In fact, I had no intention to write something on Delhi’s attractions, as plentiful information can be found on the web. However, given that we live in the hi-tech era, the photos on the web do not quite match what I got to see under a thick layer of fog. I don’t know if it is always foggy in Delhi, but the sun was shy, hiding itself from me behind the mist all the time. Hence, here are my 2 cents on Delhi’s attractive side…
In my previous post, I did not hold back and complained about Delhi being a “hole”. Now, I want to be fair and say something nice: “Delhi is green and clean!”. The first time when I heard this sentence from our taxi driver, I was under the impression that he must be kidding. But after having seen other cities to compare, I must admit that I did not get to see any excrement on the streets (only urinating people), but instead more plants, so I have to agree with that wise sentence.
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| India Gate |
Delhi has countless beautiful attractions to offer, where you can escape from the chaos of the city for a while. Three of them are even listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Humayun’s Tomb, Qutb Minar Complex, and Red Fort Complex. I am going to add Lodi Gardens and Dilli Haat to this list as musts, and I would list Red Fort as optional if you are anyway going to see Agra Fort or Fatehpur Sikri (also UNESCO sites).
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| Lodi Gardens |
My favorite place for a break, Dilli Haat is a permanent food and shopping plaza, where you can get cheap but quality traditional products, and taste real Indian food. This is also the best place to get your first mehndi designed. If short on time, you should skip Central Cottage Industries Emporium and get here to spend some quality time in a traditional ‘village’, which is also conveniently located between Qutb Minar and Lodi Gardens. Although tiny on the map, Lodi Gardens is a surprisingly big, green, and quiet park; equally perfect to relax and explore. Of course, one should not forget the Lotus Temple. It is, in my opinion, the perfect sample of how a house of God should be: simple, clean, and open to all regardless of religion.
