Incredible Delhi

The lamps at Kazza Chowk, the quirky, themed Indian restarant look like traditional Indian chandelier.
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My last entry was about my trip to Dharamsala. As much as Dharamsala was tranquil, clean, soothing, and quiet....Delhi is crazy, diverse in an indescribable way, and as populated as a 30 mile square ant colony. Delhi, I think, has a love/hate relationship with most of it's inhabitants.

There is always something going on and anything you want you can have for the right price. However, there are people everywhere, and you have to fight to get what you want and find the things you want even if you are willing to pay for them. It's an incredible city. Diverse, like any big city. In Delhi though, all of those different ethnicities, social groups, economic classes, and lifestyles coexist, literally, side by side. There is no one "nice" part of the city, and any one area that is the "other side of the tracks." Between my university (considered the Harvard of India) and a posh shopping district is a slum in a roundabout. On the street you will see orphaned children, teenagers dressed in the newest Dolce and Gabbana, an Indian man from the south in a traditional skirt-looking outfit, a sikh in a bright colored turban, and a north Indian that looks Korean to American eyes.

...all of those different ethnicities, social groups, economic classes, and lifestyles coexist, literally, side by side.

I actually haven't visited the "Red Fort" yet, but it is a famous site of Delhi.
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Along with the variety of people, in a given day you can see enough animal life for a small zoo. On campus alone are puppies, cats, peacocks, lizards, and chipmunks. In the city (and on campus) you will see herds of cows in the evening, which is especially entertaining when they are sleeping in front of the posh restaurant and night clubs. Donkeys walk through crowded highway traffic and every once in awhile a stray monkey will dash through the busy market.

Even on campus, the "nice" dorms are the ones where the rooms have been painted in the last few years. The most popular hangout spot is a bare dirt area where concrete blocks and rocks make up the social seating areas. The amazing thing about the dilapidated state of things is that in clothing, jewelry, temples, and many other things, the esthetic appeal of things is so important.

We found this incredibly decorated Indian restaurant in Pria the other day. I think it is my new favorite place. They have nostalgic Indian advertisements and quirky stuff everywhere. This is a wall panel behind our table of tiny silver auto-rickshaws.
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These are just some photos of the many sides of Delhi. Oh, and by the way, Yahoo News today said that Delhi is the 4th cheapest city in the world to live in after Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Buenos Aires. Enjoy.