Tell me about Delhi

[kully]

I've always hated Delhi, too many people, too much noise, I get a headache within 30 minutes.

I'll be there for a few days next month and wondered if people had found any nice corners and how people went about taking some snaps in such a crowded place.

Oh, and if anyone has any suggestions for Kullu, Jodhpur, Jaiselmer and Agra too..... 🙂

 

[btgc]

I think you have to find some really bad place in India to have only a few people around 🙂 Big cities, tourist cities are full of people, you know this.

Probably go another route - enjoy it as is, take pictures and feel it all. Couple of days aren't couple of years or decades. This is just how I would do, anyway.

Oh, gardens? they also are crowded. I remember Lotus temple in Delhi as wonderfully silent place, even if still lots of people there. Naturally cooled air, too.

 

[ludoo]

I had the luck of being able to stay at the India International Center as a guest a few years ago. If you are looking for a quiet, very nice place to have breakfast or lunch you might want to give them a call (look them up on Google) and ask if they have any exhibitions open and if non-members can access the Lily Pond bar and restaurant. They also have beautiful 5-star rooms with great service, but I think you should be invited by a member to stay there.

If you go there (and even if you don't) take a stroll through the nearby Lodi Gardens, it's a beautiful relaxing place where Mughal mausoleums are surrounded by lush vegetation. It should give you some good photo opprtunities especially very early in the morning or at sunset. And maybe allow you to escape the hot oven that is Delhi in the summer.

 

[marduk]

I have heard good things about Majnu ka Tilla Tibetan Colony – This is one of the more accessible Tibetan resettlement areas in India, and certainly a nice piece of variety for Delhi. To get there head north along Ring Road just past Majnu ka Tilla Gurudwara, or take the Metro to Vidhan Sabha station, and a cycle-rickshaw is 15 rupees from there. (http://wikitravel.org/en/Delhi)

It's presumably quiter and more peaceful than the old city and it's also a good base for exploring Himachal Pradesh or doing to McLeod Ganj / Dharamsala. The link above contains some gesthouse recommendations as well.

I stayed myself in one of the hotels in Paharganj market area and it's not that bad. Tadka (Ram Dwara Road, Paharganj - also mentioned in the link) serves absolutely best vegetarian food I ever had. On my next trip to India I'll be tempted to visit Delhi just to dine there 😀

Let me give you a piece of advice: go to Kerala when you get chance, if you haven't been there yet. It's so much different from the Delhi and nearby tourist cities (Agra, Jaipur) and stunningly beautiful. You'll love it.

 

[notturtle]

get into old Delhi and travel super light with kit protected from pickpockets. New delhi did not do much for me.

 

[functus]

If you're in New Delhi, Lodi Gardens can be a nice escape from the crowns. My favorite green space was the area around Hauz Khas village, and there's a decent selection of restaurants there, too.

Taking photographs in the tourist traps can be a little frustrating ... the touts are out in full force in places like Connaught Circle and Pahar Ganj, and pulling out a camera will draw attention quickly. If you can, try to go to places where fewer tourists go to -- some of the markets (try INA market for some fairly dramatic low-light opportunities or Sarojini for colour -- just make sure everything is zipped up tight against the occasional pickpocket).

I lived in Delhi for two years, and actually came to quite like the city ... it isn't as vibrant as Mumbai, but it does have its charms ...

 

[ludoo]

One more quick suggestion: if you feel the need to escape the heat, you could do worse than spending a couple of hours at the pool of the Imperial Hotel. When I stayed there about 16 years ago it was a wonderful old colonial hotel with gigantic rooms furnished with period furniture, now I suspect it's been renovated and is very expensive, but access to the pool might still be affordable.

 

[kkr2k2]

The best I can suggest is: if you are staying in a good hotel, ask the hotel to arrange someone to accompany you. Pay a good tip to that chap and be friendly to him. If possible meet-up with members of this forum who are in Delhi. At least one day(may be more) of your trip would be a memorable/hassle free one. 🙂

If you personally know anyone who is been staying in Delhi for a while, he/she is the best person to take you around Delhi. People living in India would love to show around especially if they have a guest coming from outside their city and more so if they have a guest coming from abroad.

For the street photography, keep in mind the general tips on street photography. Do not keep a serious face while taking pics, have a pleasant and smiling face. If you are taking pics, of street vendors, you can ask them smiling with a gesture saying "photo". A digital P&S camera would be handy. People generally don't mind the small cameras. Some of them would want to have a look at pic you have taken, please show them with a smile. But DO NOT hand over the camera to them. Its always better to use the wrist-strap, even while showing the pic to anyone.
You may find some interesting tips on Street Photography, which in general are valid through out India here.

get into old Delhi and travel super light with kit protected from pickpockets. New delhi did not do much for me.

I agree with notturtle, there are lot of people here in the metros have little or no regard for the laws/rules.

All the places you have mentioned are tourist places, so you will find enough people who able/manage to converse in English. Please don't expect people with native English accent. You might feel bad, though there are quite a lot of people in India who can speak English, its still a foreign language to us.

An example of how the accent / pronunciation of English words:
World is pronounced as wa-rald, there are people who had education in English. The stress on 'r' will be reduced and few actually speak native English.

In the metros like Delhi, due to the IT industry and accent training and English channels which we watch on TV, the accent is changed, sometimes it appears a bit too much as if imitating/mimicking the westerners.

I guess this is not your first trip, but since some of the places you mentioned are not metros, I would like to bring it your notice on the toilets here in India. You may read about it here.

Its the experience shared by a German woman, who visited her boy-friend in India. You can read more on that here.

I wish you all the best and best of luck for your visit. Alas I am in Hyderabad, else I would have shown some places around.

PS1: Please ignore any grammatical mistakes if any in my post. As mentioned earlier, English is still a foreign language to us 😀.

PS2: The above mentioned are based on my experiences, and some people from this country may not agree with some parts or entirely. You (should) know, India is a very diverse country.
🙂

 

[meven]

Let me give you a piece of advice: go to Kerala when you get chance, if you haven't been there yet. It's so much different from the Delhi and nearby tourist cities (Agra, Jaipur) and stunningly beautiful. You'll love it.

I second that, Kerala IS amazing but it is also a very long way from Delhi!!😱

 

[payasam]

What marduk and meven say makes sense: try Kerala. If you get into trouble when in Delhi, I am 987 355 3167.

 

[ludoo]

Oh, and one quick suggestion I learned from my wife who worked in Delhi for a couple of years: never expect "no" for an answer to a direct question, as it's extremely impolite to say so. And remember in India a shake of the head means "yes", like our nod.

 

[kully]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I speak Punjabi, will people understand me without resorting to English?

I was looking for more obscure hints and tips - for example, if someone came to the city I live in now, I would recommend a pie shop which hasn't changed its decor since it opened in 1979, has nicely kept real beer and does lovely homemade pies (my favourite being wild boar and venison).

 

[chachi]

i second the old delhi suggestion. i was in and out of delhi and stayed in paharganj, but really hated it, all the kashmiri scammers and lack of cheap street food. my last day, a sunday, i was trying to get some last minute shopping done and took the metro up to the chandni chowk area. i was suprised to find the side street markets open and teeming, while chandni chowk itself was closed up (except for the mcdonalds, of course). i got such a great vibe from that area, totally free of tourists that day, and vowed to stay up there instead of paharganj if i ever had to spend any time in delhi again.

i've also heard good things about the tibetan colony.

 

[craygc]

If youre interested, PM me and I can give you the name and number of a taxi driver that Ive used before. Very reliable, very fair and trustworthy. Ive used him before to photograph in Delhi as well as taking me to customer meetings. If you need, he can even pick you up from the airport on arrival. These shots are thanks to his services...

Delhi 2009