Going solo in Delhi: 7 Things you can't miss
This is a repost of an older post (from May 2016) that somehow got deleted.
You know how every city has those quintessential things associated with it - like crowds, sea and vada pav in Mumbai, beaches and sweating in Chennai, etc. I had a pretty long checklist of things I associated with Delhi and I managed to check off all of them in a single day.
The 7 things you can't miss when you're in Delhi are:
1. Get ripped off by an auto-wala
This happens in a lot of cities, I admit, but I had been specifically warned against it before going to Delhi. It happened anyway. I had to go somewhere close and before getting in, I asked the auto-wala, "Minimum fare, na?" and he said yes. It turned out to be a little farther than I expected, but definitely a lot less than 3kms. After I get down, he blithely says, "100 rupaiya hua". The argument ended with me shouting at him about how at least one auto-wala has to fool you once you land in Delhi and how he had had the honor this time. (In case you're wondering, I gave in at 50 bucks)
2. Visit one historical monument
Delhi is littered with history - having been the centre of power for practically forever, so this wasn't a hard one to tick off. I've been to Delhi a few times, but had only seen the Jama Masjid from afar. This time, I managed to pay a visit during namaz. The sound of prayer could be heard in the background, the pigeons were flying around above me and the red sandstone hot under your feet. In the distance, the Red Fort was visible. I found a few moments of peace and calm in the Delhi heat.
3. Ride the Delhi metro
Mumbai has crowded, hot local trains and since Delhi is the posher cousin, it has a crowded, but *air-conditioned* Metro. Which I'm deeply grateful for, as that was my shelter during the hot afternoon. I literally just traveled from Chandni Chowk to Hauz Khas and then back just to pass time without getting baked in my skin. I had actually wanted to catch some of the scenery in Delhi from the trains, but realized belatedly that many routes in the Delhi Metro travel underground, unlike Mumbai. With the help of an app, I wasn't even confused by different lines that form the metro - the red line, the green line, the yellow line, etc.
4. Eat good food, duh.
Every place has its specialties, and in Delhi, it's chaat and kababs. So it was dahi bhalle at Natraj Dahi Bhalla (slightly overpriced at Rs.50 for 2 pieces, but tasty) and kababs at the original Karim's near Jama Masjid. The kababs were a treat of course, but my bonus was a long conversation with a Polish couple who I ended up chatting with after I helped them pick what to eat. Over a plate of Chicken jahangiri, kababs and roomali roti, I got to know that they were blueberry farmers who farmed for 2 months and traveled the rest of the year. Ah food, the greatest conversation starter ever invented!
5. Witness a fight.
The above mentioned auto-wala was driving, when another auto cut him from the left. To avoid crashing, our vehicle swerved right. Which drew the ire of the guy behind us who was driving a school-van. He had pulled up parallel to us and was only glaring at my auto-wala, when the auto-wala started scolding him for driving fast. Uh-oh. What happened after that was that he actually stopped his van and got out and aggressively headed towards our auto, all the while showering abuses and threats - "Behenchod, tere se kum umar hoti na, to abhi dikha deta, behen ke..." . Fortunately or unfortunately, the fight wound up with only a small push and a shove after some magical words were uttered - "Ladies peeche baithi hain na, rehne de."
6. Deal with the sarkar
Governments might come and go in Delhi, but the sarkar is everywhere in Delhi. I had booked an Ola after getting down at Hazrat Nizamuddin station. After a long wait, the taxi finally arrived. I got in and then got to know that the driver had had his licence confiscated. For about 15 minutes after that, the driver supplicated to the authorities to get his licence back, while I waited in the car. Finally, I decided to extend some support to the driver and went up to the traffic policeman. "Do minute me ho jayega, madam. Aap jao.", he said. And it took only do minute after that. It must've looked like I had a powerful relative!
7. Fear for your safety
I really didn't want this one to happen to me, but it did. It was after 8pm, well past sunset, which is supposed to the time respectable women and girls should be home by. I had to go to Delhi Sarai Rohilla station so that I could catch the Mussorie Express. The taxi for which I was waiting was desperately late, and the stretch of pavement I was waiting on was lonesome. I didn't notice the two men - one pushing the other on a hand-cart the first time they passed by me. But the next time they made sure I'd notice. Both leered at me, with the one in the cart loudly telling the one pushing him, "Arre, zor se dhakka laga na.. Zor se.. Jaise tu wahan karta hai." I quickly moved to a more crowded stretch of the road. In retrospect, maybe there wasn't really much for me to be afraid of. Maybe I should've just shouted back at him. But sometimes, when we're feeling vulnerable, courage does desert us.
Still, that one incident hasn't lessened my liking for Delhi. Unlike Mumbai, where no one has time for anyone, I was never short of conversations during my one-day stay. Be it with the waiters at Karim's, or the taxi-walas who ferried me or the mochi who repaired my backpack (he berated me for having left my job and said that he himself had done an MA), there's one more thing about Delhi that you can't miss - Dilliwale, dil-wale hain.
You know how every city has those quintessential things associated with it - like crowds, sea and vada pav in Mumbai, beaches and sweating in Chennai, etc. I had a pretty long checklist of things I associated with Delhi and I managed to check off all of them in a single day.
The 7 things you can't miss when you're in Delhi are:
1. Get ripped off by an auto-wala
This happens in a lot of cities, I admit, but I had been specifically warned against it before going to Delhi. It happened anyway. I had to go somewhere close and before getting in, I asked the auto-wala, "Minimum fare, na?" and he said yes. It turned out to be a little farther than I expected, but definitely a lot less than 3kms. After I get down, he blithely says, "100 rupaiya hua". The argument ended with me shouting at him about how at least one auto-wala has to fool you once you land in Delhi and how he had had the honor this time. (In case you're wondering, I gave in at 50 bucks)
2. Visit one historical monument
 |
| Jama Masjid, Delhi |
3. Ride the Delhi metro
Mumbai has crowded, hot local trains and since Delhi is the posher cousin, it has a crowded, but *air-conditioned* Metro. Which I'm deeply grateful for, as that was my shelter during the hot afternoon. I literally just traveled from Chandni Chowk to Hauz Khas and then back just to pass time without getting baked in my skin. I had actually wanted to catch some of the scenery in Delhi from the trains, but realized belatedly that many routes in the Delhi Metro travel underground, unlike Mumbai. With the help of an app, I wasn't even confused by different lines that form the metro - the red line, the green line, the yellow line, etc.
4. Eat good food, duh.
 |
| Dahi bhalle from Natraj, Chandni Chowk. |
Every place has its specialties, and in Delhi, it's chaat and kababs. So it was dahi bhalle at Natraj Dahi Bhalla (slightly overpriced at Rs.50 for 2 pieces, but tasty) and kababs at the original Karim's near Jama Masjid. The kababs were a treat of course, but my bonus was a long conversation with a Polish couple who I ended up chatting with after I helped them pick what to eat. Over a plate of Chicken jahangiri, kababs and roomali roti, I got to know that they were blueberry farmers who farmed for 2 months and traveled the rest of the year. Ah food, the greatest conversation starter ever invented!
5. Witness a fight.
The above mentioned auto-wala was driving, when another auto cut him from the left. To avoid crashing, our vehicle swerved right. Which drew the ire of the guy behind us who was driving a school-van. He had pulled up parallel to us and was only glaring at my auto-wala, when the auto-wala started scolding him for driving fast. Uh-oh. What happened after that was that he actually stopped his van and got out and aggressively headed towards our auto, all the while showering abuses and threats - "Behenchod, tere se kum umar hoti na, to abhi dikha deta, behen ke..." . Fortunately or unfortunately, the fight wound up with only a small push and a shove after some magical words were uttered - "Ladies peeche baithi hain na, rehne de."
6. Deal with the sarkar
Governments might come and go in Delhi, but the sarkar is everywhere in Delhi. I had booked an Ola after getting down at Hazrat Nizamuddin station. After a long wait, the taxi finally arrived. I got in and then got to know that the driver had had his licence confiscated. For about 15 minutes after that, the driver supplicated to the authorities to get his licence back, while I waited in the car. Finally, I decided to extend some support to the driver and went up to the traffic policeman. "Do minute me ho jayega, madam. Aap jao.", he said. And it took only do minute after that. It must've looked like I had a powerful relative!
7. Fear for your safety
I really didn't want this one to happen to me, but it did. It was after 8pm, well past sunset, which is supposed to the time respectable women and girls should be home by. I had to go to Delhi Sarai Rohilla station so that I could catch the Mussorie Express. The taxi for which I was waiting was desperately late, and the stretch of pavement I was waiting on was lonesome. I didn't notice the two men - one pushing the other on a hand-cart the first time they passed by me. But the next time they made sure I'd notice. Both leered at me, with the one in the cart loudly telling the one pushing him, "Arre, zor se dhakka laga na.. Zor se.. Jaise tu wahan karta hai." I quickly moved to a more crowded stretch of the road. In retrospect, maybe there wasn't really much for me to be afraid of. Maybe I should've just shouted back at him. But sometimes, when we're feeling vulnerable, courage does desert us.
Still, that one incident hasn't lessened my liking for Delhi. Unlike Mumbai, where no one has time for anyone, I was never short of conversations during my one-day stay. Be it with the waiters at Karim's, or the taxi-walas who ferried me or the mochi who repaired my backpack (he berated me for having left my job and said that he himself had done an MA), there's one more thing about Delhi that you can't miss - Dilliwale, dil-wale hain.
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