So this day was to be started with a long bus ride. And when I say long, I really mean it. What was planned to be a short trip to the ATM turned out to be a 2 hours joyride in Delhi’s hopelessly congested traffic system. At least we could get our eyes on some iconic New Delhi buildings like the presidential residence and the beautiful consular district.
After a short stop at a local mosque we continued our tour on foot. What we’ve experienced in the narrow back alleys of Old Delhi was beyond comparison to a common western European eye – and nose. The off odors in the streets, as well as their crowded and sketchy nature caused an uncomfortable feeling in some of us. However, it was undoubtedly a mixture of impressions that you could hardly find in any other Indian city.
As the traffic jam threw us a little behind schedule we made a cut here and hired a couple of rickshaws back to our bus which took us to a very decent restaurant for lunch.
The afternoon was supposed to get us acquainted with the world famous Indian spices and their effects on our health. First, though, we took a little walk through the whole spice market where vendors presented miscellaneous goods from all over the sub continent that kept all of our senses busy. At the end of our excursion we all had the opportunity to get hold of some high quality spices for their own homes.
After the spice market we drove outwards the crowded heart of Old Delhi in some of the numerous available rickshaws.
We were happy to finally reach the bus – it has been a busy day after all and it was time to head back to the hotel, or actually to the tailor shop for some of us. So the only thing left on the list was the long long ride back through the crazy roads of Delhi.