India: Delhi

We’ve seen some crazy traffic in our travels: tuk-tuks in Bangkok, scooters in Saigon, super-loaded motorbikes in Cambodia. But Delhi beats them all.

The honking is incessant. Hazards may include oxcarts, slow-moving/stationary cows, bike rickshaws, tuk-tuks, dogs, peddlers, street venders, and impatient drivers who take over the opposite travel lanes.

One of our guides observed,“If there is a traffic light, it may not be working. And if it is working, we are not paying attention to it.” His summary of the Indian driver’s attitude: “Rules are for fools.”

Perhaps this is not surprising in an ancient and evolving city of more than 11 million people.

We stayed and dined in luxurious New Delhi hotels decorated with antiques and modern art, enjoying fresh and delicious takes on traditional cuisine. Our days were spent in Old Delhi, viewing the beautiful remnants of the Mughal Empire.

Our visit to Humayun’s Tomb (the second Mughal emperor, who ruled in the 1500s) was made livelier by several busloads of teens on a school trip. “Take a selfie!” these boys pleaded.

The 13 structures of Jantar Mantar look like modern sculpture, but they are tools for astronomy that date to the early 1700s. They were used to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.

On a guided tour, we visited religious sites representing five faith traditions: Jainism, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judism. (No pictures of the synagogue — it’s very small, and the rabbi was not available to let us in.)

Another tour brought us to Khari Baoli, Asia’s largest wholesale spice market. Can you spot the monkeys in the center picture? We were able to find 6, but you might need to enlarge the picture to see them all.