Day # 3 - (26th Nov) - Namaste New Delhi

We arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in the early morning, still a very dark and thick fog atmosphere.
What I though was just fog was in fact SMOG, a mix of dense smoke and fog ... and it was all over the city.

Still a bit dizzy for the few hours sleep, after passing the customs we went to pick up our backpacks, exchange some Euros to Indian rupees at the airport, and book a cab.

We could have fall in those taxi scams, a middle age Indian guy approach us quickly asking if we needed a taxi and hotel. I´ve read before in a few travel forums about these scams, so we were with a foot step behind with all that friendly interest he showed. He did all that questions about where we were from, how long we going to stay, if we have hotel, and “Is your first time in India?” - No, we have being here before!

Nevertheless we went with him till the entrance of the airport, because we needed to get a cab to the hostel. As we put our step outside we faced the reality, bunch of cab drivers most of them non official asking need taxi, need taxi, come with me my friend. Our guy went to the other side of the parking, to a darker area where other guys were hanging waiting for inexperienced tourists to scam… We stopped and decided not to follow him and go to our hostel by the safer way – booking a cab in the government- run prepaid taxi stands inside the airport. Never trusting - first time in India, arriving in the middle of the night, all that confusing outside the terminal and going with the first guy that appears … I think we decided wisely at the last minute.

The taxi fare till our hostel at the Main Bazaar, Paharganj was 300 rupees. After buying bottled water we went to find our cab, and again the same hassle outside the terminal, but now we had our taxi – a small old green and black van, and the young driver was very trustable, he wasn’t very chatty or inquisitive, just took us to the hostel we said, and didn’t tried to take us to other places.

The taxi ride was as crazy as expected in India – Horn please! – must the number one rule to take the driver´s license.
We arrive to the Main Bazaar in about 20 - 30minutes, and we could get our first impressions from the early city life in the streets. Lots of cows, people, rickshaws, cycles, cars, lorries and waste all over the place…and smoke, the all city is inside a huge cloud of smoke.