First Day of Delhi Sightseeing

On Wednesday I was planning to do a guided day tour of Delhi but because I got in so late the night before I decided to see Delhi on my own so that I could go at my own pace.  I got a day metro pass, took along my huge guidebook so that if there was ever a doubt in someone’s mind they now knew for sure that I was a tourist, and set off.  The area I stayed in had a market in walking distance so I went and had breakfast there.  I was so excited when I saw a bagel shop! I’ve been enjoying Indian food but do miss some of the things I’m used to eating at home.  It wasn’t any Bruegger’s but it was still a good breakfast and nice to have some food that reminded me of home. 

After breakfast my first stop was the Red Fort.  This is similar to the Agra Fort but because I only saw the exterior of the fort in Agra I went in Delhi as well to see the inside.  It was interesting to see the courtyards and halls used by the emperors and see the architecture of the buildings.

From outside the Red Fort


Where the emperor used to sit to hear grievances from the public  

There is a drop on the other side of the courtyard. They used to have animal fights - between elephants and lions! - in the arena below and the royals would watch from here. Notice all the birds on top...

Looking down from the other side, the birds took flight

The detail of all the buildings is incredible

The Red Fort is located in Chandni Chowk, a section of Delhi.  I didn’t get a good picture of the streets – I wish I had gone up into a building to take one from above.  The streets were crazy! They were packed, and I mean really packed, with people selling and buying all sorts of things.  It was a sight to see but also a little intimidating to navigate through as a solo traveler, the auto rickshaw drivers and street vendors can be very aggressive trying to get your business.  As I was trying to make my way back to the metro I saw an Indian female about my age going in the same direction.  I asked her if she was going to the metro and she was so we talked and she led the way. Shereen was great to talk to, she went to school for business and interior design and was in the process of starting her own business.  She gave me some suggestions on places to go (and told me that Chandni Chowk is not a great place to walk around) and she even gave me her cell phone number in case I had any trouble finding my way during the rest of my Delhi trip.  It was these types of experiences that made me glad that I went alone because if I were with someone else I probably wouldn’t have asked for help and the only interaction I would have had would’ve been with the pushy vendors.

My next stop was Connaught Place, a major shopping area.  Because it was Diwali all of the shops had a half-day and were closing when I got there.  I walked around for a bit to see the area and then made my way to a close by temple.

Some of the deities

After this I headed over to Central Secretariat where a lot of the government buildings are located including the President's house.  When I was getting off the metro I spotted two girls sitting looking at a guide book, I figured they were planning to see the same sites I was so I asked if I could join them.  They were German students who finished an internship in Bangladesh and had been traveling in India for the past month.  It was nice to have company for some of the sightseeing and also interesting to hear about their travels and compare stories.  We saw all of the government buildings and the Gate of India.  Then we headed over to a well-known store that sells different products from all over India.

Parliament House

Ministry of Finance
There was an identical building on the opposite side of the road
and they both flanked the presidential residence forming a square

Rashtrapati Bhavan aka President's house

Lawn in front of presidential residence

India Gate

At night I went to the Khanna’s family’s house for Diwali.  Mr. and Mrs. Khanna were in Delhi for the holiday because this is where most of their family lives.  We first went to their son’s home, he is married and has twin 11-year-old daughters.  Here we did a puja – prayers – and played some cards before going to the big family gathering.  The family party was at Mr. Khanna’s father’s house where he lives with two of his sons (and their families) – really it’s like a three family home each with their own kitchens and dining rooms etc etc so as you can imagine the house was big and it was all decorated, it was beautiful. The senior Mr. Khanna was at one point the chief justice and he turns 100 in January! I was very impressed.  The night was filled with good food and drinks and celebration and lots of fireworks.  I’m used to seeing fireworks from a distance for the 4^th of July, that’s not how they do it here. We went out front and they lit them right on the street in front of where we were standing and big ones too! All night, and all week, people were setting off fireworks to celebrate Diwali, it was very festive.  I really enjoyed meeting and talking with the Khanna’s family and it was great to take part in their family celebration. It was another long but well spent day.

Agra and The Taj Mahal

Wednesday was Diwali so I had a couple of days off of work, I took advantage of this time off and went up to Delhi to see some more of India.  I flew up Monday night and left earlier Tuesday morning for a trip to Agra. The bus ride there was a long one but it was nice to see more of rural India.  There would be stretches of huge farms dotted with the trees and then we'd come across shops that were town centers for the nearby village.

We went to the Agra Fort first which is where the royal family lived when Agra was the capital and part of the fort is still used by the military today. You can also see the Taj Mahal from the back - it looked very majestic from a distance.

But the Taj Mahal was even more amazing close up! The detail of the marble is really unbelievable. Seeing how intricate all of the details are, and knowing it was all done by hand, made me understand why it took 22 years to complete.  I spent a long time there so I got to see it in the daylight and as the sun was setting, it was definitely something I'll never forget.

 On the bus ride back to Delhi we stopped at Mathura the birthplace of Lord Krishna, a Hindu god.  We also stopped at Brindavan where one of the oldest surviving temples is located and also where Krishna and Radha, another Hindu god, lived. Both places are important Hindu pilgrimage sites.  We didn't get to Brindavan until late in the night, it was really cool because we walked through the lanes of the town to get to the different sites. The tour guide warned us not to stray because if we got lost it would be tough to find our way out, all of the lanes looked similar and the town was big so it felt like we were in a maze. The layout and look of the town actually reminded me of some of the street scenes from the movie Aladdin, I guess the art directors did their research.  It was a long trip, we didn't get back to Delhi until 3:30 in the morning but it was worth the long bus rides.  India has so much history it was a fascinating day learning about and seeing some of it.

Lost in Translation

A quick story from the other night.. I went to a neighborhood gathering with the Khannas.  It was really nice, I met some of the women who live around us and we played a bingo type of game and had food.  While I was there I was talking to one woman who lives right across the road, we were talking in English and I thought we were communicating well, but then I asked her how many children she has and completely serious without hesitation she said 35 - I couldn't help but laugh because we clearly weren't talking about the same thing.  I tried explaining my question and she insisted, she said yes yes youngest to oldest 35.  Later on she brought over her daughter who told me that she was an only child but there are 35 people living in their house (more of a multiple family home, here it is the norm for extended families to live together).  Anyways, it made me wonder how many times since I've been here I've had a conversations with someone and we're talking about two different things, probably more than I think.

Getting Ready for Diwali

Things have been very festive around here the past couple of weeks.  It  is leading up to Diwali which is easiest to compare to Christmas back home.  Everyone does a lot of decorating and shopping to exchange gifts and people host parties for family and friends.  Diwali is the festival of lights so homes and businesses all put lights up.  People also play a lot of cards and gamble at the parties because part of the ritual is to celebrate Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

Not part of Diwali but occurring around the same time (probably because people shop more now than at other times) is a cultural festival held just a couple of blocks from where I'm staying.  It goes on for a few weeks and I went last weekend.  People from all over India come and sell different goods, they had a lot of pottery, jewelry, clothes, paintings, all sorts of things.  It was interesting to see the styles of the different regions.  It also put my bargaining skills to the test because there aren't set prices - I need some work in this area..  While I was there I watched a show that had performances from dancers and musicians also from all over India.  It was really entertaining and again the styles were so different.  There was one group from a village in Maharashtra (the state I am in) and they were all completely painted as animals and wore masks and the dancing was not choreographed.  This was completely different from a performance done by all women from Rajasthan in northern India, there's was more of a play and they all sang and wore bright colors and had very choreographed moves.  Here are some pictures:

Scoliodentosaurophobia

There have been many times in my life when I've scoffed at girls who scream when they see a spider or other small harmless creature that can easily be annihilated.  I roll my eyes and think of how they are giving females a reputation for being weak.  Well today I found out that contrary to my prior beliefs, I am no better than these girls.  I'm amazed at when I look at how I started and ended my day today, both with close animal encounters.  I went for a walk this morning, as I've started doing before work the last couple of weeks, and as I was looking down at my ipod picking out some music I nearly walked into a monkey, literally.  I looked up and he was right in front of me maybe a couple of feet away sitting in middle of the road.  My heart rate immediately spiked and images of Rogue Chimp (any other Animal Planet lovers?) flashed through my mind.  But, I veered to the side of the road and was able to keep myself collected.  The monkey stayed put and I continued on my walk.  Fifteen hours later, I'm getting ready for bed and as I walk into the bathroom I notice a gecko scurrying around on the wall.  I immediately leave the bathroom, close the door, and go to get reinforcements.  Rajen, who works for the Khannas, came to my rescue and used a broom to shoo the gecko away.  Unfortunately instead of going out the window it bolted for the door, for me.  A noise came out of me that might have resembled the squeal of a pig, and I ran..  This tiny little creature, no more than a couple of inches long, elicited the sort of reaction that would barely have been appropriate if I had walked into a room with a python. I know it is completely illogical, I could have stepped on it and that would have been that.  So why such a panic when this morning an animal that actually could have done me some harm did no more than up my heart rate? I don't have the answer, all I know is that I'm going to bed tonight humbled, realizing I'm not quite as tough as I'd like to think.