North India - Day 1

New Delhi – Day 1

15 February 2026

Woke up at 3 am, and left the house at 4.30 am for the airport. Everything went smoothly, and I arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi at approximately 11.30 am Delhi time, which is around 2.00 pm our time (we are 2 and a half hours ahead). 

For an international airport at the capital of India, it was actually quite disappointing – it looked old and worn and a bit of a maze. At the airport is where I encountered my first dose of India – at the counter for foreign passports, I was told to go to the counter for foreign passports and e-visa, only to be told to go back to the first counter. There, I was then told to fill up a form. And when I returned, I was told to go back to the second counter, where a long line had already formed by then. And there are people just sitting at the first counters doing nothing, except telling people to fill up forms and go to other counters; basically appearing busy without actually doing anything 🙄.

Apart from that everything was alright, and I met my driver just outside the arrival gate. His name is Joginder, Jeetu for short. He is very nice, except that his English is not so good so we have to communicate using the google translate app sometimes. Today was supposed to be an easy day, he was just supposed to drop me off at my hotel, but he drove me around Delhi, stopping at a road side stall to eat a plate of fruits – papaya, banana, ciku and grapes, dusted lightly with (of all things!) turmeric powder, which made the whole thing weird. 

My impression of India since the last time I was here back in 2012 or 2013, although to the southern part, is the same – disorganised, crowded, dirty. There are cows and dogs roaming the streets, people drive by some unwritten rule of communicating to one another through horns, and there was more than once where I just had to turn away, I thought this is it – we are going to hit someone or something – but we never did. Jeetu is on the phone while driving, and while the whole of New Delhi (or so it seemed to me) was honking at us. The whole thing is actually quite impressive, if it wasn’t so scary. 

Then to the hotel which is very basic but that’s ok, as I will only be here for 2 nights. I told Jeetu that I planned to walk around my hotel area, but he absolutely forbade it, telling me that he will pick me up in an hour and we shall go see India Gate, to which I said ok, of course. 

At the centre of New Delhi stands the 42 m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-Triomphe" like archway in the middle of a crossroad. Almost similar to its French counterpart, it commemorates the 70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British Army during World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.

Surrounding the imposing structure is a large expanse of lush green lawns, canals, and a fountain. It is full of people. Behind the India Gate stands a 28-foot-tall black granite statue under a canopy, this is the statue of the renowned Indian freedom fighter, Subhas Chandra Bose. 

After this we went back to the hotel, and Jeetu took me to a nearby stall for a samosa and gulab jamun. That was quite nice, blending in with the locals, although people keep staring at me like I’m some alien from outer space 🙄. Then I bought some water to drink and went back to my room, which was freezing although I shut off the air cond and the fan. There was nothing for it – I took a nice HOT shower and immediately hid under the covers to avoid any kind of cold.