My Experience in Delhi, India
India was unlike anywhere else that I have ever traveled to. I will preface by saying that it was an incredibly sad place. Nevertheless. I do not regret visiting here because I left with a new appreciation for life.
The very first thing that stood out to me when I got to India was the disorderly, dirty streets filled with poverty-stricken people. The streets were covered in mud, tar, and oil. There were no true sidewalks. They were either busted up or invisible under the immense amount of dirt. Roads were completely full of dirty-faced individuals trying their best to make any amount of money they could. Some had wagons full of goods that were being pulled by cows, several had carts of fruit, a few sold jewelry and the most desperate families sent around their children to beg for money.
The children begging for money would chase you, grab your arm and just hang on you. If you gave them money, every other child around would come flocking to you like birds. There was one day that was very upsetting. Three siblings came with torn clothes and no shoes. There had to be something that could help them besides money. They said they were hungry, so maybe they would take food. That was not the case. They shoved it away because they wanted money. Children were not the only ones that wanted money. Adults also had their own way of begging.
Walking down the road, the grown men would offer directions. They would ask, “Where you from?” Following you down the road, they would create casual conversation. Then, They would just keep following you because they wanted money for helping guide you. One man would absolutely not leave us alone. My dad tried to kindly tell him to go away, but he wouldn’t. After about 10 minutes, he started pushing my dad the other way and we had had enough. We went straight to a police officer. He eventually left us alone and we went about our business.
Poverty in India was simply awful. There were entire neighborhoods of houses made with only tarps, children running around without any clothes, people with no feet holding their hands out for money, and there were even entire fields that couldn’t be seen because they were entirely covered with trash.
For a country that has such poverty, India had some pretty good transportation. There were several ways to get around. Metro was the main one. The Delhi Metro was actually surprisingly modern. They were on-time, clean, and not terribly overcrowded. Some other ways to get around included rickshaws, Tuk-tuks, and trains. The trains were interesting. As one would be leaving, locals would actually JUMP from the platform through the open windows! Of course, I did not participate. Nevertheless, it was amusing to watch.
Even though India had a variety of transportation, it was definitely better to walk the city and see everything. There were some shops with gorgeous traditional gowns, street vendors with local food, and lots of different sights too see. The only thing that happened when walking the streets was that people would surround me and ask for selfies…lots and LOTS of selfies!!! Full disclosure: I took so many pictures that my cheeks started hurting. Women would drag me over by their kids and want me to take a picture, men would hold their phone in my face and say “Selfie!”, and people would ask me to be in their family photos. Every time my parents and I would try to take a picture, someone would stick their head in it and try to get a selfie with me. There was one time when I was visiting a popular local spot and almost couldn’t leave because people were constantly wanting a picture! It was insane! I do have to say, it was fun to be a celebrity for a week.
This is only a glimpse into the life of Delhi, India. I could say so much more, but it would take forever to read. So, to conclude, it was definitely fun to visit here for a week, but I don’t think I would go back to Delhi, simply because of the sadness.