Seeing Delhi

Our time in Delhi included staying at the 5 star Ashok Hotel.  The price of the hotel didn't equal the services and comfort of stay.  The rooms were very old and outdated and the cost was roughly $300 USD per night.  On the first day, a friend was using the hotel hair dryer only to have sparks streaming from the cord and flames following.  It turned out that the wiring was bad on the unit and we avoided a potentially hazardous condition.  Other friends stayed at the less expensive Intercontintal Hotel which was a much nicer and more modern facility.

I was in Delhi for a conference but also spent time for vacation.  It was great to get a local taste of the culture as our Indian hosts had authentic dancers and musicians at the evening events we attended.

  The shopping and markets are really the only place to find souvenirs and gifts.  Although I didn't visit any, there are a few modern shopping malls but considered to be rather expensive.  We wanted to experience the local living so we hired a driver to take us to various markets.  A market, the Connaught Place is one we wanted to visit but our driver wouldn't take us there as an explosion a few weeks earlier had closed a part of the market and he didn't want us to risk our time there.  We found the Sarojini Nagar market to fulfill our shopping needs...including a friend that purchased two handsewn tailored shirts.  The staff took measurements on the spot and immediately started to cut the material and make the shirts.  The two shirts were delivered complete within 24 hours to our hotel room.  And the cost was less expensive than if he were to buy the two shirts at the mall.

Another inexpensive form of transportation is buy hiring a TukTuk driver...however, this is also a somewhat dangerous form of transportation.  A TukTuk is a open air taxi...interesting that the drivers would only allow 2 of us at a time for transportation purposes yet the locals would pack 10 or more in their TukTuk.  We didn't really care as it still was a very inexpensive way to motor around town.