New Delhi - The good, the bad and the ugly

Traveling solo as a female can be so much fun in India but not in Delhi. Or at least, not for me. I'm gonna write the experience of the first days together, because I don't even want to think about Delhi for the time of writing several posts about it.

I met many travelers who had similar or even worse experiences in Delhi. I have to state that the touristy sights are beautiful and the city has amzing areas, but  my experience was so negative that I don't plan to go back there in the close future. I don't want to offend anybody because I noticed some get offended if I say I didn't like Delhi, but this is how I feel and if my feelings and negative experiences are affending anybody, I don't know what to do about that.

Day 1

It started with a crazy taxi ride from the aiport to Delhi, with a driver who opened my door in every two minutes while he was driving with 120km/h. It was a crazy experience for sure. P.S. no seat belts.

India gate

I had awful CouchSurfing experiences with a guy asking for sex in exchange, so I moved to Zostel. Had to buy new clothes right after arriving because people were staring at my legs like I was walking around naked, it was quite creepy trust me. 

I learned on my first day that in India everybody is late. Always. Oh, you arrived after 6 hours? Totally fine, they don't care but they buy you dosai for lunch and that's okay.

dosai, my favorite dish

Male friends will take you out for dinner, wanting you to pay for them, then act like they are your boyfriend. Or even take you to somewhere you don't want to go, after an exhausting day they promise to take you back to your hostel but taking advantage of your non-existent hindi knowledge they end up bringing you to some awful temple where people are chanting like they are mad. Oh not to mention it took more than an hour just to go there.

Day 2

I ended up going out alone, because my friend didn't show up and I didn't come to India to sit in a lobby for 5-6 hours every day waiting for someone I don't even know.

Took a rikshaw to the metro station but the guy took me to some tourist office, telling me that I have to pre-buy the metro tickets there. But the person in the office tried to organise me whole day trip in Delhi, then he thought I'm so stupid that he can sell me Delhi-Agra-Delhi train tickets for 300 USD!Then they didn't want to tell me where the next metro station is, trying to get me back in the same rikshaw that took me there before.

streets of Old Delhi

I just kept walking when a guy came up to me, saying Namaste and he helped me to the metro. Turned out we were both heading to Old Delhi so he showed me how to go to the Red Fort. 

 Inside the Red Fort

Then he found me again, actually I can imagine him waiting outside for two and a half hour... He showed me how to get to Jama Masjid. Visiting there was the worst idea of my life ever. It's noting special but very expensive. Inside a kid started to pull my sleeves begging for 2000 rupees (!), then a guy started to follow me, people were staring, it made me so uncomfortable that I left after 5 minutes. While I was taking my shoes back a bunch of guys gathered around me, taking my photos, then they kept following me on my way back, one even touched my butt! I ran to the policemen on the corner but he did nothing. Then I went to two female who looked like they belong to the army but they said they can1t do anything because those men weren't Indian because Indian men don't act like that.

But for every bad thing there's something beautiful in the world. I met two kind Chinese guys who helped me to escape from the creepy guys who were following me. I went to Akshardam with them. I still can't decide which one is more beautiful: Akshardam or Taj Mahal? Cameras aren't allowed inside the tepmle so I only have this bad quality pic I took from far away. Monumental.

 Akshardam

I felt like the two guys were my guardian angels, I should have stayed with them but I so wanted to go to Humayun's tomb (they had no interest in it), so we split up. The sight itself is worth to see, it's marvelous but my bad luck returned. I took the wrong exit at the railways station so I took a rikshaw to get back faster but the old guy was driving me around for 2 hours in the middle of the night! I had to ask a stranger to call Zostel for me so they explained him the way. In addition to it, the guy at the reception took me to eat, but "forgot" his wallet so I had to pay for everything and he even said such unfortunate things happen to me because I'm stupid.

 

 Humayun's tomb

Day 3 

was actually wonderful. I gave up all my plans and just deicded to go with the flow. (I know I should do that since the beginning, doh!) I ate a whole watermelon for breakfast, then slept until afternoon and visited the Lotus Temple with my roommate, who's the most awsome Indian girl I met (and trust me, Indian girls are very cool). The Lotus Temple is the opposite of Delhi. It's the calmest place in the middle of never ending traffic noise, yelling and honking. I always have trouble with meditation but there I just closed my eyes and disappeared somewhere for 40 minutes and I came back as a whole new person.

Later we went out to drink and I drank like 6 cocktails, all for free because a nice guy wanted to get rid of his rupees before leaving. Thank you!