What's it like to live in a far-off place most of us see only on a vacation? Foreign Correspondence is an interview with someone who lives in a spot you may want to visit.
Margot Bigg, a writer from Portland, Ore., lived in New Delhi, India, for four years and authored "Moon Living Abroad in India" ($19.99; Moon). Bigg, 30, is now based in London but recently returned to the Indian capital to research a second book.
Q: Tourists don't typically think of New Delhi as a destination. Who goes there?
A: It's usually a stopover place: It's easy to get to the Taj Mahal or the Himalayas from here. You see a whole array of different types of travelers, from backpackers to package tourists to hikers going to Nepal.
But there are a lot of amazing things to see in New Delhi — Mughal-era shrines and other things.
Q: How close is the Taj Mahal to New Delhi?
A(About two hours on a fast train; it's possible to do as a day trip. It's the biggest draw in the area, but not the only one.
Q: What else is nearby?
A: Rishikish, the yoga captial of the world, is five or six hours by train. There's a constantly growing number of people going.
There's Jaipur, in Rajastan — India's most tourist-friendly state. By train it's about five hours, and is sort of the "royal area" of India. Rajastan is known for camels and desert safaris. Rajastan used to be made of small principalities until the British left India and Rajastan was incorporated into the republic of India.
Q: How are trains over there?
A: Pretty reliable, all things considered, by Indian standards. They tend to leave on time but don't always arrive on time. There's a number of different classes of compartments. Some are very uncomfortable — they're not air conditioned and most tourists don't take them. But those in the best classes are air-conditioned and semi-private and you get meals. They're not up to the standards of European trains — not as clean — but you see parts of the country that you wouldn't by road.
It's much faster and more efficient than roads, which are not well-maintained and have a lot of potholes.
Q: The impression many have of India is wall-to-wall people. Is that the case?
A: It's pretty crowded: You see people out on the streets much more than elsewhere. It's partly due to poverty. This is a labor-intensive economy; it's not mechanical. A lot is done by manual laborers because it's cheaper.
There are rural areas of India that are open. But there's always somebody around.
Q: When you get off the plane, are you immediately hit by the foreign-ness?
A: Absolutely. It's pretty extreme. When I flew in here recently, we drove past a fountain by the airport — and the water was actually green! I don't know why it was green, but it was the first thing that hit me.
How intense your reaction is depends on what time of year you come. Most of the year it's hot and there's a distinct smell. Dust? Dust and pollution? People burn garbage and incense — a weird mixture I couldn't do justice describing with words.
It's quite a sensory overload ... but fascinating.
Q: The capital is New Delhi; what's old Delhi like?
A: They border each other. Old Delhi is the older and more congested part. Oddly, it was the first part of the city to have a metro (subway). Politics played a part because there are a lot of voters in old Delhi. It's not the most pleasant part of the city but has some of the most interesting monuments.
Q: What monuments?
A: The Red Fort is a big one. It's from about the 17th century — when the Muslim Mughals ruled northern India — and is red in color. There was an emperor who lived there and when the British came in, they kicked him out. So it's sort of the old capitol.
There's the Jama Masjib, which means "Friday Mosque." It's a beautiful building centered on a courtyard. It was constructed in Mogul style, with domes. It has the look of "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights" stories. Non-Muslims can come in to see it.
New Delhi, where the government is now, was built by Edwin Lutyens, a British architect. There are many areas with trees and greenery.
The metro area is humongous. It takes hours to cross.
Q: We hear much about India's growing middle class. Do you notice it?
A: Definitely, especially among the generation now in their 20s who have more purchasing power than before.
The city has been becoming a lot flashier since the 1990s. Before, there was only one TV channel, the national channel.
Now you see people with phones, nice cars, going on vacation and eating fast food. People here are more gung-ho about American products than Americans are: McDonald's, MTV, VH1 ...
Young people are quite capitalistic, which has helped India grow. They balance this by keeping their own values and pride in their culture. It's very amazing, old and diverse.
Traffic moves alongside residential and commercial buildings at dusk in the suburb of Noida in New Delhi, India. (Graham Crouch/Bloomberg) 
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