Our wonderful Delhi stay: a photo essay

Momo smiled, breathed in rain-misted air, and said dreamily, “Mmm…I love Delhi. I can stay here forever.“ I looked at her in surprise. Most first-time India visitors hate Delhi. It is a sort of stereotype feedback that the city gets. They find it too big, too crowded, too noisy, too polluted and the list goes on. The Indian capital city is, without any doubt, a huge cultural shock. My funny German friend, also a first-time visitor said something so totally opposite that it took me by surprise and I blamed it on jet lag. However, she did love the capital city and our Delhi city stay was perhaps the most wonderful experience, after Goa.

Our favourite tea-seller during our Delhi city stay

Table of Contents

Our charming Delhi city stay

To begin with, we met some of my old and dearest friends. They added a magic twist to our Delhi stay and we felt loved, wanted, and taken care of. Moreover, our homestay hosts were absolutely fantastic and the accommodation itself was a real find. The homestay was located in Saket and there were huge jamun trees all the building. These attracted birds in hordes and every morning, we were woken up by bird songs. Squirrels with bushy tails and striped, furry backs frolicked everywhere and we even had visits from a few somber-looking languors. They sat on the terrace and stared at us ponderously, their long, silvery tails dangling like tassels. After some contemplative moments, they went away as they had arrived, their swift feet beating on the corrugated tin roof like hailstones. At night, an owl hooted outside our window and fireworms flitted in and out of the hibiscus trees on the terrace. It was a literal Garden of Eden in the middle of a vast, cosmopolitan city and we spent some very happy days there.

One of the gardens we visited during our Delhi stay

Attractions visited during our Delhi stay

During our Delhi stay, we spent the afternoons indoors playing board games or reading. The mornings and evenings were dedicated to going out and we explored the gorgeous Qutub Minar, Safdarjung Tomb, and the Lodhi Gardens. Those were beautiful days and here is a photo essay of our brief, but lovely Delhi stay.