Trip to India

The beginning of October my wife and I had a chance to visit India for ten days.  Temperature was around 37 C every day.  It was very hot during the day.  I posted some photos with my impressions of India.
We spent most of the time in New Delhi.  Delhi is a smog filled dirty city.  I have been to many Southeast Asian countries, but this is the worst.  And people looked tired and unhappy.  In the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand there were some poor people but they were happy and smiling.  Many people were enjoying life on streets day and night.  Not in India.

These photos are typical street of Delhi.  You have to watch your steps for things stick out on the ground, cables and cow pies.   

 It seems the city doesn't allow to remove trees growing in the middle of street.  This is a common seen.  I'm taking photo from taxi.  Taxi and little tricycle were cheap but foreigners were likely endup in paying four times more than local.  Caching taxi at the airport and go to my hotel, you pay over 1000 Rupee, but ask hotel to call taxi to the airport was R300 ($6). 

 So many cars on the road the takes long time to go from A to B.  Yet there is no effective public transit system. 

 Many IT companies have office in Delhi.  Most call centres in the world are located in India. 

 

Small size cars such as Suzuki are most common and traffic was terrible.  No one seems to obey the traffic rules.  You can go against One-way traffic. You can go up a freeway exit and make a U-turn to get on the freeway.  Red light means honk and go if not busy.  No police no enforcement.   

 There was a shopping mall but everything there was so expensive that I can buy the same thing cheaper in Canada.  There must be some rich people using these stores.

 Typical traffic.  Traffic lanes?  What is that?

I thought India was an old country with many historical sites.  But I was wrong.  More historical sites in southern India but not around Delhi.  This India gate was relatively new and built after WW II in the Government centre. 

 Red Fort was built in 17th Century.

 Tombs and Mosques were built in 15th Century.  Most of large buildings were built during the India was an Islamic state.