Today I went to two places: Lodi Gardens and the India Gate. I would say the experience of getting to these locations was just as interesting as being there! The gardens are less than half a mile from my hotel so I decided to walk there. Keep in mind that I am a woman walking alone on these crazy streets, and I’m obviously not Indian. So that means easy prey for the taxi and tuk tuk drivers to ask if I wanted a ride, and even for random guys to come walk along and chat with me. (I never felt unsafe or threatened. There are many people around, both Indians and Westerners.)
One man was telling me about his sister in San Francisco who’s supposedly friends with Nancy Pelosi. (“That’s a good thing. Nancy Pelosi is a powerful woman.”) His sister recently received some sort of UN Medal of Honor, and sure enough, he scrolled through his photos and found a picture of her and Nancy at the ceremony. I like to believe that he wasn’t making that story up. 🙂 He also repeated that this area wasn’t “real Delhi” because it doesn't show how the everyday Indian lives.
Another guy said he knew me from the hotel and that he was the chef there. Hmmm...not so sure about that story. He kept saying that I could ignore him if I wanted, but would then proceed to tell me all about the handicrafts markets where I could get “real Indian goods.” And then Adi, who just started chatting with me in the gardens, who isn’t so sure about Trump and hesitated before admitting that he doesn’t really like to travel. “I’ve tried it before and it’s just not my cup of tea.” He started rambling on about meditation until finally I said I wanted to continue walking in the gardens by myself. That worked!
But the tuk tuk drivers are the most relentless! A 10-minute walk and they want to drive me there, stopping other places along the way. “Where is your country?” they all want to know, and when I tell them, they suddenly all have a relative somewhere in the States. Adi says he knows someone who lives on Devon Avenue.
Later I decided to throw caution to the wind and have a tuk tuk driver take me to the India Gate. “Hello, ma’am, I remember you from this morning!” and I actually remembered having a conversation with him. You haven’t really experienced Delhi traffic until you’ve been smack in the middle of it inside a tuk tuk, or, as my driver calls it, a “Delhi Helicopter.” Cars, mopeds, and tuk tuks are the main vehicles on the roads and they all pretty much do whatever they want. It’s indescribable.
After telling my driver a hundred times that I only wanted to be dropped off at the India Gate and not taken to the handicrafts market and some other park, I walked through security into a very expansive, sad-looking park covered mostly with dirt and worn grass. There was what used to be a large fountain with adjoining pools but there was no water, just trash strewn about. The gate itself stood with authority but it wasn’t awe-inspiring. Just big. I was one of a only few Westerners in that area.
And here’s a helpful tip: Don’t ever assume your tuk tuk driver a) speaks English or b) knows where your hotel is. Oh, or c) knows where the street that your hotel is on! My return-trip driver stopped someone on the street to ask where the street is!
Tomorrow morning at 11:30 I join my group for the first time. It’s been fun being solo! (I am going to put the photos from today in a different post—having trouble with formatting!
One man was telling me about his sister in San Francisco who’s supposedly friends with Nancy Pelosi. (“That’s a good thing. Nancy Pelosi is a powerful woman.”) His sister recently received some sort of UN Medal of Honor, and sure enough, he scrolled through his photos and found a picture of her and Nancy at the ceremony. I like to believe that he wasn’t making that story up. 🙂 He also repeated that this area wasn’t “real Delhi” because it doesn't show how the everyday Indian lives.
Another guy said he knew me from the hotel and that he was the chef there. Hmmm...not so sure about that story. He kept saying that I could ignore him if I wanted, but would then proceed to tell me all about the handicrafts markets where I could get “real Indian goods.” And then Adi, who just started chatting with me in the gardens, who isn’t so sure about Trump and hesitated before admitting that he doesn’t really like to travel. “I’ve tried it before and it’s just not my cup of tea.” He started rambling on about meditation until finally I said I wanted to continue walking in the gardens by myself. That worked!
Later I decided to throw caution to the wind and have a tuk tuk driver take me to the India Gate. “Hello, ma’am, I remember you from this morning!” and I actually remembered having a conversation with him. You haven’t really experienced Delhi traffic until you’ve been smack in the middle of it inside a tuk tuk, or, as my driver calls it, a “Delhi Helicopter.” Cars, mopeds, and tuk tuks are the main vehicles on the roads and they all pretty much do whatever they want. It’s indescribable.
After telling my driver a hundred times that I only wanted to be dropped off at the India Gate and not taken to the handicrafts market and some other park, I walked through security into a very expansive, sad-looking park covered mostly with dirt and worn grass. There was what used to be a large fountain with adjoining pools but there was no water, just trash strewn about. The gate itself stood with authority but it wasn’t awe-inspiring. Just big. I was one of a only few Westerners in that area.
And here’s a helpful tip: Don’t ever assume your tuk tuk driver a) speaks English or b) knows where your hotel is. Oh, or c) knows where the street that your hotel is on! My return-trip driver stopped someone on the street to ask where the street is!
Tomorrow morning at 11:30 I join my group for the first time. It’s been fun being solo! (I am going to put the photos from today in a different post—having trouble with formatting!
Very brave indeed! Enjoy the trip!
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