Unique Places in Delhi

When I travel to a country, to any new place, rather than just do the touristy things, I like to learn about a culture. I like to see if I can make just a little bit of difference in the lives of the people I meet. If we all did that, wouldn't the world be a better place?

My Rotary club back home in Pacifica,California donated a number of sewing machines and educational supplies to this school, which was started by the Rotary Club of Delhi.

The Rotarians in Delhi who started this school are really an inspiration to us all.

The NSG provides security to VIP's, conducts anti-sabotage checks, and deals with terrorist threats. Its many drills are meant to tune them to engage terrorists in specific situations, responding to hijacking in the air or land, and responding to hostages situations...
Needless to say the drills were more about guns than roses

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Hi there Travelers :-)
Something that I love the most as a snack is the Grilled corn on the cob. Its widely available in various parts of Delhi (During the season from May to October:-) and its a tasty snack!! Its a way of earning few rupees for many and it costs 10 Rupees per Corn (About 20 American cents) Cheap :-)
But the catch is after grilling they apply some lemon with Masalla (Salt and Herbs mixed) to the corn. I always ask the person preparing my corn cub to apply lemon and Masalla before keeping it on the fire for grilling. Their hands touch everywhere and after the corn cub is grilled by applying lemon and Masalla they add a lot of germs to the Corn Cob. I prefer they apply those before grilling, so the germs gets cooked as well, frankly cooked germs taste better :-) and less harmful!!
The following pictures are taken when I was near a corn cob stand and they (Two Indian ladies) prepared me 3 sweet corn on the cob and I loved the taste!! :-) Since I don't take prepared food because of hygiene matters daily I take some corn cobs as a snack and rest at home such as Tuna fish , fresh fruits and Vegetables and sometimes canned food. In addition to visiting KFC, Subway, MacDonalds, ETC.... :-)
Go ahead and enjoy yourself with one or more Grilled corn on the cob :-)

Take a walk round Old delhi, chandni chowk, chawri bazar and you will find a lot of interesting things happening around you.

I guess the royalty is still alive and thriving here, I found this guy getting his ears cleaned near Sunehri mosque, Chandni chowk. Cleaning your ears is such a simple and personal errand to do, but no I think royals didnt bother to do that themselves, so here is one for you....:

Ever thought about having a haircut or shave at a streetside saloon? They are pretty cheap in India. A haircut for Rs. 15 (25 euro cents approx) and shave for the same amount I guess. I know some of my VT friends have given it a try and do recommend it :)

I guess this must not be an amazing thing for most of the tourists from the developed nations of the world, but it is unusual for India. Just in front of the Red Fort, on the main road, one can see the underground police station. Ever since the Red Fort has been given the status of a UNESCO World Heritage, it has been decided that all facilities will be made underground, including transport facilities and the police station (!) in the area around the Red Fort in order to ensure better visibily of the Fort and to help tourists take advantage of less congested area around. I found this really interesting.

Begum Samru's palace is located in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi. It was built in 1822 AD on 75 acres land in the area by a witty Kashmiri Muslim women who later married an English soldier and lived in the same palatial house. The building was then called the Dilkhusa Kothi and she was famous among the social circles for throwing lavish parties at her house. Today, the building is called the Bhagirath Palace and it houses North India's biggest electrical goods wholesale market. It was once one of the biggest and most beautiful houses of Delhi with huge columns and large rooms.

when walking around India, especially the smaller villages, keep an ear open for the chanting and singing that occurs in the early mornings. It's everything you visualize about India and you are suddenly right in the center of it. Not only the sounds, but take note of the smells of the incense burning, or the bread baking in the wood stove ovens in the tiny homes.