The capital city of the nation is a place that is steeped in history. Will culture oozing out of every seam, all the old timers here swear by its genteel nature and the feeling that the clock itself has stood still. The monsoons are a great time to experience the best of what this bustling megapolis that’s caught in-between two eras has to offer.

There are a number of hotels in Delhi and especially in the older part of the city that serve a mouth-watering array of delicacies that range from piping hot pakoras and steamed dumplings to chilled kulfi and more. In-fact, the place is known to be a haven for foodies that throng through the meandering streets in the quest of culinary discoveries, old and new. The cycle-rickshaw can be mistaken for a rickety contraption pulled by a fellow-human being, with both having seen way better years than this. However, their pilots are experts in the art of conversation, should one choose to engage with them, and can guide people better than some of the more fanciful gadgets that rely on satellites, far up into the sky. Respect towards their profession, without being condescending, is the right way to go about things. Also, since they too are here to earn their daily bread, it’d help not to haggle over a few rupees, as you direct them to the entrance of the fancy restaurant round the corner.

There is a lot of junk that is turned out due to the guest activity in the hundreds of Delhi hotels that have opened up over the years. While waste segregation may have taken off to limited success, there’s nothing but sheer awe for the efficiency with which, the city’s famed recyclers pick and choose through the junk. Nothing worth saving is allowed to go to waste, with every tiny bit being recycled and reused, The aim it appears is to eke out a little more life out of everything, irrespective of whether the resultant utility was its original functioning or not.

People used to frequenting the hotels in Delhi may not think much of the tea-cart hanging at the end of the street, but the vendors there are terrific conversationalists. A large majority of their clientele visits them as much for their sugary, hyper-boiled concoction as for the snippets of information and local updates that they are guaranteed to get.

The capital city has earned a reputation for being a shopper’s paradise, with haggling turned into such a fine art, that one can spend hours on end just watching transactions being conducted. Scenes unfold daily at perennial favorites such as the spices market which is the largest such one in the entire continent, the traditional arts market where craftsmen turn out everything from sweetmeat garnishes to prayer items. One can even witness similar happenings in the shops of the overpriced shops in the Sarojini market area.

So much has been written about the life here that tourists have even begun narrowing down upon Delhi an Agra hotels, based on their proximity to spots considered to be right on the eclectic pulse of things!