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Delhi

By Alexander Schlosser

July 6^th, 2023

I don’t think I’ve ever felt further away from capturing the true essence of a city than with this story — and maybe the sheer vastness of Delhi doesn’t even allow that.

My view of the city likely aligns with the expectations of tourists seeking a chaotic and rugged experience, an escape from the predictability found in many European cities. And indeed, one can find such qualities when strolling through the bustling alleys of Chandni Chowk. However, Delhi encompasses so much more. It reveals itself as an incredibly green city, with stunning parks and beautiful residential areas. It also embraces its tech-forward side, boasting shiny high-rises and hordes of yuppies flocking to fancy cafés. And it can show its grim face with entire neighborhoods consisting of makeshift shacks devoid of basic amenities like electricity and sewerage.

This story doesn’t capture any of this, but rather gives a first glimpse of what Delhi has to offer.

Delhi marked the beginning of a longer, multi-week journey through Asia — and little did I know that I would start with the most intense destination, both in a positive and negative way.

I had been thinking about visiting India for a while, but it was a friend’s wedding invite that finally convinced me to book my tickets. And the wedding was the perfect intro, with warm and generous people and an atmosphere filled with joy and energy. Unsurprisingly, the first days flew by like a breeze, fueling my excitement to explore further in a country that seemed to welcome me with open arms.

However, things changed rather quickly once I started traveling alone without the safety net of the wedding festivities. Researching upfront I had read about tourist scams and the need to be extra cautious in certain areas. And armed with this knowledge I felt prepared, convinced that something as obvious as this wouldn’t happen to me. Oh, how wrong I was… Within the first few days I received the full package: falling into a sham “tourist office”, purchasing counterfeit train tickets, and repeatedly receiving incorrect change while buying food. It was draining, and discouraging. And within my first three days of solo traveling I already had my first mental breakdown.

Looking back, I now understand that what frustrated me the most was realizing that I couldn’t approach people with the same openness and trust that I was used to. Suddenly, I felt the need to be suspicious and question every interaction.

Luckily the reality turned out to be far less grim.

After locking myself in the hostel for two days, I felt recharged and ready to give Delhi another chance. And from that point on, things started to improve: I would meet the most wonderful people on my entire travels, would eat amazing food and discover truly magnificent places. In fact, I ended up returning to Delhi twice throughout my travels, and it easily became the highlight of my entire trip in Asia.

You can still see some of the early uneasiness, that initial adjustment period in my photos from Delhi. They lack some variety, they don’t go very close and they definitely don’t show all the mayhem and the wonder that the city has to offer. Nevertheless, my time in Delhi taught me a lot about myself: how to calm my anxieties when being alone, how to motivate myself to persevere, and, most importantly, how to accept and let go when things don’t unfold as expected.

Delhi is the one place from my 14-weeks journey that I would come back to immediately. While it takes time to get used to, the city rewards you with a unique experience unlike any other.

Looking through my photos for this story I realized how male-heavy the whole set was with almost no women showing up anywhere. While the reality was definitely not as extreme, I did experience India as a country where men are significantly more visible in everyday life than women.

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