The Persistence of Delhi

The moment you step out of your home city to 'get away from it,' you somehow end up craving it. That's what I realised when i decided to head out of Delhi for 10 whole days.

Strike 1:
The most crucial thing I wanted was to escape June heat; but thanks to global warming, the hills haven't been able to maintain their cool too much. Dalhousie and Co were sultry (though not as boring as some people thought); Mcleodganj was disappointing-ly warm. Nevertheless, it managed to recover soon enough with the onset of the monsson. Amritsar, our last stop, was closer to Delhi, paving the way for the return home.

Strike 2:
Everytime I saw a car with a Delhi number, it filled me with strange happiness. I thought of my poor 4-wheeler that sat glumly at home, unridden and unused, waiting eagerly for my return. Delhi is arguably the city with the worst road and traffic sense. Well...you have to witness highway driving in Himachal or Punjab to understand speed and its (no) limits. In my opinion, people who drive in Amritsar (anyone from the sumowallah to autowallah to skoda wallah to bike wallah to rickshaw wallah) would take the cake for the most amazing driving sense. God bless the paidal people.

Strike 3:
You can definitely find good and cheap eating options wherever you go outside Delhi, but you never stop weighing the scales. The food in delhi is more accessible- you always know where to get what- and somehow tastier, moreover if its ghar ka khana.Even Moti Mahal Delux Dhabha or Nick's Italian kitchen or Punjabi Rasoi can be forgotten.....

YOU'RE OUT

Makes you wonder why you need to leave then, in the first place...
But kya karen, one needs a break no? If getting rid would have been that easy, more than half of the world's problems could have been taken care of. You always end up carrying your world with you. Unfortunately, on a trip it adds to excess baggage.

Whatever one might say, Dilli wallahs can be found everywhere and are absolutely recognizable. I went to a restaurant in Mcleodganj with a friend and the propreiter immediately guessed we were from Dilli. As did another lady on our trek. Cool ain' it?