6 reasons not to hate Delhi

While browsing through Delhi-related blogs last night I came across this one, which as you will see attracted a good deal of ire from readers from Delhi and elsewhere. Some of the readers' comments are a bit hysterical (folks, being critical of a city and its culture doesn't make you a racist) but I tend to agree with the thrust of them - if you're blogging for a travel website, at least make an effort to give a balanced impression of a place rather than just ranting about how much it sucks.

Anyway, in an effort to redress the balance, here's my take on six of the eight "reasons to hate Delhi" raised in the post (I can't really comment on the "accommodation" one since I obviously don't need to make use of hotels here, and I haven't yet been here for the winter fog). I'm not trying to say the place is heaven - and indeed all of the objections raised about the city are well-grounded in reality - but a little perspective is a good thing.

1. Scams. OK, this one got my back up straight off. Yes, there are people in Delhi looking to make money out of foreigners. Yes, the auto rickshaw drivers will charge you more if you're not Indian. But compared to plenty of other places Delhi is hardly a traveler's nightmare in this regard. I have had far worse experiences in, say, Venice (which, much as I love it, is basically a well-oiled machine for extracting as much money from tourists' wallets as possible) than I have here. And the tiniest amount of research will tell you that you should bargain down from the first price given in the rickshaw. You'll probably end up paying 20 rupees more than locals would - but that 20 rupees means a hell of a lot more to the driver than it does to you. Think of it as your contribution to economic redistribution and just enjoy the ride.

2. People who don't want to admit they don't know where something is. Yes this can be irritating, but really - is it enough reason to hate a city? It's just a matter of learning to read the signals. You can always tell when someone is making something up as they go along - there will be a momentary gaze into the middle distance while the cogs turn, and then they'll give a vague answer like "that way". Take that as you would an "I don't know", and carry on. Simples.

3. Spitting and peeing in the street. True, these are less than attractive practices of the (male) Delhi walla, but show me a city where people couldn't improve their manners. Spitting was rampant when I lived in Seoul, and as for peeing - try going out in London after 10 pm and it won't be long before you see something similar. What this point completely overlooks though, are the many positive traits of the city's inhabitants - the sheer number of smiles you see in a single day, the genuine desire to help newcomers to the city, and the openness of Indians generally. It's called cultural differences, and if you can only see the negative ones, I wonder why you're travelling at all, never mind writing about it for a living.

4. Traffic. Hard to argue with the substance of the post - being in a car is indeed a hair-raising experience in Delhi. But again, the city is hardly unique in this regard, so it seems a bit unfair to castigate the whole place because of it. Also, the longer you are here the more you realise that India's roads do have rules, they are just very different from the ones we're used to back home. India has more deaths from road accidents than the UK, but they are far from having the world's highest rate per head of population. That incessant horn-honking is aggravating, but it's actually mostly about safety - most honks are given by cars approaching junctions to warn of their presence. Indian drivers know how their own roads work - until such time as the way things are done change here, us outsiders just have to get used to it.

5. Dirt. Um, yes. In parts, it's dirty. Yes, I agree the city authorities could do a better job, and I sincerely hope that as India gets wealthier more resources will be available to do this (they already keep large parts of the city, particularly New Delhi and the areas around the historical monuments, very nicely - something overlooked by the author). I wonder if the author has travelled elsewhere in the developing world. Poorer countries tend to be less prettified. I also wonder if the author has spent much time in much of London, which can be downright filthy, or New York, where rats happily trot in and out of garbage bins on the street. I love both those cities because they are vibrant, exciting places with surprises round every corner - such places tend to have a grimy side, and it's all part of the appeal. Maybe some prefer to travel to squeaky clean, half asleep little towns in Europe or America. Fine - but then why go to Asia at all?

6. Over-crowding. Most baffling of all. You come to a city of 17 million people and you complain that it's over-crowded? Lord above, take your holidays in an Alpine village next time and blog about how idyllic it is - but why go somewhere you know you're not going to like and then whine about it on a travel blog?

The point is, without its imperfections Delhi simply wouldn't be Delhi. It's a massive, overwhelming cacophony of humanity in all its beauty and ugliness, and that's what makes it so intriguing. It's a city with an extraordinary, visible history and a rapidly evolving present, which seems to exist in several eras at once. It's maddening and exhausting, but it's also a vivid, exciting antidote to the carefully-packaged, chocolate-box tourist destinations of Europe. If you have any sense of adventure at all, this is a city you should come to at least once in your life.