Traveling in the north of India is a completely different experience than the south; most of all in January. Hyderabad is unseasonably cool with lows around 60 and highs near 80 while Delhi was in the 50's during the day and just a few degrees above freezing in the coldest time of the night. Also keep in mind that in India you actually feel the weather all the time (most places don't have heat including my hotel room and tour bus).
Along with the weather Delhi was different from Hyderabad in almost every way. The food is not spicy like the south, there were many more tourists, locals had fairer complexions, the bazaars were more grand, the roads were larger and more structured and the city itself was noticeably bigger. On top of all that the demeanor of northern people is a little gruff and less friendly than in the south. The difference in size and feel between Hyderabad and Delhi is not unlike that of Portland and Philadelphia back in America. Perfect example is asking for the nearest ATM. In Hyderabad this simple question usually prompts an answer with a lot of pointing, hand signals and empathetic facial expressions (even if the helpful stranger can't speak English). In Delhi I had trouble getting much more than a dirty look, a grunt and a vague directional head movement.
Along with the cultural differences I had to be a little more cautious in Delhi. Everyone I spoke to about my plans was sure to warn me about thieves, pick pockets and overall less-than-friendly behavior in Delhi. After I saw the heavy metal chains that my hotel used to lock the main door along with a 24/7 security guard the idea of caution began to sink in. I was also told not to unlock my door inside the hotel in the night for any reason unless I was expecting something specific to be delivered. Although I had no issues with this I met a 26 year-old Romanian woman on one of my tours who told me her door had been tried 3 times in 3 nights! Like me she had also been in India for one month but after hearing some of her stories I'm surprised she survived long enough to share them with me. I thought I had been gullible in my first week. On her first trip in an auto she paid her driver 1,500 Rupees. That is roughly the amount an auto driver should earn in 3 full days work (not half an hour).
But anyway, Delhi really wasn't so scary. I took two guided tours in four days, one of Delhi and one that took me to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Everything I saw had some value, but if you threw all of the sights I saw on one side of a scale and the Taj on the other it isn't even close. The Taj Mahal is about as grand a sight as you could ever hope to see. Sometimes things that are ultra-famous end up being a let down in person but I assure you this does not fall into that category. Even the gate that acts as a veil hiding the Taj Mahal from sight is epic enough to be a tourist attraction unto itself.
In addition to my formal touring I was lucky enough to again spend some time with a local. I got to spend one of my days in Delhi with my mom's childhood best friend Seema. Although she isn't technically in my family I felt as though she was upon meeting her. She and my mom lost touch for over 20 years ago when my mom went to the U.S. and they only recently tracked one another down. They will be seeing each other for the first time in 30 years when my mom visits India this summer. Pretty wild to think about. She was more than happy to take me out to eat and to shop in some great spots and of course tell me a few old stories.
Along with the weather Delhi was different from Hyderabad in almost every way. The food is not spicy like the south, there were many more tourists, locals had fairer complexions, the bazaars were more grand, the roads were larger and more structured and the city itself was noticeably bigger. On top of all that the demeanor of northern people is a little gruff and less friendly than in the south. The difference in size and feel between Hyderabad and Delhi is not unlike that of Portland and Philadelphia back in America. Perfect example is asking for the nearest ATM. In Hyderabad this simple question usually prompts an answer with a lot of pointing, hand signals and empathetic facial expressions (even if the helpful stranger can't speak English). In Delhi I had trouble getting much more than a dirty look, a grunt and a vague directional head movement.
Along with the cultural differences I had to be a little more cautious in Delhi. Everyone I spoke to about my plans was sure to warn me about thieves, pick pockets and overall less-than-friendly behavior in Delhi. After I saw the heavy metal chains that my hotel used to lock the main door along with a 24/7 security guard the idea of caution began to sink in. I was also told not to unlock my door inside the hotel in the night for any reason unless I was expecting something specific to be delivered. Although I had no issues with this I met a 26 year-old Romanian woman on one of my tours who told me her door had been tried 3 times in 3 nights! Like me she had also been in India for one month but after hearing some of her stories I'm surprised she survived long enough to share them with me. I thought I had been gullible in my first week. On her first trip in an auto she paid her driver 1,500 Rupees. That is roughly the amount an auto driver should earn in 3 full days work (not half an hour).
But anyway, Delhi really wasn't so scary. I took two guided tours in four days, one of Delhi and one that took me to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. Everything I saw had some value, but if you threw all of the sights I saw on one side of a scale and the Taj on the other it isn't even close. The Taj Mahal is about as grand a sight as you could ever hope to see. Sometimes things that are ultra-famous end up being a let down in person but I assure you this does not fall into that category. Even the gate that acts as a veil hiding the Taj Mahal from sight is epic enough to be a tourist attraction unto itself.
In addition to my formal touring I was lucky enough to again spend some time with a local. I got to spend one of my days in Delhi with my mom's childhood best friend Seema. Although she isn't technically in my family I felt as though she was upon meeting her. She and my mom lost touch for over 20 years ago when my mom went to the U.S. and they only recently tracked one another down. They will be seeing each other for the first time in 30 years when my mom visits India this summer. Pretty wild to think about. She was more than happy to take me out to eat and to shop in some great spots and of course tell me a few old stories.
Delhi And Agra Slideshow: Alex’s trip to Adyar, Karnataka, India was created by TripAdvisor. See another Adyar slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.
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