In love with Delhi

Touristy tales

Delhi has been listed as one of the world’s most hated cities by popular travel website CCNGo.

The Capital has been titled ‘Scam City’ and criticised for ‘plenty of cons’ and ‘endless fleecing of travellers.’ In a list of 10, Delhi stands behind Belize City in the Caribbean and Cairo, Egypt only.

Not all tourists in Delhi, though, think similarly. When Metrolife went on a reality check, most tourists we found, liked Delhi and even pointed out a few facilities here which they feel could be emulated by other world cities as well. Tourists visiting friends or hosted by Indian acquaintances would obviously be doing well, but those on their own in the city are also happy with their Delhi experience.

Twenty-four -year-old Andrea Angueyra, a biologist from Columbia in Delhi for sightseeing, says, “I discovered this website called couchsurfing.com where people all over the world volunteer to host tourists at their places. This ensures that the tourists get an authentic local experience and don’t suffer the hassles of cheap motels.”

“Surprisingly, I found many of them in Delhi. I am staying at one such volunteer’s place in Vasant Kunj and am very happy with the kind facilities the family is extending and their behaviour in general.”  In her two days of stay here, Andrea has already visited many malls and parks in Delhi and says she found the city very colourful.

Rachel Rosenfeld of US, who’s working with the World Bank and came for work here, told us, “I had only three days for sightseeing and so I hopped on to the HoHo bus. It was a fantastic experience. In a day’s time, I had seen eight different sights in Delhi for only Rs. 600. I would recommend it to every city of the world.”

Johanna Kriisa of Sweden, on the other hand, loved the various modes of transport in Delhi. She says, “There is nothing like exploring Old Delhi in open rickshaws. I loved travelling in these colourful and decorated rickshaws too. Then there are buses and the metro. However crowded the city may be, there is always a way to go around it.”

Ahmed Helmoi and Daren Akkad of Egypt, though, gave the ultimate compliment. “Delhi feels so much like home. The food is good, people are helpful and there is always so much happening around. Music shows, cultural events – there is not one boring moment,” says Daren.

Her friend Ahmed added, “Delhi is like exotic foods. You will either absolutely love it or hate it completely. You have to be a little prepared so that no one can fleece you: Armed with the right information and probably also a few words of Hindi too, if you act smartly,  you are sure to have a lifetime experience.”