Delhi

We found Rashmi's missing stainless steelware at the National Gallery of Modern Art

India Gate

View from the minaret at Jama Masjid Mosque in Old  Delhi

Chandni Chowk

 

Mike at the Red Fort

Rebecca at the Red Fort

Mike and the Bicycle Rickshaw Guy

 

It’s been a busy few days. We arrived in Delhi late on Monday evening. We’ve enjoyed our stay with Rashmi and Anil. We keep saying that we’ll give them 5 stars on our Trip Advisor review. It’s a full service joint with airport pickup, comfortable sleeping arrangements, great food. Anil even packs us rations before we go out in the world. It’s like no time has passed at all since we last saw them and they really are treating us like family.

We’ve been out the last few days exploring. The biggest change since we were last here is that the Metro system is fully operational. The train goes from the suburb that Rashmi and Anil live in- Dwarka- all the way into Central New Delhi and beyond. We took the train in on both Tuesday and Wednesday and explored some familiar sights- The Chandni Chowk neighborhood of old Delhi, Jama Masjid Mosque, The Red Fort, India Gate, Connaught Place, The Gallery of Modern Art.

After the quiet of the Southern beaches we’ve had a little culture shock with the busy-ness of Delhi. Chandni Chowk is the old bazaar area of North Delhi which is incredibly crowded, noisy, chaotic. The streets are narrow and crowded and situated in no apparent fashion. We took the Airport Express Metro into the city- it is the newest line- very modern, orderly. You come up from underground and when you step on to the street it is like stepping into another century (at least perhaps- the last century.) The narrow street is filled with bicycle and autorickshaws, scooters, cows, goats, dogs, people. The place is like a maze with each section featuring a different type of ware- stationary, saris, flowers, jewelry, electronics, plumbing supplies, fireworks. We took a bicycle rickshaw ride to a great restaurant called Karim’s- it’s been around for a hundred years. Really delicious traditional Mughal food- kebabs, roti cooked on the tandoor. We ate way too much chicken and mutton (goat.) This was also a shock to our systems and the next day I had my first mild case of Delhi belly which thankfully passed quickly. I tried to capture the rickshaw ride on video but it is hard to capture the craziness with video or photo.

On Wednesday we decided to take a little side trip down to Agra and Jaipur. The famous golden triangle of India. One last chance to ride the trains and have the extreme tourist experience. More about that later...