Delhi Fog

As we left the Arrivals Hall in Indira Gandhi International Airport, and even before we left the building, we became aware of the sight and smell of smoke.  When we asked the driver whether it was always so smoky, he said "It's fog." 

Blue Skies!

With the "fog" and generally overcast skies, even after we left Delhi for the Golden Triangle Tour, we did not see blue sky until Friday (November 12) as we traveled from Agra to Jaipur.

Back in Delhi, we asked our travel coordinator about the smoke.  She said that it was probably the result of all of the fireworks and burning of incense used to celebrate the five-day Dewali, or "Festival of Lights," that had just completed on November 9, the evening before we arrived.  The air did become less smoky over the next few days, even though we saw trash being burned in the streets.

Then we entered the wedding season.  Every night until well past midnight the fireworks boomed like artillery around our Guest House. The next morning we would see the "fog" again and smell the smoke.  

In the future, the smell of wood smoke will always trigger memories of Delhi.