A brief stint in Delhi was all we had—not even 48 hours there—yet some stark differences became apparent the moment we landed in Madurai. From geographical location and cuisine to religious fervor and attitude towards tourists, Achint, Ashna, Eric, and I have been able to contrast our time in Delhi with where we are now.
Location:
Delhi is in northern India and contains the capital city, New Delhi. It is said to be the political capital of India, while Mumbai is known as the financial capital of India. Driving from the airport to where we stayed for two nights at the India Habitat Center, we passed embassies from many major countries. I was surprised by how green the city was—trees lined the main streets on both sides, providing much-needed shade.
We flew about 3 hours directly south from New Delhi to get to Madurai, the cultural center of Tamil Nadu. Madurai is known to be a temple city—just walk five minutes down the road from the hostel we are staying at and you’ll find the first of many. Madurai itself does not have much greenery, but tree-covered mountains are just a two-hour drive away.
Cuisine:
Because people from all over India live in Delhi, there is no one regional cuisine. The city itself does not have one set regional identity, and the food is reflective of this. There were many street vendors selling mouthwatering food as we walked from place to place, but we had to control ourselves for the good of our stomach health.
In Madurai, we see a much more defined cuisine, which is, for the most part, confined to traditional South Indian dishes. For breakfast, we eat idlis with sambar, while lunch and dinner always contain rice, parathas, and various curries and chutneys. We’ve also enjoyed trying egg and chicken biryanis, many dosa varieties, and chai (my favorite!) at local restaurants.
Religion:
Delhi had a majority Hindu population, but the Muslim population was still apparent. We visited a mosque while exploring Old Delhi and watched as many people climbed the steep staircase despite the heat and approaching sunset.
Madurai is decidedly more Hindu. While we have heard of multiple mosques in the area, they are few and far between relative to the temples found on almost every street corner. Vegetarian restaurants are easy to come by, although there are still plenty of non-veg options available. Many more cows roam the streets here. We must pass at least ten to fifteen each day on our way from work to the gym.
Tourism:
Besides being the capital, Delhi is home to one of the biggest airports in India, so it makes sense that tourism is big there. Foreigners were not difficult to spot—Eric and I stuck out like sore thumbs, but at least there were other sore thumbs around too. The auto-rickshaw drivers were very aggressive and it was commonplace for multiple drivers to shout at a group of people walking along the road. Traffic in the city was gridlocked at points, but locals mentioned the convenience of the Metro system for commuting further distances into and out of the main city area.
Compared to Delhi, Madurai is like a breath of fresh air. And not just in the sense that the air is less dusty, which it is, but also because the traffic is much less congested and the locals are kinder to outsiders. It was immediately clear that far fewer tourists travel to Madurai than Delhi—auto rickshaw drivers only upcharge us 200% instead of the 300-400% in Delhi. We have met so many compassionate people that have helped us navigate the busy streets or even order food at local restaurants. But, the downside is that it is easier to feel like an outsider here.
As an aside, I have been creating vlogs each week we are here. So far I’ve made one for our time in Delhi, one for our first week of work, and one for our Sunday trip to Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi. Check out my YouTube channel @sage_leland or see the Week 0 video below! I’ll be posting more throughout our time here in Madurai and, hopefully, we have more exciting weekend trips planned as well.
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