Not impressed with delhi - Loved Punjab!!

London_Raj · Oct 28th, 2007, 21:38

Hi guys

I've just got back to London after spending the last 3 weeks in India. Most of my time was divided between Punjab and Delhi. Here are my impressions of the trip.

After a 10hr flight in cramped economy class, we finally landed at New Delhi airport around 2am. By the time we cleared passport control and customs, it was around 4am. I was not impressed by Delhi airport. Dont get me wrong, i didn't expect the airport to be up to Heathrow's standard, but the organisation was woeful and chaotic - no systematic approach to anything, people pushing and shoving one another. Anyway, once we got outside the airport, i was astonished by the pollution in the air, it was difficult to breathe with the smell of fumes. Driving through the city, I was overwhelmed by the stench of sewage!

My uncle was waiting outside in a taxi which took us straight to my family home in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. 8hrs later and exhausted from the travelling, we finally arrived in Punjab....and boy was it worth the wait!!

I absolutly loved my stay in Punjab. The air was fresh (apart from the smell of manure) and I loved the rural way of life. The food was great, the drinking was greater and the people were the gretest - friendlist people you could ever meet.

Two weeks later I returned to Delhi. During the 2nd day, i went to CP to do some shopping. Had a great time and had a wonderful bite to eat at TGI Fridays in CP. However that night, i was mauled by mosquitos!! When i say mauled i mean i was bitten around 50 - 60 times in a single night!! Went to see a local Dr who gave me some medication & some cream to relive the itching.

My overall impressions of India are wonderful. In short, i loved Punjab and the Punjabi way of life, but i found Delhi to be a dirty, smelly city. I dont wish to offend anybody living in Delhi, but these are simply my humble opinions.

New-South-Welshman · Oct 28th, 2007, 22:02

I've always landed in India during the night. Calcutta in 93, and Delhi in 04 and 07, and always found the cities to be polluted more in the night than anything else, or more noticeable. I went to Punjab this year, well, Chandigarh, and even though it is a clean city, I just found it a bit boring compared to Delhi. I went to TGI Fridays only for drinks, and not the food. Hehe. I didn't get up to much drinking in Delhi, but I hope the next time you go to Delhi, you'll hit the town more often during the night.

Thoughtcrimes · Oct 28th, 2007, 22:25

Your description of Delhi is what I had imagined - and neither does it seem like a very friendly city either. Regarding the smell of sewage, I wonder if it is overall indeed worse there than either Mumbai or Calcutta (as I hear more complaining about Delhi regarding this). Glad you had a great time in Punjab though, sounds terrific!

Jasmin · Oct 28th, 2007, 22:37

Delhi is still a great city to see, even with all the negatives. Yes, it's great that you had such a good time in Punjab!

PeakXV · Oct 28th, 2007, 22:52

There's many more interesting markets, & less congested places in Delhi - than CP. It's also a labyrinth of history, and doubles as a giant outdoor museum.

However, nothing can beat r&r in a rural district setting with family & friends - two different animals really.

No mossies in rural Punjab by the way?

..... maybe there's some natural repellent in all that manure.

brownboy66 · Oct 29th, 2007, 00:06

Yes you are correct - IGIA is most certainly not like Heathrow, or LAX, Changi, JFK, etc. Its definitely one of a kind!

Not surprised about your comment re Delhi versus Punjab. I think for most countries - the sooner you get out of the city and into the country side - the better. I haven't come across many cites that outweigh the splendour of the corresponding countryside.

On the other hand - my wife has just finished doing a trip around a bunch of cities here (Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai) - and she was most thankful to get back to Delhi. The main differences? Traffic! Everywhere she went the traffic was worse.

shashank.aggarwal · Oct 29th, 2007, 00:38

I am surprised by your comment on Sewage stench...once you leave from airport and going towards Punjab, there is only 1 point where you can actually smell that ...and that is the place where Delhi has its treatment plant...

ABOUT THE FUMES...YES i AGREE...AT 4-5 Am in the morning, I don't expect anything else on those roads..as that is the peak time for heavy vehicles to deliver good to the locals...they are not allowed to ply on Delhi roads in day time...hence they operate only in Night...and when the have suppliea for locals...like construction material, vegetables etc they try to deliver around 6 am...as that is time when the day starts and people start to wake up...and that leaves them with time enough to leave from city limits..

Aishah · Oct 29th, 2007, 00:52

I like Delhi - but it has taken a while for me to come to this. I love New Delhi - I like the orderliness of the traffic, the great plantings of roundabouts, the trees etc. Old Delhi is another world, really interesting. As for the smell... well, there is not one place I have visited that doesn't have this sewerage smell at some area or another. This is a 3rd world country after all.. i bet somewhere in the Punjab you came across it - I went to Chandigarh and smelt it there.. A product of open drains etc. I must say in New Delhi you hardly smell it where drains are well sealed. i suppose I am just used to it now.
When CFG (I think those are the initials) gas came in the pollution was visibly lower.. And what really appeals to me in Delhi now is the variety of brilliant places to eat! So much better than where I live, it is a real treat for me to go there.

brownboy66 · Oct 29th, 2007, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aishah

When CFG (I think those are the initials) gas came in the pollution was visibly lower.. And what really appeals to me in Delhi now is the variety of brilliant places to eat! So much better than where I live, it is a real treat for me to go there.

I think you mean CNG (compressed natural gas)- but again excellent use of acronyms! I could hazard a guess as to what "F" stands for in CFG - and chances are you probably could run an engine on it, but I have no idea how you would go about compressing it let alone collecting it (and I'm far too polite to mention it here)!

Sorry Aishah - my twisted sense of humour wouldn't let that one go by.....

Indojingai · Oct 29th, 2007, 16:42

Delhi is not exactly a bad city. Just that the average people (whome a traveller doesnt ever really get to meet)are too busy to be friendly. And we also seem to have a high percentage of touts as compared to other big cities.
Chandigarh is sure a lot more clean and organized but it doesnt match up to the fun you can have in Delhi.

Try Bombay when you get a chance.

julesa · Oct 29th, 2007, 17:39

it's CNG, yeah. i believe natural gas is collected from underground gas fields such as in saudi arabia and australia.

it's cleaner burning than oil based petroleum. on the downside, leaks can be a bit treacherous and unlike in western countries like australia where maintenance and testing regimes are relatively strict, i wouldn't imagine the same yet occurs in delhi.

gautam · Oct 29th, 2007, 17:55

I totall agree with you london_raj.

Delhi is a city you cant fall in love with easily. The first impression of delhi may not be pleasent for everyone which is very normal. You have to see other cities before giving your final verdict.

Punjab on the other hand, you will see people living a very simple life there [ personal opinion. ] which i prefer.

Aishah · Oct 29th, 2007, 19:46

O.K. I stand corrected - CNG! Enjoyed your joke bb btw! They do manage to collect methane, from cows or pigs or something but not sure how they do that one... think it has a nice euphemism like 'biogas' or maybe that's for veggies? Sorry folks, just rambling on, slight heat stroke I think - went out to village in hot sun and didn't use a/c in the car until halfway back again. Of course, nothing out there, just a shadow from a laburnum tree.

gollum · Oct 29th, 2007, 20:09

I

Delhi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

jaz · Oct 29th, 2007, 20:14

Spent 1 year on Delhi, loved it and miss it loads! Great street food, world class restaurants, nightlife, shopping, threatre, history around every corner, just needs abit more time & patience and getting out of the tourist trap of CP

Oct 28th, 2007, 21:38	#1
London_Raj Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: London Posts: 6	Not impressed with delhi - Loved Punjab!! Hi guys I've just got back to London after spending the last 3 weeks in India. Most of my time was divided between Punjab and Delhi. Here are my impressions of the trip. After a 10hr flight in cramped economy class, we finally landed at New Delhi airport around 2am. By the time we cleared passport control and customs, it was around 4am. I was not impressed by Delhi airport. Dont get me wrong, i didn't expect the airport to be up to Heathrow's standard, but the organisation was woeful and chaotic - no systematic approach to anything, people pushing and shoving one another. Anyway, once we got outside the airport, i was astonished by the pollution in the air, it was difficult to breathe with the smell of fumes. Driving through the city, I was overwhelmed by the stench of sewage! My uncle was waiting outside in a taxi which took us straight to my family home in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. 8hrs later and exhausted from the travelling, we finally arrived in Punjab....and boy was it worth the wait!! I absolutly loved my stay in Punjab. The air was fresh (apart from the smell of manure) and I loved the rural way of life. The food was great, the drinking was greater and the people were the gretest - friendlist people you could ever meet. Two weeks later I returned to Delhi. During the 2nd day, i went to CP to do some shopping. Had a great time and had a wonderful bite to eat at TGI Fridays in CP. However that night, i was mauled by mosquitos!! When i say mauled i mean i was bitten around 50 - 60 times in a single night!! Went to see a local Dr who gave me some medication & some cream to relive the itching. My overall impressions of India are wonderful. In short, i loved Punjab and the Punjabi way of life, but i found Delhi to be a dirty, smelly city. I dont wish to offend anybody living in Delhi, but these are simply my humble opinions.

Oct 28th, 2007, 22:02	#2
New-South-Welshman Drunk Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, NSW Posts: 1,376	I've always landed in India during the night. Calcutta in 93, and Delhi in 04 and 07, and always found the cities to be polluted more in the night than anything else, or more noticeable. I went to Punjab this year, well, Chandigarh, and even though it is a clean city, I just found it a bit boring compared to Delhi. I went to TGI Fridays only for drinks, and not the food. Hehe. I didn't get up to much drinking in Delhi, but I hope the next time you go to Delhi, you'll hit the town more often during the night. __________________ Mr. Burns "Non-violence never solved anything!"

Oct 28th, 2007, 22:25	#3
Thoughtcrimes Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Boston, MA. Posts: 57	Smelly Delhi Your description of Delhi is what I had imagined - and neither does it seem like a very friendly city either. Regarding the smell of sewage, I wonder if it is overall indeed worse there than either Mumbai or Calcutta (as I hear more complaining about Delhi regarding this). Glad you had a great time in Punjab though, sounds terrific! __________________ "I hate know-it-alls. Nobody even knows ten percent of it all." - Thomas Sowell

Oct 28th, 2007, 22:37	#4
Jasmin Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 167	Delhi is still a great city to see, even with all the negatives. Yes, it's great that you had such a good time in Punjab! __________________ 'Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome' - S. Johnson

Oct 28th, 2007, 22:52	#5
PeakXV Naan.tering Nabob Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Abode of Glooscap Posts: 4,196	There's many more interesting markets, & less congested places in Delhi - than CP. It's also a labyrinth of history, and doubles as a giant outdoor museum. However, nothing can beat r&r in a rural district setting with family & friends - two different animals really. No mossies in rural Punjab by the way? ..... maybe there's some natural repellent in all that manure. __________________ We shall not cease from exploration and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started ...and know the place for the first time. T.S. Eliot Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

Oct 29th, 2007, 00:06	#6
brownboy66 Chicken 65 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,266	Yes you are correct - IGIA is most certainly not like Heathrow, or LAX, Changi, JFK, etc. Its definitely one of a kind! Not surprised about your comment re Delhi versus Punjab. I think for most countries - the sooner you get out of the city and into the country side - the better. I haven't come across many cites that outweigh the splendour of the corresponding countryside. On the other hand - my wife has just finished doing a trip around a bunch of cities here (Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai) - and she was most thankful to get back to Delhi. The main differences? Traffic! Everywhere she went the traffic was worse.

Oct 29th, 2007, 00:38	#7
shashank.aggarwal Mr. Badboy :D Join Date: May 2007 Location: ~ Dilli ~ Posts: 5,516	I am surprised by your comment on Sewage stench...once you leave from airport and going towards Punjab, there is only 1 point where you can actually smell that ...and that is the place where Delhi has its treatment plant... ABOUT THE FUMES...YES i AGREE...AT 4-5 Am in the morning, I don't expect anything else on those roads..as that is the peak time for heavy vehicles to deliver good to the locals...they are not allowed to ply on Delhi roads in day time...hence they operate only in Night...and when the have suppliea for locals...like construction material, vegetables etc they try to deliver around 6 am...as that is time when the day starts and people start to wake up...and that leaves them with time enough to leave from city limits.. __________________ Travelogue - Around India Random Reviews

Oct 29th, 2007, 00:52	#8
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 5,035	I like Delhi - but it has taken a while for me to come to this. I love New Delhi - I like the orderliness of the traffic, the great plantings of roundabouts, the trees etc. Old Delhi is another world, really interesting. As for the smell... well, there is not one place I have visited that doesn't have this sewerage smell at some area or another. This is a 3rd world country after all.. i bet somewhere in the Punjab you came across it - I went to Chandigarh and smelt it there.. A product of open drains etc. I must say in New Delhi you hardly smell it where drains are well sealed. i suppose I am just used to it now. When CFG (I think those are the initials) gas came in the pollution was visibly lower.. And what really appeals to me in Delhi now is the variety of brilliant places to eat! So much better than where I live, it is a real treat for me to go there. __________________ "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

Oct 29th, 2007, 16:42	#10
Indojingai One in a billion member. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 987	Delhi is not exactly a bad city. Just that the average people (whome a traveller doesnt ever really get to meet)are too busy to be friendly. And we also seem to have a high percentage of touts as compared to other big cities. Chandigarh is sure a lot more clean and organized but it doesnt match up to the fun you can have in Delhi. Try Bombay when you get a chance. __________________ I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.

Oct 29th, 2007, 17:39	#11
julesa Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: melbourne australia Posts: 291	it's CNG, yeah. i believe natural gas is collected from underground gas fields such as in saudi arabia and australia. it's cleaner burning than oil based petroleum. on the downside, leaks can be a bit treacherous and unlike in western countries like australia where maintenance and testing regimes are relatively strict, i wouldn't imagine the same yet occurs in delhi.

Oct 29th, 2007, 17:55	#12
gautam Super Mode Join Date: May 2005 Location: Chandigarh - Blore NON-STOP Posts: 708	I totall agree with you london_raj. Delhi is a city you cant fall in love with easily. The first impression of delhi may not be pleasent for everyone which is very normal. You have to see other cities before giving your final verdict. Punjab on the other hand, you will see people living a very simple life there [ personal opinion. ] which i prefer. __________________ "Your thoughts could be your prison" My pics on flickr Kerela backwaters - by beach

Oct 29th, 2007, 19:46	#13
Aishah She-who-must-be-obeyed! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Jaisalmer Posts: 5,035	O.K. I stand corrected - CNG! Enjoyed your joke bb btw! They do manage to collect methane, from cows or pigs or something but not sure how they do that one... think it has a nice euphemism like 'biogas' or maybe that's for veggies? Sorry folks, just rambling on, slight heat stroke I think - went out to village in hot sun and didn't use a/c in the car until halfway back again. Of course, nothing out there, just a shadow from a laburnum tree.

Oct 29th, 2007, 20:09	#14
gollum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: guest of the third world Posts: 53	I Delhi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! __________________ my preciousss

Oct 29th, 2007, 20:14	#15
jaz Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: UK Posts: 192	Spent 1 year on Delhi, loved it and miss it loads! Great street food, world class restaurants, nightlife, shopping, threatre, history around every corner, just needs abit more time & patience and getting out of the tourist trap of CP

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