Delhi and the Obamas

I think it is fairly obvious from our posts about India so far that Delhi, India’s capital, was our least favorite spot in India.  Everything I wrote about India happens all at once in Delhi, all day long, with no respite.  Unfortunately for us, it also was our first stop in India. In most of the places we visited in India, the highlights outweighed the lowlights, but we didn’t find much to love about Delhi. We spent most of our four days in Delhi on logistics, quickly realizing how long it takes to get anything done in this country.  I swear we spent most of our time riding the metro back and forth from our hotel in East Patal Nagar.  We thought it might be a good idea to stay in a non-touristy area in New Delhi, but our plan backfired. The neighborhood where we stayed wasn’t any less hectic, we had trouble finding places to eat, and we constantly had to ride the crowded metro to go anywhere.

We did find a little time to take in Delhi’s craziness and some of its sights, including Humayun’s Tomb, which would be visited by President and First Lady Obama several weeks after us during their trip to India.  The Obamas’ every move was broadcast on Indian news stations, although we suspect it was probably nothing more than a blurb at home.  Anytime we replied the United States in response to inquiries about where we were from, we’d receive a hearty response of yes, Obama!  Coming to India! But much like at home, at least according to an Indian news magazine I picked up after the Obamas left, Michelle was a bigger hit than her husband during their visit.  She impressed the Indians by dancing freely with children during a school visit, but also like at home, she still can’t catch a break for her outfits.  The Indians thought her outfit choices were drab and would have liked to have seen her in brightly colored saris.  Hey, at least she covered her pipes.

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