Tradition and Modernity Collide in Delhi, Part 1.

Of all the India destinations included in our itinerary, Matt and I were most excited and curious about Delhi, the country’s landlocked capital city located in the north. We spent three full days sightseeing here, and with a population of over 11 million and a size of 573 square miles, Delhi offers no shortage of touristic opportunities. Old Delhi, or the area that served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1638, is a complex network of winding alleyways, diverse temples, and historic structures. The newer, well-planned section of the city, New Delhi, was designed by British architects and inaugurated in 1931. It houses all three branches of government buildings and series of roundabouts to control traffic flow and link together diagonally positioned streets that stitch through a grid-like urban structure. Upon our arrival and per my brothers’ suggestion, Matt and I watched a fascinating one-hour BBC episode of The World’s Busiest Cities that focused on Delhi. The documentary-style show dove deep into the inner workings of Delhi’s modern metro system, massive wholesale food markets, sprawling bazaars, Sikh influence, immigrant history, traffic flows, new vs. old parts of the city, and more. It provided useful background and context as we ventured around Delhi the following day.

We were incredibly fortunate that our friend Jesse, who lived in Delhi and other parts of India for two years, was coincidentally traveling through the city while we were in town. Jesse speaks Hindi and knows Delhi’s metro system, restaurant scene, history, and neighborhoods incredibly well. He graciously spent a day showing us around and answering all our strange questions about Indian culture and tradition. (Questions ranged from how to use those “sprayers” installed next to every toilet to how the caste system plays out in a modern, urban environment.) We caught up with Jesse on Valentine’s Day morning at Humayun’s Tomb and he was all smiles as he jumped out of his autorickshaw. Humayun’s Tomb is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was built between 1569 and 1579 to lay to rest the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The surrounding gardens and buildings’ architecture were impressive with detailed tile inlays and the structure apparently inspired the design for the world-famous Taj Mahal, which we will be visiting in a couple of days.

Humayun's Tomb, the first stop on our Delhi sightseeing tour.

Next the three of us navigated through the narrow and winding streets of Old Delhi, where savvy vendors sell everything from colorful textiles to dried fruit and nuts. We would have been lost without Jesse’s guidance, as the neighborhood can feel like a crowded and complex labyrinth only made more chaotic with porters carrying boxes, motorbikes weaving through crowds, and stray dogs seeking tasty handouts. Our destination was small street food shop located on a narrow street that sells freshly fried “parathas” or hard, flatbreads filled with an array of vegetables, fruits, or nuts. India is well-known for delicious and cheap street food, but Matt and I had been hesitant to try any until this point because of its notorious reputation for poor sanitation that can cause unpleasant stomach problems. With an experienced local taking the lead, however, we were eager to try this hole-in-the-wall paratha shop which was founded in 1875 and featured many photographs on the walls of famous Indian celebrities eating at the establishment. We were each served a tray of chutneys and vegetable stews in which to dip the parathas, and less-than-attentive waiters would wander around the tables and re-fill our plates as we ordered more of the spicy fried flatbreads. We chose cashew, green chili, cheese, and dried fruit fillings among others.

Feasting on parathas and various chutneys and vegetable side dishes in Old Delhi.

The traditional paratha-making process at the street food shop where we had lunch.

The packed small streets of Old Delhi can be tricky to navigate. Here you can see a porter balancing multiple cardboard boxes on the back of a bicycle. 

Jesse, Matt, and I continued our Delhi tour after a fun and humor-filled lunch, zig-zagging across the old city on food and also by autorickshaw. Jesse managed the bargaining process with all auto drivers, impressing them (and undoubtedly surprising them) with his conversational Hindi. As in all cities, speaking the local language gives a traveler serious street-cred and results in more appropriate prices! We removed our shoes and entered the Jama Masjid Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the city where many Muslims of both genders were washing their feet in the main fountain area and praying on small mats. The religious site was built in 1644 and its courtyard can accommodate more than 25,000 people. We paid a bit extra to climb 138 steep steps to the top of one of the mosque’s narrow towers for expansive yet smog-obscured views of Delhi’s distant Red Fort and crowded neighborhoods. Next the three of us traveled to the Red Fort, another top Delhi destination and UNESCO World Heritage Site that served as the home for the Mughal dynasty’s emperors for 200 years until 1856. We read signs describing the uses of each of the Fort’s buildings, gardens, and irrigation structures, and as always I tried to imagine people walking around and going about their activities at the Fort in the olden days.

Jesse and Matt posing in front of the Jama Masjid Mosque.

Outside the Red Fort in Delhi.

The remainder of the evening we focused on exploring Delhi’s flavorful and world-class cuisine. Jesse first took us to Café Lota for a snack of tasty chai, mushroom patties, and chaat, and the chaat ended up being our favorite dish of the trip so far! It was a yogurt, chutney, and pomegranate seed mix with fired spinach fritters for dipping and it was absolutely mouth-watering. Matt and I ended up going back to Café Lota two days later for a repeat indulgence. We took the modern and quick metro to the hip neighborhood of Hauz Kaus where we sipped sangria and local beer on a swanky bar’s rooftop terrace. Last, we zipped over to an Indian restaurant called Potbelly (not the popular sandwich shop!) where we shared “thali” dishes of various chutneys and vegetables with puffy, steaming spinach bread. It was probably our best food day of the whole trip – everything we ate and drank was delicious thanks to Jesse’s local expertise!

Thali dinner with Jesse at Potbelly.

The following day Matt and I left Delhi’s city limits for Gurgaon, a wealthy suburb and tech-hub an hour southwest of the capital. About five months ago I was relaxing at a coffee shop in downtown DC when I struck up a conversation with a suit-clad woman sitting next to me. Her name was Sonia and she was from Delhi, just passing through DC for a business trip. A partner with a prestigious law firm based in Gurgaon, Sonia gave me her card and encouraged me to reach out if I ever visited India. I stayed in touch with Sonia via LinkedIn and scheduled a lunch with her and her colleague, Ashok, considering the opportunity had ultimately presented itself! You truly never know where a random conversation will lead! Sonia sent a driver to pick me and Matt up at our AirBnB and we met her and Ashok at a fancy, all-you-can-eat restaurant where the two of them often entertain clients. The food was fantastic and the wide variety of appetizers, main dishes, and desserts offered us the chance to sample many new Indian foods that we had not yet tasted at a standard restaurant. After the enormous meal, Sonia and Ashok showed us around a new development called Cyber City which was like an outdoor mall and music venue with many western shops, restaurants, and a performance space for evening concerts. We took lots of pictures and marveled at how random but special this day was, just months after our initial meeting over coffee in DC.

Walking around Cyber City with Sonia and Ashok. The place was decked out for Valentine's Day!

Posing in a cheesy gondola display at Cyber City in Gurgaon.

I’ll wrap up the remainder of our experiences in Delhi and perspectives on the city in a later post! Thanks for reading.