Letters from India, Part I: Old Delhi

Waking up, my eyes were slow to catch up with the reality around me. There were five pairs of foreign eyes laying their sight on me. While I was asleep and comfortably covered with my blanket, I felt as if I was bare naked. I felt their gaze touching my skin. I slowly moved over and felt vulnerable. The tunes of Indian music and the train making its way through the countryside made me feel as if this moment was from a movie. I had been on the train for over 10 hours, making my way towards Varanasi, the holiest Hindu place in the world. Some of these folks had been on this train for weeks, making their way from Goa, Punjab, or Mumbai. Pilgrims or tourists, had been dreaming of visiting the town of Varanasi all their lives. It’s hard to say my will would be of similar significance, but I certainly realized the country I was visiting, was special..

India - The Dream of (not) Every Traveler

I had long been thinking of coming to India. Many of my well-traveled friends would say India is the most colourful and enriching travel experience one can get. Together with my good travel buddy Lukas, we put together a travel itinerary. The journey started in Istanbul, Turkey, where we reunited with a bunch of friends we had co-lived with in Thailand the year prior—thanks to the power of coliving. After 2 weeks in Istanbul decided to take a brief stop on our usual way to Southeast Asia in India and Nepal.

Before coming to India, I decided to take three weeks off work. I believe there are times when one needs to work and times when one needs to recharge. No laptop screen, no emails, nothing. I chose India and Nepal as places to be offline, and I could not have made a better decision.

Delhi: A City of Contrasts

We landed in Delhi at 4 AM. After more than 12 hours in transit, we were both tired. Tired but excited. Eager to explore what so many people believed to be the most enriching travel experience. We grabbed a tuk-tuk. Everything, even the gas station, seemed so colorful to me. The journey was lined with endless amounts of Indian flags, and despite me visiting plenty of other countries before, this felt somehow surreal. With our duffel bags loaded in the back of the tuk-tuk, we arrived at our hotel. As I got out, my Birks disappeared in the rubbish on the street. A few stray dogs came around with low energy, begging for food. We made our way through the narrow street to our hostel. I immediately knew this place was going to teach me a lot.

Delhi is a city of contrasts. A capital where ancient monuments stand alongside modern skyscrapers. A place where air pollution is some of the worst in the world. Simply something hard to put into words. Having less than 24 hours in Delhi, we made sure to book a rickshaw driver and a historic/street food tour to help us see as much as we could. Exploring Delhi on a tuk-tuk was a unique experience. So simple yet so enriching. The streets were unlike anything I had ever seen; I thought Bangkok traffic was chaotic, but Delhi took it to a whole new level. We would be cheered, begged, touched.

Firstly, before starting our tour, we needed to sort out our train tickets for the remainder of the trip: one-way to Agra and another one-way to Varanasi. It took us around three hours, and we had to navigate through roughly eight attempted scams to secure them. Not great, not terrible.

After shaking off the disappointment and suspicion, we set of. First step - our guide led us to the India Gate. This war memorial stands along the Rajpath in the heart of India's capital. Completed in 1931, it commemorates the 82,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives during World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War.

As the sun set behind the monument's walls, we quickly became a local attraction. I noticed people taking pictures of us, some boldly approaching to ask for selfies. After enjoying this short burst of fame, we hopped back on a tuk-tuk and headed to another famous monument, Jama Masjid. One of India's largest and most renowned mosques, it looked particularly breathtaking in the early evening hours.

One thing every traveler worries about when visiting India is the risk of food poisoning. I took two precautions: avoiding meat and ice from street food vendors, and drinking a shot of Slivovica, a homemade liquor from Eastern Slovakia with over 50% alcohol content, every morning and evening. Our street food tour took us through the lively night scene of Delhi, where we spoiled ourselves with a variety of local dishes I had never tried before, fearlessly sampling everything we came across. Despite hearing numerous stories and watching cautionary YouTube videos about foreigners facing stomach issues after trying Delhi's street food, I encountered no issues. The only moment of hesitation came when I was handed a Lassi shake and noticed it was made with ice. It did not stop me from trying it though. I guess the precautions helped. Or we may have just been very naive and lucky...

We concluded our daily speedtour of Delhi on the largest spice market in whole Asia, Khari Baoli market. It has been in operation since the 17th century. This market offers spices, herbs, dried fruits, nuts, and other food products. I proudly purchased a bag of curcuma and dates. After spending an hour in this place, my senses were so overwhelmed by all the noise, rush, and spice that I simply had enough. I asked our driver to drop us back at the hotel because I felt overwhelmed by everything I had experienced that day. This has rarely happened to me on my travels, but this experience in Delhi stands out. I remember being so tired that all I could think of was getting out of that place...

The Freelancing and Remote Work in India

I'm very interested in the trends of remote work and its infrastructure within every country I visit. India has long been a hub for freelancers and remote workers. Globalization means more companies are hiring overseas. With a vast pool of talent, India is an interesting choice. According to recent data, there are over 15 million freelancers in India. The trend is expected to continue, with the freelancing and remote work market projected to grow by 23% annually over the next decade.

The rise of remote work and freelancing has also fueled the growth of coliving spaces. As of 2024, over 75 coliving companies are operating in India. Its capacity is expected to double up to 450,000 beds by the end of 2024, driven by increasing urbanization, a young workforce, and the rising demand for flexible, affordable housing solutions. Did not manage to visit any on my last trip, but it's something I will be eager to check out when I visit next.

I feel the focus of the public is always on how beneficial remote work has been for Western nations. Frankly, the talent from all around the world benefits from remote work and more freelance possibilities. The rise of micro-entrepreneurship goes hand in hand with more companies being built fully remotely. Remote work brings opportunities to every corner of the world and provides people with chances our parents or grand parents could only dream of.

We truly are living in the best era of humanity.