Sightseeing in Hell

We had some visitors from HQ on Friday.  Actually, the guy that came over used to work for me and was following up on some business that we had started in my old role.  He is a good guy and an adventurous traveler.  We visited a factory on Friday and, it being his first visit to Delhi, asked if we could sightsee on Saturday before his flight left at 11:30pm.

All flights to anywhere out of India leave in the middle of the night.  Flights to the US need to catch their European connections in the mid-morning and flights to Asia fly overnight.  It just is the way it is.  Because all flights leave at these ungodly hours, hotels will actually allow you to book a half day until 9:00pm.  It does not, though, cost you half of a full day, but more like 3/4 of a normal room rate.

So anyway, his flight was not until freak'n midnight, so we had the entire day to tool around Delhi.  I warned him that he might not want to do this as it is averaging close to 100 degrees with humidity in the 90% range, but this may be his only time to come to Delhi, so off we went.

There were four of us.  The aforementioned Product Manager from America, my Sourcing Managing (who was to be our guide), a Sourcing Director from our China office and me.  We set off around 9:00am into an already inferno-like morning.

We started off with Qutb Minar.  This is a huge tower that was started in the 1193 by one of the 1st muslim rulers of India, but took roughly 200 years to complete.  It stands 237 feet and is the worlds largest brick structure.  Pretty cool, eh?  The tower stands in a complex that dates back even further than the tower and there are some unbelievable ruins to see.  We spent about 30 minutes roaming around the area until the heat got to us and we retreated to the air conditioned car.

Qutb Minar 

The Iron Pillar of Delhi - has withstood 1600 years without any rust!

Thirty minutes in the Delhi sun.  This does not sound like much, but it can do serious damage if left unchecked.  I, being of sound mind and no hair, never leave the house without sunscreen and a hat, but my fellow travelers underestimated satan's little grow-lamp and by the time we returned to the car they were already showing signs of good old fashion burning.  I offered my lotion and we got back on track.

The next stop was Delhi Haat.  This is a cool little market full of crafts from around India.  Each artist is from a different part of India and their crafts reflect the workmanship and materials from that region. There are paper mache animals, marble candle holders, and sandalwood..... well .... sandalwood everything. This is the best place to by your Hindu Icons like Ganesha (man body, elephant head).  It is not really expensive and everything is negotiable.  We tooled around there for about an hour and set off for Old Delhi.

Old Delhi has been around since the 1600s and has not really changed all that much.  it is a very compact city with tiny alleyways lined with shops that sell everything from spices to clothes.  There are a few notable mosques in the area, as well as a very famous fort, the Red Fort. The city is surrounded by a wall and entry is limited by the gates as it was 400 years ago.  The main reason people come to Old Delhi, though, is for the food.  This is a foodies cornucopia.  You can get everything here and it is as authentic as it gets.  Tourist should be leery as authentic in these parts can translate to blowing mud for a week - they call it Delhi Belly and it is real.

Renting rickshaws is the only way to see Old Delhi.  When I say it is the only way to see Old Delhi, I do not mean, "it is the best experience, don't miss it."  I actually mean it is the only means of transportation available if you want to cover any ground in this part of the city.  The streets are too narrow for anything else.  A rickshaw is basically a bicycle attached to a cart on which you sit - and not comfortably I may add.  This is not for the faint of heart, but is really a great adventure - albeit not in 100 degree heat.

Riding through Old Delhi on my rickshaw

Apparently even a rickshaw is too big for some streets

Anyway we rented two of these contraptions for the entire afternoon for roughly $6.50.  They would take us to each sight and wait patiently outside as we toured the many great sights of Old Delhi.  We went to a mosque, rode through the narrow alleys, ate a great meal and saw the Red Fort.  We arrived at the Red Fort around 2:00pm just as the heat was at its worst.  I was really hoping to find a place with no shade to stand in a security line for 45 minutes in 100 degree heat!  The Fort is really interesting, though, and would be worth another visit in, lets say, November.  It was built in the 17th century and was used by everyone that invaded Delhi, including the British.  If it were not a gagillion degrees, I might have actually enjoyed it, but by the time we got through security I could actually feel the sweat running from my neck all the way down my leg.  We all had reached our limit for the heat and after about 30 minutes of perusing the fort, made a Bee-line for the car.

Red Fort

It was the hottest, most uncomfortable day I had ever spent outside.  The day was so hot that Delhi set power consumption records and tripped two power stations from the overuse.  It was hell on earth, but an interesting hell, never the less.