Old Delhi, India

The capital city of India is called Delhi. This large and crazy city is made up of 2 different areas: Old and New. The New area was designed and built by the British when they occupied the country. It has large organized avenues with parks, impressive government buildings, etc. The other part of the city is called "Old Delhi" and is the ancient center of the city. There is no doubting which section of the city you are in as each of them have a VERY different look and feel. We arrived in Delhi via the train station and stayed at a great hotel right next door. After checking in we were excited to see the city so walked out and caught an "auto-rickshaw" (motorcycle taxi) to the Red Fort which is right in the heart of the old city. The intense ride through traffic in the rickshaw was a great taste of what we were about to see. When we were dropped off and started exploring we began to experience the chaos that is Old Delhi! We walked down the main street which is called Chandni Chowk. This large street is packed with people, rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, animals, food stals, small shops and almost everything else you can imagine. You dont "walk" down this street but instead you work through the crowds of thousands of other people!...it is overwhelming to say the least. :) Off of Chandni Chowk there are hundreds of little alleyways that turn into very colorful markets and bazaars. We wondered this area for hours just trying to take it all in. The sights, smells and sounds can only be described in one word...INDIA. Just walking the streets of India is an experience in and of itself and Old Delhi is as good as it gets. We continued to wonder and got so deep into the alleyways and markets that we had to take a rickshaw to get out. :) In the middle of all this it is easy to get exhausted, however, now that we are home I catch myself dreaming about wondering the chaotic and colorful streets of Old Delhi.