Day 1 (10/02/12) - Delhi

New Delhi: A very early arrival; traffic, serious traffic; an afternoon with friends, old and new; and an amazing and little known park

The plane touched down about 2 am from London -- a bit late and a truly unfair time to land.  But even the gracious Indira Gandhi International Airport welcomed us.

 Fortunately customs was quick (Are you listening UK)? The photo shows some of the artwork at the customs line.

The taxi ride was a very brief and low key introduction to driving in Delhi.  The driver believed that lane markers and traffic signals were merely suggestions, not always to be followed; that honking a horn as you go through a signal that is green is expiation for your sins of going though signals that are read; and that it is a sin to allow more than 3 inches between you and any other vehicle on the road -- whether in front or to the sides.  And this was truly only a hint for what was to come.

A bit later we called our friend Amy (actually more of a friend of a friend but we had had over to an Oscar party so, under the principles of Indian hospitality, that makes her practically family).  She had left but her sister, Indu, who by extension also became near-family, invited us to meet her for lunch -- at her place.  So we hoped into a cab (deciding that the risk of getting lost in the metro, while possibly fun for us, would make us rudely late).  

I can't find words adequate to describe what it is like to drive on Delhi's streets, but I'll try.  Start with too many vehicles and other objects and then toss in an amazing, incongrous, and completely incompatible array of such vehicles and objects -- regular cars; some trucks; a fair selection of buses; auto-rickshaws (three wheeled vehicles that are a close cousin to an electric golf cart but run on CNG; known as Tuck-Tucks or Tuk-Tuks); true rickshaws -- bicycle powered; motorcycles -- including ones with whole families on them; bicycles; carts of various sizes and shapes being pushed or pulled by one or more people; broken down cars being pushed by three or four people; people walking in your direction, opposite to your direction, or across the road; people selling things to drivers and passengers stopped in the street -- or begging; an occasional horse either being ridden or pulling a cart; cows (the sacred variety -- this is India); and even an occasional monkey (Rhesus I'm told although not whether positive or negative).  Every vehicle with a horn is required to operate that horn at least once or twice every minute -- one of the few laws apparently obeyed.  Everything is zigging in and out in an effort to shave perhaps 1-2 seconds off of a half-hour trip, without signaling (do they have turn signals -- there was no evidence of this) and turning when needed or desired no matter what else is in the way.  Some of the roads are broad and some are quite narrow but the behavior doesn't seem to change according to this.  There are many roundabouts (i.e., traffic circles) with the only rule being always travel clockwise, the occasional speed bump, and a signage system that seems whimsical at best.  But, after a few minutes, when you realize that you're quite unlikely to die from an activity that literally millions of Delhians survive every day -- oh, did I mention that seat belts seem to be a fairly non-existent item -- you begin to relax, breath some, and notice that what you're seeing is a beautifully choreographed ballet.  And, no one seems to take any of the cut offs, honking, and close quarters personally -- there is almost no showing of even mild road rage in circumstances that would have some Americans reaching for their guns.  Everyone seems to know what they are doing  and what is expected of them.  A shockingly low percentage of vehicles have any dents.  And the system works.  This photos is a very inadequate display of a small part of the Delhi traffic scene)

I had read before coming to India that Indians are extremely gracious and welcoming of strangers ... and I found that to be true the first day.  Amy had a meeting so instead we reached Indu who insisted that we come for lunch -- at her place.  She lives in one of the nicer neighborhoods of New Delhi, and we had lunch in her garden.  It ran multiple courses and was all delicious, prepared by her cook.  And then she had us taken down the street to the Lodhi Gardens.  This is a beautiful park near her house which contains some tombs and mausoleums (and even an entire mosque) from some early 15th century emperors of the Sayiid Dynasty.  

Here are the graves and mausoleums right out in the open and very uncrowded.  When you first enter the park you can't see them and if you don't know, you might miss them.   (Thanks Amy and Indu).  

Then it was back to the hotel (another hour in Delhi traffic) for the "official" start of the tour.