Hot. Just stepping off the plane onto the tarmac in Delhi, you are greeted by a blast of hot air that you weren’t quite anticipating. Even in the middle of the night when we arrive, its still startling; and throw in the ever-present Delhi smog, it becomes like walking into a poorly ventilated furnace room. It is clear, right from the first few tentative steps in this country, that the word ‘hot’ will take on a new meaning. This is a first impression that has proved true, and a change that has been our first obstacle to overcome
So far, India has been a steep learning curve as we’ve run a gauntlet of rip-offs and scam artists in dusty and beyond crowded bazaars, while dripping sweat in the daily 45 degree heat. Delhi is a huge and sprawling city, and we try and acclimatize to this alien environment for a short while, as we prepare to head for our real destination, Jodhpur city in the Rajasthan state. A not-so-gentle primer to the hustle and bustle of India at any time, Delhi’s scarcely contained chaos has been brought to new heights in the complete upheaval of city upgrades for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Roads are narrowed, electricity becomes “finicky” and dust abounds, which all succeeds in funnelling the vast crowds of this city into yet a smaller space. Trying to take this all in and keeping our eyes continually peeled for whatever animals might be afoot, the three of us were reduced to single file marching through a crowed mixed from liberal amounts of the following (all of which can be seen in the space of about 30 seconds): gaggles of women (dressed in exquisite saris) shopping, young men scrutinizing goods, urchins running errands, shopkeepers, touts, beggars, vending stands for everything from watches to shoes to fresh mango juice, men on bicycles, motorbikes, scooters, cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, taxis with horns blaring, barking dogs, meandering cattle with two foot horns, and to finish things off the occasional ox driven cart loaded down beyond belief with a load covered in burlap. ‘Sensory overload’ is a term that comes to mind when I attempt to describe it, as even still this doesn’t begin to tackle the unimaginable din that all this dense humanity produces, or the equally fast paced barrage of scents between the shops, streets and restaurants. There is simply nothing like it that I have experienced before.
Trying to find a rhythm here, and trying to make sense of this place is a challenge with these wide eyed first impressions. India has been filled with contradictions and confusing 180s: you can step from filth and poverty on an unpaved street into an air conditioned building with gleaming marble floors, one stranger will try and swindle you and the next invite you into his home to meet his family. We’re left off balance in this whirlwind of new experience, but more than anything else it remains exhilarating.
We’re up to the challenge of this surprising country, and now we’re looking forward to tackling our project in Jodhpur.
