In the early morning of the 22th March 2013 we arrived at the Delhi Airport. The weather was nice, but there was fog hanging over the city. The temperature reached nearly 35 degrees with a pretty high humidity.
We made our first experience with the Indian way of driving in a bus, which took us from the airport to our hotel. The Crowne Plaza in Gurgaon is a very impressive hotel. After we checked in, we had two hours left where we could rest and explore the hotel. Those of us who didn’t go for a nap went to the leisure area, which is well equipped and combines fitness and spa possibilities.
In the afternoon we headed towards the famous mosque «Jama Masjid», where we enjoyed a vibrant rickshaw tour through the old part of Delhi. The tour was unusual and scaring for us European. While driving fast through the very narrow and crowded streets it was fascinating to see how our Indian driver managed all the critical situations (almost hitting people, other rickshaws or cars). It was astonishing to see all the small shops doing business in the streets of old Delhi.
After our rickshaw adventure we visited the famous Humayun-Mausoleum, which is part of the world heritage. It was impressive to see the contrasts between the hectic and crowded streets of old Delhi and the peaceful and calm atmosphere in the large gardens of the mausoleum.
In the evening our tour guide took us to a market in New Delhi where we had time for some shopping and where we had dinner. What appeared as being a dirty and unpleasant restaurant at first, turned out to be a very modern location offering delicious Indian food.
After this long day everybody was happy, exhausted and gained a lot of impressions and experiences from incredible India.
Mark Sterchi / Frank Erb
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