Think India, think searing heat.

But change your mind when it comes to winter in the city of New Delhi.

The Indian capital can be as chilly as Seattle; last February, the temperature tumbled to 39 degrees, the lowest in years. And fog can descend upon the city in winter, snarling flights, sparking accidents on already turbulent roads and sending pedestrians shivering down the streets.

Yet the fog brings beauty, too. On a mist-shrouded winter morning, boaters on the Yamuna River, which flows through the capital, feed a flock of birds. It's a peaceful moment on one of northern India's major rivers. Arising in the Himalayas, the Yamuna flows southeast for hundreds of miles past chaotic cities and sacred sites, including the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, before joining the mighty Ganges River on its journey to the sea.

Kristin R. Jackson is The Seattle Times' NWTraveler editor. Contact her at kjackson@seattletimes.com.