Today we spent the day exploring the southern part of New Delhi.
We thought our easiest bet was to hop into an auto rickshaw to the first site that we wanted to see. turns out it wasn't so easy after we make a slight detour to a 'government shop' aka 'go in this shop and buy something so I can get my free coupon'.
After the kind Indian men in the shop tried to sell us items such as shawls, jewelry and magic carpets and insist we look at the other 3 levels of the shop we politely said we had to go and then asked the driver to take us to the nearest metro station. This time we insisted no shop stopovers.
We arrived at the metro and as we got out of the rickshaw the driver tooted his horn almost to alert someone that he had arrived. Then, off the street came a young child, a beggar. This was the first I'd seen of India's so called poverty. I was aware that 35% of Indians live below the poverty line and was expecting to see this at points along the trip. As we walked away, I carefully handed the girl 10 rupees and kept walking. Of course I know that I can't be handing out money to every poor person I see. My advice is just try to walk away as best you can. If you give, then realise that 10 rupees is only 20cents. The poverty is a harsh reality but you must also look out for your own safety.
We head down to the metro station which is quite new. A ticket only cost us 35 rupees and took us straight to where we needed to be. This time no shop stopover. The train was modern and everything was in English. You will get stares on the train being a western woman as the trains are the majority filled with local men but just try to avoid eye contact and be on your way.
We arrived at our station in search of the Lori Gardens which would be the start of our walking tour.
The maps were quite hard to follow and certainly not to scale so we spent a bit of time wandering and exploring and came across a wonderful site called the Suftarjungs tomb. It was a beautiful, original structure surrounded by gardens. A recommended must see.
We then made our way to the Lori a gardens that houses many beautiful temples and tombs. We admired the lake and greenery and wildlife such as squirrels and kingfishers which is quite a juxtaposition when compared to the surrounding concrete jungle.
We then followed the walking tour to find Humayan's temple. Although on the way we realized how not to scale the map was and headed in the direction of a high poverty area in Delhi. Once we realized this we were quick to jump on a rickshaw as another beggar approached us. You are never too far away from a rickshaw or auto rickshaw as they line the streets of Delhi.
This rickshaw was an original. Rode by a local Indian man with what seemed to be very strong legs. He took us to our destination, we handed him 20 rupees and were on our way.
Humayans tomb was quite magnificent.
It cost us 250 rupee each due to foreigners tax. Found it quite funny that it was a 25% markup from the locals price however I'm assuming they use it to pay for restorations.
We decided to make our way back to the hotel stopping for a quick view of the India Gate. Getting a rickshaw was quite interesting. As soon as we insisted no shops they were quick to put up the price. Eventually we got to the India Gate for 50 rupees.
Being a main attraction, the India gate had its abundance of people trying to sell you things just like in Paris at the Eiffel tower. Be careful of the ladies trying to draw henna on your hand. They are quite forceful so just walk away.
A bit of rickshaw haggling later and we end up back at our hotel. Today we hadn't had a chance to eat any local food but tomorrow we will go and try one of the restaurants recommended by trip advisor. It has been an interesting day and as any first day in a city is, you gain a better idea of the culture and things to watch out for.