WordsBake: Tourist in my city

On a particular Sunday night in February, sleep dint come to me like it always does. I tossed and turned so much so that I was bored. I woke up, walked out of the room so I don’t disturb my partner. I tried to read a book with a flashlight and at early dawn, I gently drifted away to sleep.

This whole incident left me groggy when it was time to wake up time. So I decided to call in sick at work. It is impossible to work with a headache and groggy feeling. I function very poorly in a state of mind like this one.

I slept in longer than usual. When I woke up, I felt the need to take a relaxing hot bath. As expected, I felt relaxed post the shower. As if the ablutions washed away my discomfort of a sleepless night. A relaxing hot bath seldom fails to calm me.

I know at a rational level I should stay in, but a holiday like feeling refuses to go away. I donned my sneakers and mask and headed out. And here, in no particular order of importance, is how I spent my day despite the doom and gloom all around me:-

Playing Tourist. This is undoubtedly the best way to explore your city. The opportunity to pull out your curious caps while the excitement is of a vacation mode. An unusual day like this one, allowed me to sparkle as I hit the road on a Monday morning, where otherwise people would be heading out to work.
Flying Solo & Free. I know, sounds cliched, I was exhausted from work calls. That day I let my guards down and marched right into the world with courage and enthusiasm. It was as if my spirit was on fire that day. I was content going from one spot to another, in a cab. Talking to cab drivers about how their lives were during the last year, their earnings, their perspectives, etc. It felt great to talk to strangers and learn about their life. That is what makes us humans, isn’t it? Connecting with people and sharing our experiences.
Reader. I see myself as an avid reader and reading in nature is magical, it is a haven. While I visited some historic monuments in the city surrounded by a garden, I also carried a book with me. I sat there in its sylvan surroundings and read. Read to my heart's content. With no one and nothing to distract me, no task to be done, no chore calling for my attention. It was blissful.

Quite literally, it was travelling back in time as I wandered off through the city. They say that at least five cities once flourished on the site where Delhi now stands; and undoubtedly each one of them has left some evidence behind in the form of parks, monuments, landmarks or structure of the city. It felt the best use of my time to explore this heritage. You bet, yes I did the rounds of the usual suspects: Qutub Minar, Purana Qila, Humayun’s Tomb, Safdarjung’s Tomb, all of which were much less crowded. One because it was a Monday morning, second covid fear and third of course there aren’t any foreign tourists in the mix.

As for myself, now I will wait for the city to heal, will wait for it to find its way out of the glorious mess and a mountain of the dead the capital is currently buried in. I will stay home as I plough my way through my summer reading list and call of duties at my job. I will look out from my window taking in the beauty of nature, the best way I can. And I will be dreaming of hills, where I can escape the heat for a glorious few days in the months to come.

Thanks for reading! Here are a few more pictures from that memorable day. Tune in again soon.

Humayun's Tomb