Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Our Backpack Chronicles: New Delhi (part 1)

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Series Two: Do & Dee & Delhi

HOTEL RAK”, that sign you see at the background was our second hotel. This hotel is probably one of the best ones at Main Bazaar because it had knobs on its airconditioner.

Hotel Rak

Yes, knobs to control the fan speed and the temperature. The first hotel didn’t have any so I had to cover the airconditioner with pillows and blankets to control the temperature. Garandee’s teeth were chattering so hard I was worried I’ll need to thaw her out the following morning.

Garandee backpacking

Garandee and her huge backpack. I worry that if she fell backwards she can never get back up... you know, like a beetle or a turtle.


Family

One of the best things about walking around Delhi was the opportunity to take photographs of people as they go about their business. Here are a few of my favorite ones…

Main Bazaar

mother & child

Carpet vendors

You just gotta love the fabulous Sari’s the ladies wear in India. They're sooo colorful! Garandee even had a couple of Sari’s when she was working as a part time waitress in an Indian restaurant in Tokyo.

shrine

One of my biggest regrets was not having enough time to visit the Hindu temples around Delhi…

Rickshaw

Rickshaws! You will not believe how many of these I dodged while I was walking around Delhi, it was absolute “Rickshaw Rampage”!

I remember riding one on our first day…

Garandee: “Do, are you ok? You’ve been hitting the roof of the rickshaw a lot.”

Garando: “Yeah, as long as I use my hands like a helmet, I’ll probably survive. OW!!”

Garandee: “Kawawa… try to duck lower.”

Garando: “If I did that my face will hit the handle bars. YOUCH!”

Garandee: “Oh, right… how about… DO!! LOOK!!”

Garando: “Huh?? What? Where? ARAYKUPO!! (Ouch!!)”

Garandee: “There’s McDonald’s here!”

Garando: “Big deal, there’s McDonald’s everywhere. UFFF!”

Garandee: “But how can you have a burger restaurant in a country where cows are sacred??”

Garando: “Hmmm good point.“

Garandee: “di ba? (isn’t it?)”

Garando: “Driver, can you drop us off at McDonalds? I wanna get me some Big McGuru and Masala Fries!”

Rickshaw: “SCREEEEEEECH!!!”


Next stop: Delhi Belly!


Garando mode:
This is me inside the rickshaw.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

reminds me of slumdog :)

Iba na nag matangkad hehehe!

Oh by the way did you ate at McDo. Are there beef burgers ba?

Anonymous said...

I have not watched Slumdog yet, and I really want to, maybe after this month when I am not so busy...

They said India gives everything vegetarians would like because of the limited beef you can find... so vegetarian I may be, I just can't take loads of veggies without a beef patty...

Anonymous said...

you know, we slightly have the same style of travel....adventure talaga. so fun and exciting ano?

it's good to walk around a place because you see and learn a lot more than by zooming by in buses or trains. you get to interact with more people. and you get to see them in action, just like what your great pictures show!

you know, an officemate just got back from India and he discouraged me from going there. but what the heck! the more challenge and adventure, the better!

looking forward to the next part! :)

Garando said...

Jeanny:
Yes, we tried the McDo in Delhi and it was sooo different! Will write about it on part 2. :)

Sheng:
Slumdog was a nice movie, but I feel it was a bit over exaggerated (to give it a more "hollywood" appeal). And that's probably why it sparked some protests in Mumbai.
I'm doubt they serve any beef and pork in that country, but chicken, lamb and goat are very accessible. There's hope for us carnivores. :D

KG:
Yep, adventure is the way to go! Challenge is one of the things that makes the trip memorable and fun. If you go to India, put on an "Indiana Jones" hat, and you'll definitely have great time! The aroma, gurus, beggars, garbage are all part of the experience, so I understand why it's not for everyone. :)

Anonymous said...

it seemed that India is full of colors, literally and figuratively. :)

Anonymous said...

Lol on Mc Guru. =) But seriously, here in UAE they have Mc Arabia naman pero hindi ko pa natry. Plenty of Indians here that the sight of saris and other peculiarities are becoming common. I think they even outnumbered the Arabs.

I wish to visit some parts of India someday. Especially the one near Nepal where there is snow. Mumbai is 4 hours from Abu Dhabi.

HalfCrazy said...

Hahaha! It's kinda funny how the place looks SO MUCH like Divisoria! And the neighborhood looks so much like neighborhoods in the Philippines!

And aww, I love the uhm... People Pictures LOL.

Those are auto rickshaws. It would be interesting to see an old school Rickshaw!

Missy said...

The place is like Manila too. So how about the smell??....not the place... the smell of the people lol

Try to post their McDo burger version, I want to see it :-)

Dennis Villegas said...

I love your travelogue Garando! It really reads like one of those LONELY PLANET adventures!
You are very tall for that rickshaw, and I can just imagine how tight you squeeze your body to fit in LOL

HalfCrazy said...

I laughed when Missy said about the amoy LOL.

escape said...

i remember posting a comment here last time. hindi ko yata na confirm.

reading this post is really exciting for me because i also long to see india and you've brought us there.

the first two photos looks very much like manila. but i personally like photos 3rd and 2nd to the last photos in this set. it's so india!

Unknown said...

Hey,lovely..;D
I like the pictures..Very colorful.=)
Hope to see more from you..;D
And i hope you could visit my blog too.;D
Have a nice day.

Garando said...

Mordsith:
Yes, perhaps the most colorful culture out there. They even have "Holi", a festival of colors wherein they all wear white and throw colored powder at each other.

Wits and Nuts:
Mc Arabia? Interesting! When you do get to try it out, please share naman how it tastes. :)
Wow, ang lapit lang pala ng Mumbai dyan, hopefully you get to visit. I heard there's much to see in Mumbai as well.

HalfCrazy:
That's a good point! Yes, it's a lot like Divisoria. The only difference is that here we have stray cats & dogs, in India naman there are cows all over the place. :)
There's actually an old-school rickshaw in the second photo at the left of Garandee. Looks a lot like our "pedicabs"... We rode one of those just for kicks! :D

Missy:
Yep, some places are very similar to Manila! With regards to the smell of the people, well... it's unique. :)
I think it comes from all the curry and spices they eat rather than "sanitation issues". Like any other smell, it's nothing you won't get used to in a day or two. ;)
Delhi Burger coming up in part 2!

Dennis:
Thank you!! But you know, I think I prefer the rickshaws than the tricycles in Manila. There's a bit more headroom. LOL. :D

The DonG:
Thank you! Yeah, I wish I had more opportunities to take photos of Hindu shrines and temples, sayang it was a bit hard kase to go around Delhi. sigh...

Solo:
Hello! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment! Heading over to your blog now.

HalfCrazy said...

Hahaha yeah, nagulat ako nung may baka sa kalye! Now that is something we rarely see here unless we go to the province!

LOL I didn't see the old school rickshaw, I thought he was just biking, hahaha! But hey, I think there's an even older rickshaw, the one without bikes or anything! But I think that was in Japan LOL. I don't know.

Aaand, show your faces! :P

Garando said...

HalfCrazy:
Oh! I think I know what you mean... like human carriages right? In the old days, those were very popular in China and Japan, but they probably had those in India as well. I'm not too sure though.
I'm afraid that if I do show my face here I will scare off all my readers. LOL!

Alice said...

Ha... if Garandee falls backward, Garando will be there to "hai-yak!" stop her from tipping. Garando will be the hero!

India is very colourful!

Garando said...

Yeah, I guess it's my duty to be her bodyguard, driver, action hero, masseuse, punching bag, etc. :D