paharganj

davyd · Jun 2nd, 2005, 01:37

i presume most first time visitors to delhi head for paharganj.
i liked this fascinating somewhat dingy and dirty place for its cheap shops and restaurants though when i finally decided to stay a couple of days just before my departure (i wanted to go to the IGI airport on advertised taxi rate of Rs 200) in this area i faced difficulties.
First, most hotels have shabby rooms. stuff is quite rude and i myself had to lift luggage up to room and negotiate narrow steep stairs - stuff is not so inclined to earn a tip. some stuff members were looking conspiciously similar to drug-addicted dealers of dops who would approach everybody if he was relaxing in the street more than usual watching the passing frenetic crowd and stray cows. restaurants (with some exceptions) are no-frills. after unspicy (touristic) thali set for Rs 150 in overpriced Metropolis i have fallen sick in the stomach. In addition manager of the hotel where i stayed "Moon Palace Deluxe" in Tooti Chawk near Rak International when i returned after long dusty day and was about to have a bite somewhere was full of suspicions on my long multiple entry visa and demanded to give him photocopies of my passport pages, of my indian registration certificate pages and bona fide certificates what i had been doing in India for so long (2 years). incredible - after two years of travelling in india it was the first time i was demanded this in imperious tone. i said that i would talk about this after dinner only but he was relentless. he ordered to summon police while i left for restaurant in shelton. on my way back i've found in parallel alley a small business centre and copied everything the manager wanted. when i returned police didn't appear and manager retired. next morning i left paharganj i hope for ever barring its very nice shops and some eateries.

SHIMLA · Jun 2nd, 2005, 07:59

Paharganj is certainly a dump. The standard of hotels increases as one moves away from Paharganj towards CP side, but so does the tariff.

ploink · Jun 2nd, 2005, 16:29

What an experience. Copies of your passport and papers? Right...

I would have been suspicious too.

Paharganj may be a dump but my experience with the hotel of my choice was a good one. Fortunately, because Paharganj was my first experience of India.

When we arrived in Paharganj in the middle of the night it was dark, dreary, and dirty. There were no colours. Rubbish everywhere, rubbish being burnt everywhere. People walking, loitering, sitting, sleeping on the ground. Cows wandering on the streets. Smells, sights, sounds. Paharganj looked like a shanty town. Is this Delhi? First arrival in India.

The taxi driver asked for instructions from the people again and again. Then we spotted the sign of the hotel on a wall next to a dark, winding lane off Main Bazaar. There was urinal at the start of the lane - the smell of urine mixed with the cocktail of smells hanging in the air. We were like

- do we need to walk in there?

The hotel itself was ok, though. Rooms were basic, but they were cheap too. The staff was really friendly. They didn't offer to carry our bags to our rooms, but I wasn't used to having my bags carried for me or tipping, so I didn't expect them to carry my bags. Besides, as a first-timer, I probably clung to my bags with a look which communicated "don't touch my bags".

I think we all slept restlessly, but in the morning, in the sunlight, Paharganj looked different. It was still dirty, and smelly, and it was noisy, but it was also colourful and full of life. All the stalls and shops were open. Traffic of all kinds, auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, people walking up and down the Main Bazaar, bicycles, chickens for sale, carts filled with all kinds of roasted nuts and snacks. Tourists or westerners that looked like they'd stayed there forever. It's difficult to describe the "assault" on the senses, the contrasts. Well, you know.

davyd · Jun 2nd, 2005, 22:36

Paharganj looked like a shanty town. Is this Delhi? First arrival in India.

my first time in delhi was 2 years ago when in the middle of the night taxi driver 'lost' direction (to extra charge me) somewhere around mehrauli village and i wondered - almost all buildings were looking like after bombardments or were invisible behind stone walls and green fences.

Tourists or westerners that looked like they'd stayed there forever.

Agreed. When I told about my experience I did not mean Paharganj is not good for budget tourists, I just think that there are better places. For example Majnu-ka-Tilla, tibetan village in the north Delhi. I made mistake when I left lovely Wongdhen Guest House and moved to Paharganj because I wanted to order cheaper night taxi to airport.

ploink · Jun 2nd, 2005, 22:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by davyd

For example Majnu-ka-Tilla, tibetan village in the north Delhi. I made mistake when I left lovely Wongdhen Guest House and moved to Paharganj because I wanted to order cheaper night taxi to airport.

I was also interested in the Tibetan village but in the end we chose Paharganj because it's next to the New Delhi railway station and we were to take a train to Rajasthan. Well, when we bought our tickets at the New Delhi railway station, we discovered that the train departs from the Old Delhi railway station! But we had a memorable, crazy, life-threatening auto rickshaw drive from Paharganj to the Old Delhi railway station. Four of us jammed into one of the smaller auto rickshaws with our backpacks and bags.

Paharganj was ok, but I wouldn't stay there "forever" either. The Tibetan village, next time...?

jpvs · Jul 14th, 2005, 22:37

Paharganj wasn't as shanty as I thought it was after reading this thread. I sort of liked the color and vibrancy of the place, not to mention the food , coffee, drinks outlet that are available. Its great for a budget traveller. The only thing is no one gets a room with a view, but then, you cant win em all..

chapati · Jul 14th, 2005, 23:35

Great to hear all these different experiences. I liked Paharganj very much, it was also for me my first touch with India. I flew in from Iran and its such a difference, all the chaos and the smells, the colours.......just great!!! I stayed like three weeks in total in smyle inn at main bazar. Three weeks including one week in hospital because of one rotten masala dosa

haji · Jul 14th, 2005, 23:51

Everytime, before heading to Delhi, I promise to myself I will not stay in hotel in Paharganj, looking for a better relaxing place, maybe with garden, why not ? But, when in Delhi (and I'm 100% sure I 'll do again next time) I move automatically to main bazar. Don't know why. Hotel' s rooms are generally dark and small, the only good restaurant is the Metropolis and it's really,really overpriced, but ... the special-lassi on the corner of the road (and you know witch one I' m talking !) rejoint me with God.

freenote · Jul 15th, 2005, 00:42

oh, the tales ,the smells, the colours,the people,the life!!!!!!!!!!!!!I must return!!!!!!!!!!

P. S and of course the Gods

AllanM · Jul 15th, 2005, 00:58

I agree with everything that has been said. One think that I particularly enjoyed about paharganj the first time was the complete and total assault on every sense. The bombed-out looking buildings on the taxi ride there, the taxi wallah telling me he couldn't drive down main bazar(half true in July of '03 because of street distruction/construction), the sound of cows lowing to wake me up at sunrise, the taste of my first "real" cha in India at 2:30 am while eating the dreaded banana pancakes with chocolate sauce and the air smelling of diesel exhaust and impending rain. All of this made for what is most likely the most memorable 8 hour period of my life. Paharganj is a love/hate relationship and in some ways a rite of passage. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere in India.

Dr Funkenstein · Jul 15th, 2005, 01:57

I loved Paharganj, even though my stay there was a lot longer than intended due to a bout of Delhi Belly that you really don't want to hear about.

It stinks, it's full of touts, there's shit everywhere, it's festering with flies, the rickshaw mafia are particularly ruthless, everyone's after your money and I love it to bits.

I honestly can't explain why.

machadinha · Jul 15th, 2005, 02:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Funkenstein

It stinks, it's full of touts, there's shit everywhere, it's festering with flies, the rickshaw mafia are particularly ruthless, everyone's after your money and I love it to bits.

From the apt descriptions dept.!

Returning there is the best as you know where to go and can just laughingly whisk away all those people wanting something from you and self-assuredly step down to your hotel and ask for your favorite room nr. X. Can't wait to return again, that metro s**t must be really something!

04274108 · Jul 15th, 2005, 06:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Funkenstein

It stinks, it's full of touts, there's shit everywhere, it's festering with flies, the rickshaw mafia are particularly ruthless, everyone's after your money and I love it to bits.

My experience was quite different. I found the smells heavenly because the scent of the food permeated the air...Tandoori chicken, peanuts, popcorn, fruits and veg, hot oil. Me and Mrs. 04274108 found Paharganj a welcome relief because it was the first place in India where the touts left us alone.

Like you, I loved it. Sure it may not be the most high-profile neighborhood or the most clean, but it had a lot of unique character (unlike Connaught Place which is a sorry attempt at a circular-like High Street) and wonderful people. It felt like a genuine place whereas CP just seemed phoney with a lot of uptight people trying to look and act like bigshots.

Indojingai · Jul 15th, 2005, 07:28

Avoid Paharganj, there are some good hotels in Karol Bagh, they charge more than P'Ganj hotels but are better.

This forum lists so many hotles that are not in Paharganj, i remember one YMCA or such type of guest house being rated good by someone on this forum.

Most of info you need is all here, why not put it to use??

Dolma · Jul 15th, 2005, 15:04

Where elso can one find budget accomodation in Delhi (~300-400 Rupies)?
Any recommendations welcome!

Jun 2nd, 2005, 01:37	#1
davyd just a traveler Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 320	paharganj i presume most first time visitors to delhi head for paharganj. i liked this fascinating somewhat dingy and dirty place for its cheap shops and restaurants though when i finally decided to stay a couple of days just before my departure (i wanted to go to the IGI airport on advertised taxi rate of Rs 200) in this area i faced difficulties. First, most hotels have shabby rooms. stuff is quite rude and i myself had to lift luggage up to room and negotiate narrow steep stairs - stuff is not so inclined to earn a tip. some stuff members were looking conspiciously similar to drug-addicted dealers of dops who would approach everybody if he was relaxing in the street more than usual watching the passing frenetic crowd and stray cows. restaurants (with some exceptions) are no-frills. after unspicy (touristic) thali set for Rs 150 in overpriced Metropolis i have fallen sick in the stomach. In addition manager of the hotel where i stayed "Moon Palace Deluxe" in Tooti Chawk near Rak International when i returned after long dusty day and was about to have a bite somewhere was full of suspicions on my long multiple entry visa and demanded to give him photocopies of my passport pages, of my indian registration certificate pages and bona fide certificates what i had been doing in India for so long (2 years). incredible - after two years of travelling in india it was the first time i was demanded this in imperious tone. i said that i would talk about this after dinner only but he was relentless. he ordered to summon police while i left for restaurant in shelton. on my way back i've found in parallel alley a small business centre and copied everything the manager wanted. when i returned police didn't appear and manager retired. next morning i left paharganj i hope for ever barring its very nice shops and some eateries.

Jun 2nd, 2005, 07:59	#2
SHIMLA Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yangon, MYANMAR Posts: 4,125	Paharganj is certainly a dump. The standard of hotels increases as one moves away from Paharganj towards CP side, but so does the tariff. __________________ Whoever said money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop !

Jun 2nd, 2005, 16:29	#3
ploink ...thori si pagal hai vo... Join Date: May 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 339	What an experience. Copies of your passport and papers? Right... I would have been suspicious too. Paharganj may be a dump but my experience with the hotel of my choice was a good one. Fortunately, because Paharganj was my first experience of India. When we arrived in Paharganj in the middle of the night it was dark, dreary, and dirty. There were no colours. Rubbish everywhere, rubbish being burnt everywhere. People walking, loitering, sitting, sleeping on the ground. Cows wandering on the streets. Smells, sights, sounds. Paharganj looked like a shanty town. Is this Delhi? First arrival in India. The taxi driver asked for instructions from the people again and again. Then we spotted the sign of the hotel on a wall next to a dark, winding lane off Main Bazaar. There was urinal at the start of the lane - the smell of urine mixed with the cocktail of smells hanging in the air. We were like - do we need to walk in there? The hotel itself was ok, though. Rooms were basic, but they were cheap too. The staff was really friendly. They didn't offer to carry our bags to our rooms, but I wasn't used to having my bags carried for me or tipping, so I didn't expect them to carry my bags. Besides, as a first-timer, I probably clung to my bags with a look which communicated "don't touch my bags". I think we all slept restlessly, but in the morning, in the sunlight, Paharganj looked different. It was still dirty, and smelly, and it was noisy, but it was also colourful and full of life. All the stalls and shops were open. Traffic of all kinds, auto rickshaws, bicycle rickshaws, people walking up and down the Main Bazaar, bicycles, chickens for sale, carts filled with all kinds of roasted nuts and snacks. Tourists or westerners that looked like they'd stayed there forever. It's difficult to describe the "assault" on the senses, the contrasts. Well, you know. __________________ But rather, ten times rather, die in the surf, heralding the way to that new world, than stand idly on the shore! -Florence Nightingale

Jul 14th, 2005, 23:51	#8
haji Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: italy Posts: 44	Paharganj's lassi Everytime, before heading to Delhi, I promise to myself I will not stay in hotel in Paharganj, looking for a better relaxing place, maybe with garden, why not ? But, when in Delhi (and I'm 100% sure I 'll do again next time) I move automatically to main bazar. Don't know why. Hotel' s rooms are generally dark and small, the only good restaurant is the Metropolis and it's really,really overpriced, but ... the special-lassi on the corner of the road (and you know witch one I' m talking !) rejoint me with God. __________________

Jul 15th, 2005, 00:58	#10
AllanM mistri Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: St. Louis, MO US Posts: 124	I agree with everything that has been said. One think that I particularly enjoyed about paharganj the first time was the complete and total assault on every sense. The bombed-out looking buildings on the taxi ride there, the taxi wallah telling me he couldn't drive down main bazar(half true in July of '03 because of street distruction/construction), the sound of cows lowing to wake me up at sunrise, the taste of my first "real" cha in India at 2:30 am while eating the dreaded banana pancakes with chocolate sauce and the air smelling of diesel exhaust and impending rain. All of this made for what is most likely the most memorable 8 hour period of my life. Paharganj is a love/hate relationship and in some ways a rite of passage. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere in India. __________________ Me fail English? That's unpossible!--Ralph Wiggum

Jun 2nd, 2005, 22:36	#4
davyd just a traveler Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 320	Paharganj looked like a shanty town. Is this Delhi? First arrival in India. my first time in delhi was 2 years ago when in the middle of the night taxi driver 'lost' direction (to extra charge me) somewhere around mehrauli village and i wondered - almost all buildings were looking like after bombardments or were invisible behind stone walls and green fences. Tourists or westerners that looked like they'd stayed there forever. Agreed. When I told about my experience I did not mean Paharganj is not good for budget tourists, I just think that there are better places. For example Majnu-ka-Tilla, tibetan village in the north Delhi. I made mistake when I left lovely Wongdhen Guest House and moved to Paharganj because I wanted to order cheaper night taxi to airport.

Jul 14th, 2005, 22:37	#6
jpvs Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: India Posts: 87	Paharganj wasn't as shanty as I thought it was after reading this thread. I sort of liked the color and vibrancy of the place, not to mention the food , coffee, drinks outlet that are available. Its great for a budget traveller. The only thing is no one gets a room with a view, but then, you cant win em all..

Jul 14th, 2005, 23:35	#7
chapati Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 159	Great to hear all these different experiences. I liked Paharganj very much, it was also for me my first touch with India. I flew in from Iran and its such a difference, all the chaos and the smells, the colours.......just great!!! I stayed like three weeks in total in smyle inn at main bazar. Three weeks including one week in hospital because of one rotten masala dosa

Jul 15th, 2005, 00:42	#9
freenote senior member refused Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: cornwall UK Posts: 1,532	oh, the tales ,the smells, the colours,the people,the life!!!!!!!!!!!!!I must return!!!!!!!!!! P. S and of course the Gods

Jul 15th, 2005, 01:57	#11
Dr Funkenstein Joolay !!! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Manali, Himachal Pradesh Posts: 854	I loved Paharganj, even though my stay there was a lot longer than intended due to a bout of Delhi Belly that you really don't want to hear about. It stinks, it's full of touts, there's shit everywhere, it's festering with flies, the rickshaw mafia are particularly ruthless, everyone's after your money and I love it to bits. I honestly can't explain why. __________________ Out There Somewhere : My Travel Blog.

Jul 15th, 2005, 07:28	#14
Indojingai One in a billion member. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 987	Avoid Paharganj, there are some good hotels in Karol Bagh, they charge more than P'Ganj hotels but are better. This forum lists so many hotles that are not in Paharganj, i remember one YMCA or such type of guest house being rated good by someone on this forum. Most of info you need is all here, why not put it to use?? __________________ I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.

Jul 15th, 2005, 15:04	#15
Dolma Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 5	If not Paharganj? Where to find budget accomodation? Where elso can one find budget accomodation in Delhi (~300-400 Rupies)? Any recommendations welcome!

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
partying in paharganj	kama	Delhi	16	Jun 18th, 2006 09:07
Staying in Paharganj	mumblyjoe22	Delhi	21	Nov 4th, 2005 14:21
Help in Paharganj!!!!!!!!	Tan0381	Chai and Chat	13	Mar 12th, 2005 15:45
Paharganj??	Celtic_Queen	Lodging and Hotels in India	14	Feb 5th, 2004 21:24
any airport bus to PAHARGANJ?	sam_he	Delhi	2	Dec 29th, 2003 17:11

User Name		Remember Me?
Password