FRidh's blog

As some of you know I came with the crazy idea of working on my thesis while traveling in India. So, Tuesday early in the morning I arrived in Delhi. I’ve been here now two days, and it has been amazing! First ‘adventure’ was the taxi ride from the airport to the hotel. The traffic there is crazy, with bikes, mopeds, tuc tucs, cars, trucks, cows and elephants on the highway. Only one rule is followed; the one who has the loudest horn has precedence. The area I am residing in is very poor and dirty. Trash is just thrown on the ground which stray dogs then take and open up. Nevertheless the area is very interesting, and there are many nice small shops and such around.

Humayun’s Tomb

The second day I visited some touristic spots, like Rajpath, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar, and a rickshaw driver also showed me a Sikh temple. Qutub Minar was very impressive to see and hear about. In the evening I visited the family of an Indian friend. They invited me over for dinner and I got to try many different kinds of delicious food. That evening there was also a pre-ceremony to a Hindu wedding taking place in that street. Many people were dancing and making music in the street while the groom was heading for a temple. It was a great evening, thank you Snandan!

Sikh temple

Inside Sikh temple

So what is my impression thus far? You clearly see that everybody tries to make a living, tries to survive in this country. Rickshaw drivers often make deals with stores so if you buy something, they receive a commission. As a tourist you will always be overcharged, people will try to sell you things constantly and you’ll have to survive many many lies. It is therefore very hard to trust the people, while there are definitely honest people around who help you without ripping you off. In general I think the people are very friendly and helpful.

Qutub Minar

Now, today I will be working on my thesis again for a change. My thesis includes writing a Statistical Energy Analysis module to the open-source parametric 3d-modeler FreeCAD. Last week a vibroacoustic engineer showed his interest in contributing, showing the true strength of open-source development. In the evening though I will visit the Red Fort, and then tomorrow morning I will take the train to Agra.