Delhi is a very wide open city, at least in some parts. The part the British built contradicts the typical Indian city model. Roads unroll from tight patterns to spacious green tree-lined lanes along which wide, low-set bungalows sit properly spaced. Grand government buildings and public works intersect casually with parks, lanes, and boulevards. Everything about New Delhi, like its layered-onion Connaught Place or Presidential Reserve, is steeped in British influence. The architectural and social history provide the commentary that should accompany Delhi, but it still is just so unlike other Indian cities.
That is, until you leave New Delhi. Outside New Delhi, the Old Delhi sits. Confusing, crowded, cramped, and crawling, Old Delhi has the smells, sights, and singularity of Indian cities. Fudge thick pollution hangs in the air as it streams from tailpipes in the streets. Along those same streets wander cows and people selling everything, anything you want. Jalebi, anyone?
One other thing about Delhi... Ajay and I blew alot of cash on two stunning hand-made carpets. One, otherwise known as Gum, is my favorite. The other, Ardabil, a reproduction of a very famous 16th c. wool and silk Persian carpet, is Ajay's favorite and quite spectacular. Throughout the U.S., carpet dealers frequently push off wool and silk carpets with knot counts under 400. The Gum carpet is silk-on-silk with 576 knots per square inch. The Ardabil is much more complex with 1221 knots per square inch of silk-on-silk. Looking at the details on the knotting is mesmerizing. One key difference between Kashmiri silk and Persian silk carpets.. the knot. I was informed the Persian knot is harder, but Kashmiri rug makers often and easily surpass the knot quantities of their comrades in Iran and use almost exclusively silk for their more complex rugs.