various cows roaming the roads.

Put them all on wide roads that are still too small to handle the incredible amount of traffic and you have a free for all of everyone trying to weave their way down the road in any available (or unavailable) space to get to their destination. This is accompanied by the constant sound of honking horns of everyone alerting other drivers to their presence beside/behind/passing them. Lane lines in India are mostly ignored. And, for the most part, there aren’t too many traffic lights as they have many roundabouts at intersections. Delhi also features a metro system, but it wasn’t close to where we were staying, so we didn’t end up riding it.

Despite all the chaos on the roads, we didn’t see a single road accident while we were there.

The view from our tour bus of all the vehicles coming from various directions; all trying to merge onto a street that has three lanes in each direction.

As one of the drivers we rode with told us, no one in Delhi is in a hurry to get to where they’re going. They can’t be. Unfortunately, this includes and impacts Ambulances, as there is no open shoulder anywhere for cars to pull over to.

One of the few roads we saw that were relatively quiet, tree-lined, and garbage free. Of course, this is in a section of town occupied by government buildings.

Motor bikes are more common than cars in Delhi, and the majority of them hold more than one passenger; we saw up to 4 people on a bike. Most of the women passengers sat side-saddle like this lady.

The picture is blurry, but this is a family of four traveling on a motor bike; a common sight while we were there.

Every truck we saw had “Blow horn” painted on it.

This driver is taking a nap on the side of the road.

We saw a few taxis and tuk-tuks with this sign on the back of them. While it is good to see, it is sad that that can’t be said for all of them.

At busy traffic lights, we were likely to see kids performing between cars while the light was red to try to get money from drivers.

One of the few officers we saw directing traffic at a large intersection. This includes directing horse-driven vehicles.

Another extremely common sight is bicycles carrying gigantic loads.

This van is packed to the brim with people on a highway.

Cows can be found roaming any road. As they are sacred in India, we were told you have to pay a huge fine if you accidentally hit one with a vehicle…so they make room for them wherever they happen to be.

Lotus Temple (Bahá’í House of Worship)

One of the “must see” destinations for any tourist in Delhi is the Bahá’í House of Worship, otherwise known as the Lotus Temple. The line to get in is long, but moves relatively quickly. You deposit your shoes at the free locker room and get them back on your way out.

As they explain before you go in, all Bahá’í Houses of Worship are open to anyone regardless of their religious beliefs. It is simply a place to contemplate, meditate, pray or just sit quietly and appreciate the beauty of the space.

The temple is known for its lotus flower shape.

A long line of people is a normal sight.

While in India, we had a handful of requests from people to take pictures/selfies with one or more of us, as white tourists are apparently not a very common sight; particularly a white child. In the picture above, a mom wanted her daughter to take a picture with Paxton at the Lotus Temple.

Gandhi memorial and museum

No trip to Delhi would be complete without visiting the memorial and museum for Gandhi, the father of modern India. His story and message is one that everyone around the world should know. Gandhi is such an important part of Indian culture and history, his images is featured on all of the country’s currency.

One of the entries to the Gandhi memorial. It houses memorials to not only Mahatma Gandhi, but other family members.

A continual crowd of people came to see the memorial.

Another selfie request by these gentlemen.

Inside the Gandhi museum, which thoroughly tells the story of his life and work.

The museum is filled with actual items worn by or used by Gandhi.

An Indian flag featuring the spinning wheel that was an important part of the movement for Indian independence.

In the picture after his death, you can see the bullet holes in his chest.

The cloth stained with his blood from when he was shot.

Paxton looking at artwork inspired by Gandhi.

Agra and the Taj Mahal

We took a day trip down to the city of Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. Before we went, we heard that the Taj Mahal is a “monument of love”. When we got there, we learned it was built in the mid 1600s by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. After his death, the Shah was housed in the mausoleum next to his wife.

We knew it would be a grand building, but nothing prepares you for the sheer size, artistry, and detail of the building itself and the whole complex that surrounds it. Luckily for us, the crowds were relatively light the day we went.