10 AWESOME Things to do in DELHI, India | Go Local

Well, I feel like there's something you're not supposed to do in Delhi, but I can't can't quite remember what it is Here are my top 10 favorite ways to experience this city. We'll start with Biharganj, otherwise known as the main bazaar in Delhi. Because of its popularity with travelers, this is the perfect opportunity for me to teach you a bit about the scams you will undoubtedly run into here. If you're staying here, which I actually recommend, the first one you'll run into is being picked up at the airport and being told your hotel is closed, moved, or burned down. No matter how convincing it seems, no matter how many people you talk to, it's a complete lie, and you should just immediately get out of the cab and find a new one. Better yet, avoid the taxis altogether and just use Uber. You can read more about that on my website, which I'll put a link for in the description. But aside from all that, the main bazaar is an amazing place. It sells just about anything you could ever want. And a lot of stuff you probably don't. The maiden's tomb is the resting place of Mughal Emperor Humayun, who died in 1556. The building itself has some amazing architecture, and kind of makes you wonder why we don't still make buildings that look this cool. The best time to go is close to sunset, as the reflection of the water around it is insane. For only 500 rupees, this is a great place to spend an hour or two. Okay, so I'm not sure that we're supposed to be back here. It seems that the cow was the gatekeeper to this sacred path. I give us five minutes before we're told to leave. By the way, this is my friend Will. He heard I was going to be in India and dropped everything he was doing to come meet me. That's pretty badass. I think 30 seconds and we got this bend. Alright Will, so what do you think of the Lodi Gardens? I think the Lodi Gardens are a fantastic stop. I don't know if Lodi is a who, but if it is a who, I want to know who it is. There you have it folks. While the Lodi Gardens do deserve an honorable mention, a better stop would be the Lotus Temple. Completed in 1986, it's one of the more modern temples in Delhi and can be spotted miles away due to its unique lotus flower shape. Unfortunately, they don't allow film inside the temple itself, but I was able to capture some audio of one of the choir groups that were there. Surprisingly, it's one of the most visited buildings in the world, with over 100 million visitors as of 2014. Despite this fact, and much to my relief, entrance is free and open to anyone regardless of belief. Very nice. Easy. Very nice. You must have heard the name. Now there's one thing you absolutely must do is to visit a slum or colony. I think it's important to put things in perspective, especially when visiting Delhi. Many people will dismiss this idea instantly as being unnecessary or dangerous, but I couldn't disagree more. I visited three separate slums while in Delhi, and found that the people were generally very nice and friendly. I even pulled out a deck of cards and did a few magic tricks for some kids, which seemed to be a huge hit. Now I'm not saying that you should be completely oblivious or ignore any dangerous situations that could arise. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't let that be the reason you don't go. As long as you're confident and aware, you should be fine. The first slum I would consider visiting is the Kaputli Colony. It is made up entirely of street performers in the Shatapur Depot area of Delhi, housing over 2,800 families. The special thing about this particular slum is that everyone living here is a performer of some kind. What were you not supposed to do in India again? Something about food? Who the f**k is this guy? This makes it the world's largest community of street performers, a truly magical place. I wouldn't expect everyone to be performing some act when you go, but just keep it in mind, and you'll notice subtle nuances hinting at their professions. Okay, so we just experienced a pretty common Delhi scam, where they take you to a department store called Delhi Hot, as opposed to the actual market, which is called Dilli Hot, spelled D-I-L-L-I. Then they obviously get a cut from whatever you buy in that store. So, now you know. Number five on the list is the Chandni Chowk and Chahri Bazaar. These are two more markets in Delhi that are a bit more specialized than the main bazaar, and whose customers are all Indian rather than foreigners. The Chahri Bazaar specializes in the wholesale market of brass, copper, and paper products, while the Chandni Chowk Bazaar sells some of the best snacks and sweets that Delhi has to offer. The markets aren't as large as the main bazaar, but they also don't have as many tourists, so sometimes when you're walking through the main bazaar, you feel targeted, because some people are there specifically to get you to buy something. That's not the case in these markets. No one is here for you. Everyone's just going about their business as they would normally, regardless about whether or not you're there. This gives you an authentic look into what real Indian life is like. So that was the Archanam Temple. Unfortunately, they don't allow photos or videos inside, so you'll just have to take my word that it's one of the coolest temples in Delhi, and probably one of the most impressive temples that I've even seen, just in general. So definitely make that a stop on your trip to Delhi. Qutub Minar was built in 1192 A.D. by Ibek, the first ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. His successors continued to add story after story until it reached what it is today, which is a 240-foot tall tower consisting of five stories. The 47-foot base diameter. The tower also contains a spiral staircase of 379 steps that used to be open to the public. However, in 1981, 45 people were killed in a stampede when a power outage plunged the tower into darkness. After that, public access to the inside of the tower have stopped. But you can still view it from outside, and the architecture is truly remarkable. The next stop on our list was the Taj Mahal, located in Agra, just three hours south of Delhi. It would take too long to explain, but due to some unforeseen difficulties, we ended up hiring a car to drive us down for a little over 70 U.S. dollars. I actually recommend taking the train, which only costs four and takes about the same amount of time. Our driver was quite the character though. The name in Hindi means crown of the palace. It is actually the tomb of Mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal. Commissioned in 1632, this building is made entirely of ivory white marble and costs a whopping 827 million U.S. dollars in today's terms. Gautaji, also known as the Monkey Temple, is surrounded by hills. The temple was built at the entrance to a mountain pass and is home to thousands of monkeys that roam the grounds. This ancient Hindu pilgrimage site is located about 10 kilometers from Jaipur, which is the city that completes the so-called Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. All right, we're going. I'm taking these home. By far one of the most beautiful spots in India and my favorite place that we visited while we were there. We have no idea what this is, but it's pretty good. It's like a potato croissant. Potato croissant. Now it is true that you can get sick from food pretty easily in Delhi, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat anything while you're there. Delhi has some of the most amazing food in all of Asia, and as long as you're smart about it, avoiding sickness isn't all that difficult. I ate street food all the time when I was there, and I didn't get sick once. Now whether I was lucky, smart, or under the protection of some mystical food angel, it's important to remember that it's possible to have good food in Delhi without any negative effects. They're not allowed to have beer in this restaurant because they don't have a liquor license, so we're going to hide it in these cups. There you have it, the city of Delhi. See you next time.