Delhi Is Not Hong Kong

We searched for Delhi versions of all our standard American hang-outs and came up dry. I took a late afternoon cabride in search of an American-style mall and also struck out. Let’s face it: even the most well-heeled traveler needs to find a place that reminds them of home. If we were in Hong Kong, no problem. Go hang out at Tsim Cha Tsui (or however it is spelled), or one of the shopping centers next to a Metro stop. But alas, Delhi is not Hong Kong. There is really nothing here that makes an American feel like home. I managed to find a Starbucks Frappucino bottle and that was a great accomplishment. I’ll have to settle for that. We are ready to go home.

But Delhi is not a total bust. The prices are actually OK. Take for example this over-priced hotel we are at: The Imperial. If we stayed in a hotel like this in the US it would probably be over $600 a night, whereas we are paying only $350 a night. Maybe the concierge accounts for the lower price, I don't know.

And the taxi cab rides are not so bad either. This cab ride we took for 4 hours touring the city cost us only $14. Of course that taxi took us to a horribly-overpriced restaurant where they never gave us any silverware (more on that later), but that wasn't the driver's fault.

So basically Delhi is a good, fairly-inexpensive place to go. Just barely exotic enough to impress people that you have been there, but not too far off. And the Delhi Belly thing, well, diarrhea is diarrhea, no matter what clever or glamorous nickname it is given. A sprint to the toilet in Mexico is the same as a sprint to the toilet in India. Well, maybe a little slower in Mexico because you're wearing sandels, but you get the point.

--Tom