Day 1 in Delhi - Friday, February 1

Our first full day in Delhi seemed three days long...stretching into four as the Metro construction work right outside the hotel has never stopped during the night. The first "three" days were fascinating, as our new guide and driver introduced us to a remarkable variety of experiences and historic monuments.

The day started quite nicely as we walked through the lovely hall from our room, and down the marble stairs lined with old etchings from Indian history, to the ground floor where a gentleman was waiting to direct us to the astonishing breakfast buffet.

The buffet was so extensive and so varied, it took 20 photos to capture it all. The most unexpected was the raw vegetables, with a machine to turn them into juice:

Of course I opted to try everything else I could fit on my plate. Tomorrow I'll be "good."

Off at 9 toward the Jami Masjid mosque built by Shah Jehan in the mid-1600s, past heavy-load haulers. The steep steps up were daunting...but not the steepest we'd climb today. I had left my "temple sox" in the suitcase, but for $1 I could buy some here (slippers were $2). Although I was fully covered, a man swished a cotton "wrap" around me before entering the central terrace. BTW, the whole day will be poor for pictures, as the smog never lifted.

The courtyard is reported to be big enough for 25,000 to pray at one time, with a loggia at one end and the ablution water in the center. Rugs were permanently laid out on the c. 20% of the courtyard closest to where the imam will be speaking at the afternoon prayer service, and while we were there men began pitching out, then spreading, hundreds more dhurries.

We were surprised to find what looked like a roll of carpet, but seemed actually to be a person sleeping. The guide wasn't surprised; he said people come from a long distance and this could be a way to recover!

Of course there was lovely stone work to admire.

What really got us was that not only do they tolerate flocks of pigeons, they actually keep a layer of grain spread in a large square. The guide explained Muslims believe pigeons are messengers from God. Hmmm.

Next on the itinerary, a brief walk through this very old neighborhood and then a rickshaw ride. The guide pointed out some chili peppers and a lime on one ancient doorway and said it was to keep evil out of the place.

Modern rickshaws are bicycle carriages, but that's only one degree less miserable than watching someone pull our big bodies! The fellow selected by the guy was a sweet cute little thing who looked about 14 but said he was 20 when we asked. He did an impressive job driving through the insane congestion and pointed out everything along the way - and I could often understand him. Not surprisingly, a mid-point stop was a specific shop in the huge spice market, where a personal attendant identified every spice and then laid out 10 packets that I should take home. I was hoping to actually see a giant spice market...but it may just be a huge neighborhood. The streets are absolutely jammed with pallets of huge sacks of spices, waiting to be ferried one place or another. I focused my photographic inclinations on movies, and got pleasing results - i.e. they tell the story of the experience well. I can't embed them here, but will include it in the group email. If you aren't on that list, be sure to ask!

Can you identify the yellow spice on the right?

Gandhi, in front of Town Hall

Formerly grand havelis (houses) are falling apart; one guidebook says they're past restoration

Baptist church and school!

We came to a line of men and briefly caught sight of a man handing out what appeared to be naan (round flat bread) from a giant stack. Asking our guide later, we learned he was likely "doing a good deed," having come to the mosque or temple (there are several near here) to celebrate something.

Then back into the car and a view of the red sandstone Jain Temple that dates back to the mid-1600s.

The smog continues as we approach the Red Fort:

But how can we complain when we look around and see the tough lives of others! We walked up the Lahore Gate entry, had a little history lesson, briefly looked around the inside, then moved on. We've seen impressive forts several times in the last two weeks, and I think the guide knew we could do without another lengthy visit. Waiting for the car, we observed the passing parade.

This fellow had stacks of peeled vegetables; he slit the carrot a bit, then squeezed lime on it for the purchaser. I'm curious to try it!

Our next stop was the the site of Gandhi's cremation. Like every monument here, it starts with a long walk from the car drop-off, then up a slope to an overlook of a large walled grassy area with the black granite platform in the center. To pay our respects we had to walk to the opposite side, passing a row of beautiful big dahlia blooms, go down the ramp, take off our shoes, and proceed into the walled area. A beautiful arrangement of colorful flowers decorates the base; more blossoms are arranged on top.

Long lines of school kids arrived, but settled for views from above.

We are always objects of curiosity so I always say hello when eye contact is made. It doesn't take much  of a motion with the camera for them to clamor for a picture.

On then to the 1565 Tomb of Humayan, the second Mughal emperor.  The first great example of a mughal garden tomb, it inspired later monuments including the Taj Mahal. It has many beautiful and admirable features - lovely stone work, impressive architecture providing breezes through marble screens, lovely wall and ceiling design. But to get up to the level to see those things requires climbing exceptionally steep steps. Kenneth continues to be very thankful to his dear trainer for his ability to take on these challenges!

Looking down from the top of the steps

The tomb chamber

After 2 by now; time to have lunch. Our guide took us to a perfect place for our tastes at this point: Suribachi Oriental Cuisine! We had a nice chicken soup and some dumplings, blissfully unspicy. Hooray!

One more historic monument, then: the Qutb Minar, the 234' (biggest) tower in the country, begun in 1193.

Kenneth gives you a sense of its size

It really was fascinating to study, and the guide had much to tell us about other elements in the complex, including Arabic writing on a gateway and faces lopped off stone pillar designs by Muslims.

We very much enjoyed that excursion. Now it was time for a drive through "Lutyen's Imperial City" - grand government buildings designed by the Brit in the 1900s.

Major government buildings are in this lovely sandstone.

Gates to the President's official residence

Back at the hotel at 5, I took off for a look at the wares at the government handicraft emporium across the street. That requires walking up to the corner past a dozen Tibetan shops. I've found all the vendors here "welcoming" but not uncomfortably pushy, happily. But before I could leave, I had to check out the astonishing wedding venue being set up in the hotel garden. A giant "tent" frame was being decorated with coral and cream gauze to cover the tables for 700. A separate "structure"had been turned into a "living room" with multiple sofas. Bowls with big bouquets of flowers in the evening's color scheme topped mid-size columns on the path to the reception area. Hanging in the "entrance gate" were c. a dozen rose bloom-covered balls.

Party entry

Metro construction

The one fixed-price-for-crafts place in town

2 types of table decor 

The emporium has five floor-levels with every imaginable "handicraft" product made here. It was all fascinating, but left me with a feeling I was in a giant Pier I or World Bazaar. Our suitcases are already overweight for our Indian airline flight to Mumbai, and why buy something here I don't need, nobody else needs, and we can all likely find at home! Back at the hotel, table decor was complete and men were arranging rose petals in a Persian design along the edges of the entry carpet.

The "living room" area

A security fellow said the reception would start at 7. Wanting to plan dinner in the verandah restaurant with a view of the crowd, I checked with one of the lobby "hostesses." She said wait until 9, when everybody would actually be here! We came down at 7:30, with hope. The gigantic buffet was right on the other side of the window, and the tables were already covered with food. Remembering the fabulous wedding crowd leaving the Taj in Mumbai as we arrived at 1 a.m., I really looked forward to the parade of women in beautiful saris and lots of bling. Incredibly, they didn't head for food until 9:45. The wedding party seemed to stand on the stage forever. And when they did start up, it was a disappointment. How could people with this much money to spend on a party have friends and family who were so ordinary! (Especially the men.) But our dinner was quite fabulous, beginning with a tiny amuse bouche and continuing through starter asparagus, a fine sorbet, boneless Himalayan trout, and crème caramel (the guests hadn't begun to eat, so we had to order dessert!!).

 

I was so sated, I neglected to photo the final offering, a plate of 4 phenomenal-looking little chocolate candies. The one I ate was the best ever. It's discouraging to like the food here so much; I had been hoping this would be the one no-weightgain trip of my life. Finally, the guests were coming up to eat. Nobody ever looked up at us; maybe the lighting made it hard for them to see through the rush blind.

We hung out awhile and saw some nice saris, but also an older man wearing a baseball cap, a lot with no ties, not a lot of bling. The older server working with us was not very positive about the joys of marriage. The younger one is engaged and will get married in March or April. As all the others we've talked to, his parents arranged the marriage with the bride's. And they are consulting a Hindu priest/astrologer to determine the most auspicious date for the ceremony. This whole trip has been a remarkable contrast to life as we've known it!