My last day in India.
A whirl of museums to start the day. The National Museum, where many of the interesting exhibits were closed. The Crafts Museum, which had some nice things, but we only stayed for an hour.
Then another rickshaw ride into Chandni Chowk. Although a lot of the market was closed because due to it being Sunday and the Holi holiday starting soon, it still felt like complete pandemonium.
As we drove on the freeway, there were two elephants just below us on the city street, getting washed by handlers. One of our group said, "I can't imagine getting used to something so odd." Then she paused and said, "Actually, there is no 'odd' in India, is there?"
We finally made it to a spice market. Many spices and teas were purchased. The colored powder for Holi was on vivid display. The neon colors made the bags of spices look bland by comparison.
I would love to travel with someone who feels comfortable in this setting. I wanted to walk through the market, take pictures, and experience it up close...but the reality of the situation is that I would be a woman alone. And that means something entirely different here and in many of the places I would most like to go.
In the two weeks I've been here, there was the gang rape of the Swiss woman on a bicycle tour with her boyfriend, another British woman jumped from her second floor hotel room to avoid an alleged "massage" from the hotel owner and a hotel security guard, and a local Delhi girl was taken to the Red Fort area and raped after asking for directions. While I always avoid painting anything with a broad brush, these stories clustered at this time, combined with the blatant staring of a lot of men here, are concerning and intimidating. Only one person in my traveling group had anyone actually touch her, but the man did just walk up to her on the street and poke her breast. So while I never felt unsafe, I also didn't feel like I would want to do this alone.
Leaving the market, I saw a bus called "Panicker's" - it reminded me that India isn't for sissies. Or those prone to panic.
A whirl of museums to start the day. The National Museum, where many of the interesting exhibits were closed. The Crafts Museum, which had some nice things, but we only stayed for an hour.
Then another rickshaw ride into Chandni Chowk. Although a lot of the market was closed because due to it being Sunday and the Holi holiday starting soon, it still felt like complete pandemonium.
As we drove on the freeway, there were two elephants just below us on the city street, getting washed by handlers. One of our group said, "I can't imagine getting used to something so odd." Then she paused and said, "Actually, there is no 'odd' in India, is there?"
We finally made it to a spice market. Many spices and teas were purchased. The colored powder for Holi was on vivid display. The neon colors made the bags of spices look bland by comparison.
I would love to travel with someone who feels comfortable in this setting. I wanted to walk through the market, take pictures, and experience it up close...but the reality of the situation is that I would be a woman alone. And that means something entirely different here and in many of the places I would most like to go.
In the two weeks I've been here, there was the gang rape of the Swiss woman on a bicycle tour with her boyfriend, another British woman jumped from her second floor hotel room to avoid an alleged "massage" from the hotel owner and a hotel security guard, and a local Delhi girl was taken to the Red Fort area and raped after asking for directions. While I always avoid painting anything with a broad brush, these stories clustered at this time, combined with the blatant staring of a lot of men here, are concerning and intimidating. Only one person in my traveling group had anyone actually touch her, but the man did just walk up to her on the street and poke her breast. So while I never felt unsafe, I also didn't feel like I would want to do this alone.
Leaving the market, I saw a bus called "Panicker's" - it reminded me that India isn't for sissies. Or those prone to panic.
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