Delhi
The ancient capital of the Mughals. Thriving sprawling metropolis with sights and sounds that stay with you long after they are gone. I have been four days here and haven’t even scratched the surface. I am staying in the backpacker ghetto called the Pahar Ganj. It is a filthy place. It rains at night and in the morning there is a two inch thick coating of mud, water, trash, and cow shit that covers all the small streets and alley ways. Outside of this area it gets a little better. Traffic is truly chaotic, but no worse than Vietnam. The Mughals were prolific builders and their monuments dot the city. There are some truly amazing things. I can only imagine what they looked like in their prime. There was a big revolt against the British in Delhi in 1857and the city was looted twice. Once when the former British soldiers turned on their officers and headed to Delhi to make a bid for independence. They turned the city upside down in the months of the siege, taking everything they could find. When the British finally reoccupied the city they systematically slaughtered and appropriated all they could find. They even stripped the valuables from the Red fort. I saw what was left a few days ago and even after the looting it was amazing. I have been hanging out with a group of Israelis lately. They are a fun crowd. Three years of military service is compulsory in Israel. Some of the guys I am hanging out with served in the conflict with Lebanon that happened a few years ago. They come to India en masse to blow off steam and experience a degree of freedom that they don’t have at home. Yesterday we were all talking and one of the girls was talking about the beggar children that and how they were just heart breaking. I realized that India had toughened me up in unexpected ways. This place has rubbed my heart so much that it has left calluses. Delhi is overwhelming. It is wonderful, but not for the weak. It pours salt on bleeding hearts and can empty your pocketbook in a flash if you are not careful. Everyday I hear stories of degradation and poverty. There are so many people trying to get by on so little that it is hard to look through it all to see the beauty of this magnificent country. I have been in India long enough to get a feel for the country, but with only four days left I am not sure I will be able to get into the Indian shanti shanti mindset before I leave. Agra and the Taj Mahal is only two hours away and I am going to do that for a day in the near future. Today I am going to see a Bolleywood movie with some friends. That should be fun.
