Welcome to India Day 2!
I was up early this morning and headed to the fitness center in hopes that some time on the elliptical would help reduce swelling in my legs. It did not. 60 minutes of cardio and I still have sausages for toes and cankles that would make Octomom proud.
After a quick breakfast, I met with my Enchanting-India contact Pooja. She reviewed my itinerary and gave me some dos and don'ts for my stay. Don't drink the water, don't eat from road side stands, do respect religious customs, etc. She introduced me to my guide in Delhi, Dependra. He is quite nice and knowledgeable and he has a nice sense of humor.
It is raining today and so umbrellas are in order. It has been an unusually rainy monsoon in India I am told. I find the rain an interesting novelty. Although unlike rain in Arizona it is a cold, wet and humid rain.
With all of the formalities out of the way we set out to our 1st stop, the Red Fort. Built in the mid-1600s by Shah Jahan (he built the Taj Mahal, too) the Fort was the center of the Mughal court consisting of many bazaars, meeting halls, palaces and gardens.
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| The Lahore Gate, entrance to The Red Fort |
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| Gardens below the palaces. The Emperor would watch lions battle elephants here. |
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| Pietra Dura at Diwan-i-Khas |
I discover that I am something of a tourist attraction myself. My light skin and light eyes draw the interest of the Indian people and I am regularly asked to pose for pictures. I am considering charging for the privilege to help cover the cost of my trip. The joke here in India is that people from the West try to darken their skin while people from the East try to lighten it. In fact, one of the top selling beauty products in India is a skin lightening cream.
I discover that Indian dogs can spot a sucker just as quickly as American dogs when I am befriended by a lonely canine. He follows me throughout The Fort and when he is attacked by other dogs (who seem rather offended by his presence inside the walls) he runs to stand next to me. I do my best to ignore him, as stray dogs here carry a host of diseases, but he persists trotting along behind me like a loyal companion.
He follows me out of The Fort and on to our next stop, the spice market, Khari Baoli, the largest in Asia. The streets here are busy and narrow and so we take a rickshaw. It is my first rickshaw ride and what a harrowing experience it is, dodging cars, motorcycles, pedestrians and other rickshaws. The rickshaws are surprisingly maneuverable and fast although not comfortable.
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| A street in Old Delhi |
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Shop 15, a favorite of the locals. Shops 14 and 16 are void of customers. |
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| Barreling down a street in the market. Notice the wires strung from building to building, electric, phone, cable, etc. Our third stop is, Jami Masjid, the largest mosque in India. There is a charge to take photos and Dependra says there is not much to see here, only walls. Here we remove our shoes and I am told to put on a wrap to cover myself. It is bright pink floral and polyester and therefore hot, hot, hot on this humid day. This is a ritual reserved only for foreign women. I regret not paying the fee to take pictures and leaving my camera in the car. The design and architecture of the building is amazing. The complex is huge, able to accommodate 20,000 plus people. From here we move on to the Sikh temple, Bangla Sahib. Here we remove our shoes and cover our heads. By now the rain and mud have made my feet filthy. The Sikhs believe in serving god by serving humanity. The best way to serve humanity is to provide food. All Sikh temples, Gurdwara, serve food to anyone who asks for it no matter if they are rich or poor. All served seated on the floor side by side.    |
Making bread at Bangla Sahib Sitting down to lunch, Bangla Sahib
Our final religious stop for the day is a Hindu temple, Birla Mandir. Again we remove our shoes and slosh through the rainy corridors. Photographs are not allowed here. You must take my word that the temple is beautiful. It was built in recent times (1938) and is decorated with plaques in English (as well as Hindi) that explain the history and beliefs of the Hindu religion. Today is the birthday of Ganesha, the Elephant headed god.
The rain comes again and so we head off to the National Museum for some indoor touring. The museum has galleries for ancient artifacts from throughout India, bronze sculptures, coins, textiles and pre-Colombian art. Who knew I could see fabulous Peruvian art in India.
Once the rain stops we make our way to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India. It does not look like a brown version of the White House.
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| Red faced monkeys at Rashtrapati Bhavan. They are only seen on weekends and holidays. Other times they are kept away by black facedmonkeys who's smell they dislike. |
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| Gate of Rashtrapati Bhavan |
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| Top of column to fence at Rashtrapati Bhavan | <><><><><><>
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| Looking down Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate |
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| India Gate |
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| Ice cream vendors at the India gate. They sell about 600,000rps (~$13,000USD)worth of ice cream here per day |
We end the tour for the day and head back to the hotel. I wash my dirty feet (which takes some scrubbing), spend some time organizing photos and take a nap. Then it is off to dinner at 1911, a restaurant at the hotel. To celebrate my first full day of Indian sightseeing I order a glass of champagne (good news, they have tequila and it is not that expensive but I will save that for tomorrow). I start with a delicious saffron and seafood soup. Next I order a chicken tikka masala. My server, Prem, is concerned that it may be too spicy for my delicate western palate. These folks have obviously not been to a hatch chili festival. It is delicious and it takes all my reserve not to lick the plate clean.
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| ce cream vendors at India Gate. They sell about 600,000rps (~$13,000USD) worth of ice cream per day he | <><><><><><>
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| Outside the Red Fort |
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