Delhi is quiet for a few hours between 1am and 4am and then the chanting begins followed by drums, barking dogs, banging pots, tooting horns, spitting and yelling. It is a constant that almost makes the silence eerie. When we step outside our hotel the air is thick with an elixr of cardamon, incense, smoke, aniseed and urine. Strangely, the smell is not unpleasant.
So with a head full of noise and lungs full of smoke we brave the traffic, men and beggars and hit the town. Crossing the road at this stage makes my blood run cold. I feel like I am dancing with death and have quickly learnt to follow close to the locals. There is so much to look at and look out for that my head is dizzy in concentration. I can feel culture shock quickly creeping up. Nothing can prepare you for India!
gday you two. sooooo coool. the sensory explosion that is the first impression of india. Colours, smells, sights, high volume and the wildest tastes of spit, exhaust and angst. be slow. observe, then follow, and cruise through!! catcha ya soon.
ReplyDeletehamish
Yes, sensory overload is a good discription of India and is especially true to Delhi!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you and thanks for the advise.