A Country For Every Single Sense

Don’t listen to or trust people who tell you not to visit India. There is so much to see, to learn and appreciate. There aren’t dull seconds–every moment you’ll spot at least one thing you’d never imagine–shocking to Western sensibilities. And I mean that in only the best ways.

It may come as no surprise, but Delhi is the world’s 2nd most populated city in the world. It’s also the 10th most popular tourist destination on earth and the first stop on the Golden Triangle (a common path tourists take to see the biggest sites).

Golden Triangle: Delhi

Location #1

Despite the Hindu majority, several other religions have a stronghold in the area. Almost 11% of the world’s Muslim population calls India home. Below you’ll find images of one of the country’s largest mosques.

Jama Masjid

This mosque was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1650 in what is currently known as Old Delhi. In fact, Shah Jahan created Old Delhi when he moved the Mughal capital there instead of Agra.

*Agra is the home of the Taj Mahal.

As a woman, I was constantly worried I wasn’t wearing the right thing. And I was often told I wasn’t. Speaking of being too immodest, I had to rent a dress while visiting the Jama Masjid Mosque. They don’t allow women in pants (or TikTok).

overlooking historic Old Delhi from the stairs of the mosque

Old Delhi and New Delhi
are not interchangeable.

They are 2 distinct areas of the large metropolis.

New Delhi is the capital of India, while Old Delhi is the more historical area.

views from the tuk-tuk we rode through Old Delhi

Humayun’s Tomb

completed in 1571 for Mughal Emperor Humayun

Against tradition, the tomb was commission by one of his wives, Hamida Banu Begum.

This structure isn’t just a tomb for the Mughal Emperor,
but 100 other people, including a few of his wives.

This incredibly intricate structure only took 8 years to complete.

Eventually, Humayun’s Tomb served as inspiration for the Taj Mahal, which was completed almost one hundred years later.

Now let’s head back to the city! New Delhi, here we come.
Our first stop: Nike.

New Delhi is one of the few places we walked around on our own. Most of the time we were accompanied by tour guides or our driver. It was fun to explore the city center in our typical fashion. We went to restaurants, tried a brewery that served piping hot beer in a wine glass, and enjoyed people watching.

Now let’s hit the road as we head to destination #2 on the Golden Triangle. But first, I wanted to share a bit of what I saw out of my window on the way there:

Where do you think we’re headed next?