Delhi

View from our bedroom balcony, Delhi
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We arrived in Delhi for the first time at about 3am.  After a long wait for our luggage we slipped through customs without a fuss and began looking for our promised driver.  There he was and we jumped into the car and zoomed off to our friends' house in New Friends Colony, South Delhi. Everything looked weird especially the sky - dirt, dust and pollution perpetually hang in the air so light and colour take on a sort of sepia tone at night.

We are lucky enough to have lovely people to stay with in this city.  It's almost impossible to describe what life is like here...there are so many things to see.  I recommend William Dalrymple's book The City of Djinns - a Year in Delhi to anyone coming to visit.  It will give you a better appreciation of its history and many transformations.  Everyone should come here just once though to see what pollution, cars, industry and overpopulation can do.  Dalrymple's book describes the city back in 1947 as still being quite beautiful and relatively unspoiled.  In the space of 60 years industrialised, car-obsessed humans have had a disastrous effect on Delhi.  The river is stagnant and the air is foul - you can taste it.  Aside from this, it is a hub of activity where you can find some charm to negate the shitty stuff.

Peter reading morning tabloid (on par with Courier Mail)
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As I mentioned, dust is everywhere.  People are vigilant about keeping their cars and pavements clean but it is a daily chore.  If you wanted to get rich here I suggest doing two things - introducing 'leaf blowers' (everyone just uses little straw brooms) and opening a chain of oxygen shops (where people can go and breath pure oxygen through a mask).

We are back here for the second time and will return twice more.  The weather has started to cool and already I am getting used to the crazy traffic and multitudes of people.