Thursday, 9/29. Our first full day in Delhi.
Breakfast in the hotel was a feast of Indian goodies - - we had the option of eating from the Japanese buffet, the British buffet, the Chinese buffet or the Indian buffet - and guess where we went? We had a choice of southern and northern dishes and enjoyed them both - - different and delicious. By the end of the meal we were ready for a nap, but our guide was ready to take us out for our first day on the town!
Delhi is full of sights, sounds, people, crowds, colors, and amazing food. We set out with our guide to walk throughout the streets of Old Delhi. Every alley, no mater how small, was teeming with people, cars, rickshaws, tuk tuks, motor bikes, bicycles and vendors and shops of all kinds. And each street had a theme. We wandered streets of vendors of wedding products, car parts, coins, silver and jewelry, and, of course, food of all kinds. With the help of our guide, Sanjeev, who chose wisely, we even sampled a few tidbits! Of course, the people are the most interesting part of the street life - school children mug for our cameras and the men work constantly in the stores or transporting things. There are even men who will clean your ears on the street, for a small price. They almost had me going for the clean white q-tips, but then I thought better of it. There are very few women out and about - our guide says they are at home or at work, but not this kind of work. We saw a few other tourists being toted about in rickshaws but how can they take pictures?? On foot, Jerry and I found this area to be a photographer's paradise!
Our morning included a visit to a Sikh temple. We had to fight our way through a thicket of enthusiastic folks in yellow hats championing Cardiac Health and Awareness Day and getting people to sign up for free cardiac screenings. Passing on that opportunity, we found ourselves in a small lobby of the temple along with the doctors who were doing the screenings. We left our shoes, donned our head scarves and walked outside (oh yes) in bare feet (ugh) to enter the temple through a stream of holy water. We walked through the holy water, still out on the street, where others were kneeling. Some were touching the water to their heads, others were taking sips (more ugh, but perhaps one builds up immunities?).
The inside of the temple was fascinating, with a prayer area and a huge cooking complex and dormitory for visitors, pilgrims or anyone who needs a place to stay. It is an interesting religion about which I knew very little except that they don't cut their hair and wear turbans... We know a great deal more now - they seek (pun intended) to devote themselves to caring for, feeding and housing all in need - but if you come to eat or stay, you must also take part in the work and wash your own dish. It was all very egalitarian, including the fact that women are considered equal to men. Pretty impressive for an ancient religion, but despite the best efforts of our guide, I decided not to convert. Jerry did not even consider it as he refuses to let his hair grow long enough to fill the mandatory turban.
We lunched at a local restaurant. I cannot do justice to the amazing food we have had here. The flavors are varied and intense, the spices are fragrant and every meal brings a new surprise (even the offerings we ate as we left the Sikh temple). By surprise, I mean GOOD surprises - delicate deserts, interesting vegetables we have never seen before. After lunch we visited Gandhi's house and place of assassination - a museum of tranquility amidst the crowded streets. Lots of info there. You already know a lot of it - no need to give a history lesson here. Our guide was a true Gandhi fan and tried tirelessly to get us to visit more Gandhi sites, but this was plenty.
We had dinner with Abhi, our guide for the photo trip we will be begin on Monday, and his lovely girlfriend, Sikha. They took us to a modern and upscale Indian restaurant after inquiring whether we wanted Japanese, Italian or some other cuisine. We are here but for a few days, so when in India... you get the picture (and it's a delicious picture).
