Prittam Arrives

We woke in the morning with a strong sense of possibility. The sun was just coming up and we could tell that it was going to be be a clear, crisp morning. We had arranged for a friend of a friend of a friend to act as our guide for the day, and was to meet us at the hotel at 10:30. After breakfast and washing up, we still had about 30 minutes before we had to meet our guide in the lobby, and since we arrived in the dark, we thought it might be a good idea to take a quick walk around the neighborhood. We quickly found out we were in a little over our heads.

The neighborhood is called Karol Bagh and is west of the center of the city. Channa Market is nearby, although we have never walked through it. It seems as though it is a typical middle-class family area. Lots of five and six story apartment buildings and many hotels. There are several construction sites and almost as many empty and abandoned lots.

Untitled from Ryan Schulz on Vimeo.

We stepped out onto the street and headed in the direction of the nearest retail area, one that we had spotted the previous night in the car. Not even one block into the walk, we were approached. No big deal. We continued on. It happened again. Then the drivers started to approach. They immediately try to engage you in conversation. We were told to resist, not to make eye contact and not to speak to them, but I have to say, as a Midwesterner, this is nearly an impossible proposition to maintain. It's almost painful.

The walk reminded me a stories my grandfather told me about flying his B-17 bomber through flak in WWII. It was relentless. We retreated to the hotel, and there was Prittam.