To India

"Delhi is a horrible place." That's what many travelers have told us. Our date of departure was approaching and we were getting nervous. However, after arriving in Delhi, and seeing the city first hand, it's not as horrible as our minds imagined. While it is definitely true that this city is different from any places we have been to, the differences are not completely negative.

From an Internet café in Bangkok we booked a guesthouse in Connaught Place for the first few days in Delhi. The guesthouse arranged transportation from the airport, making our early morning arrival as smooth as possible. The guesthouse itself was another not-so-great guidebook recommendation. It was located in a building occupied by several other businesses. The room was like a prison cell, a tiny 8' x 12' space completely tiled in white from floor to ceiling, and without a window. The attached bathroom was hardly functioning. We checked out the next morning to better accommodations.

The first day was spent exploring the area called Connaught Place, a well-known shopping district, laid out around several ring roads. Many people approach us on the streets, mostly vendors selling Rajistani crafts, sweets and other items for sale. To our surprise, a simple but polite "no thanks" was all that was needed to escape these hustlers. Panhandlers were the same, and so were the stylish young men who wanted to introduce us to "reliable travel agencies." The hassle of fending off touts seemed surprisingly less than in Mongolia or China, where an arm might be grabbed to keep us from leaving.

As far as food goes, we continue to stick by our tried and true standards used in China. That is, to find relatively clean, brightly lit places that fit our budget and where many other people are enjoying a meal. It was not difficult to find places that fit these criteria in both Connaught Place, and Paharganj, where our second hotel was located. The many Indian restaurants and Chat Cafés located in Silicon Valley prepared us well for diving into the real deal here in Delhi.

We had to ask ourselves, "Had we arrived directly from Northern California, without first experiencing Mongolia or China, would Delhi be totally overwhelming, would our first impression be different?" Perhaps.

India has much to offer and deeper experiences to explore. We expect that our eyes will pop and our jaws will drop in the coming months. Just walking around the old town markets around Red Fort has set the stage for what's to come. Delhi is the starting point for a three-month adventure in India.