It was Sunday night when I embarked on my nighttime journey to Delhi- the night bus towards the capital took 9 hours and unsurprisingly was delayed due to the usual lack of organization by the travel operators involved. I left Shimla when it was 23 degrees, and when I arrived in Delhi, it was 5am, and 29 degrees. As the morning wore on I travelled across the city to my home stay and could literally feel the temperature crawling up. By 1pm it was 44 degrees and I was melting- I've since decided Englishman weren't created to be in temperatures upwards of 30 degrees. Or in words that I have used on several occasions, "I like my weather how I like my woman, well under 30".
One thing I thoroughly enjoyed doing in Delhi was simply just going for a wander. The things you see doing this are quite unique and doubt you would see in many other cities around the world- some of it quite shocking. Dogs torn to pieces after a scrap with another stray, rats everywhere and of course, the poverty. The families living in 43 degree heat in the slums with sometimes 8 to a room, one can only imagine what its like to live in those conditions. Yet when I taught at the slum school, every child turned up with a gleaming smile on their face- if that was the effect of me being there, then at least I can be sure my visits were worthwhile. One thing I did notice about the culture in India; is the popular view on being poor, or more specifically those who are poor. On my way to the slum school one morning a group of boys walked with me for a while, trying to practice their broken English. At one point, one of the taller, porky lads motioned to his smaller friend and said "he is poor, don't speak to him" and laughed along with his friends. I don't know whether the smaller friend is poor, but that is beside the point. The fact that they used being poor as an insult to make fun of another was bizarre- it was alien to me and something you would never experience in the UK. Back home it is often the case people take pride in being from a unprivileged background, and why not? What I witnessed briefly between these lads in Delhi was something I doubt I'll forget, and was for me, one cultural difference I wasn't a fan of.
On the Thursday I ticked off another milestone on my goal to the 7 wonders of the world- The Taj Mahal. Prior to my visit I was wary it would be a let down, many a time I have been to famous attractions and people over-exaggerate how impressive it is and when you see it for yourself, it lets you down. Thankfully, the Taj Mahal proved me wrong- it is an immense, striking and beautiful building that you could stare at in awe for hours. Despite the tourist circus that surrounds it, once you're in the grounds of the Taj Mahal it becomes a magical place.
Friday came round all too quickly and so did my flight back to London. My time in India had abruptly come to an end. It had been a month where I had been thrown in the deep end of the culture pool and had relished it. Travelling alone in a country and in places where you are the only Westerner is a unique experience and one that I couldn't recommend enough. The Indians are among the most welcoming and friendly people I have come across- it's a unique place and one that should be on every traveler's bucket list. And just think, I only went there 'cause I like currys…
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