India 97 Travelog : my first day / Old and New Delhi atmosphere (1/8)

<BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT = "#ABCBBE"> <BR> <FONT SIZE=4> As soon you arrived at the Delhi Airport, and you try to find a (cheap) taxi, you are fully in the Indian atmosphere people almost everywhere, with dusty air around !!! and crazy drivers !! <BR> The airport is 50 minutes away from the city center ! Driving at night is quite dangerous, but compared to the daylight, it is perhaps more relaxing as you do not even see the near miss crash as most of the vehicles do not have really what we could call efficient lights !! <BR> Anyhow, I was quite lucky, as I reached the right place at the first attempt (the are TWO Jukaso Inn in New Delhi). <BR> The medieval atmosphere of the bazaars of Old Delhi contrasts sharply with the open, spacious streets of New Delhi, the imperial City created as the capital of India by the British. <BR> During our first afternoon, we did visit the main sights of New Delhi : the India Gate, a war memorial arch, the impressive Parliament Building and the Rashtrapahi Bhawan, once the imperial palace of the British viceroy and now the official residence of the President of India. The next sight was Qutab Minar. This tower of Victory was erected by in 1193 to commemorate the victory of a Muslim army over the last Hindu kingdom of Delhi. In 1981, some "pushing" in the steps inside the tower resulted in ... 40 deads... Since, it is no more possible to go on the top.Finally, we visited the Delhi version of an 'Taj Mahal' (called the Humayan Tumbs). </FONT> </BODY>