We arrived in a cloud of smog that obscured entire buildings only blocks away, and spent our second day checking out the downtown area of Connaught Place and getting our bearings. In the several hours we spent walking around that afternoon, we were followed by no less than 3 different men and several bicycle rickshaws, as well as baffled by a proliferation of "official" tourism offices in the neighborhood where the guidebook assured us only one existed. It was most definitely the India we'd been warned about. The cheap shopping street of Paharganj where we were staying didn't help either -- simply trying to step onto the street, much less walk down it away from the hostel, left us all feeling like we'd just survived an obstacle course with serious stakes.
The next day, though, we wandered through the market district and were swept away with the colors and sounds and smells of saris and bangles and hawkers and bells and sweets and spices and cow shit. It was heady stuff. I only wish I had photos to show you of that crowded walk that we took because it left such clear snapshots in my mind... an old lady feeding deep fried breads to a cow loafing about in the middle of the street... a barber and his customer sitting indian-style, facing eachother on the sidewalk-blanket that serves as the barber's place of business... families of women overflowing sari shops whose rafters dripped with colored silks... Instead I have only a few photos of the more official sights which we saw that day, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid, largest mosque in India. 
Outside the Mosque we met a family from Mumbai. The children were adorable and the old ladies shyly gruff. We were mutually thrilled to take a few photos together.
Our last day in Delhi we met a friend of a family friend for lunch. Mrs. Jain not only treated us to a wonderful meal and some political insights, but also a personal historical tour of the Lodi gardens and tombs.
After an informative afternoon with Mrs. Jain we made a final stop at Humayun's Tomb, an architectural pre-crusor to the Taj Mahal and a peaceful garden complex. 
Its symmetry and presence were just so beautiful; I had never been anywhere like it before.
The next day, though, we wandered through the market district and were swept away with the colors and sounds and smells of saris and bangles and hawkers and bells and sweets and spices and cow shit. It was heady stuff. I only wish I had photos to show you of that crowded walk that we took because it left such clear snapshots in my mind... an old lady feeding deep fried breads to a cow loafing about in the middle of the street... a barber and his customer sitting indian-style, facing eachother on the sidewalk-blanket that serves as the barber's place of business... families of women overflowing sari shops whose rafters dripped with colored silks... Instead I have only a few photos of the more official sights which we saw that day, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid, largest mosque in India. 
Outside the Mosque we met a family from Mumbai. The children were adorable and the old ladies shyly gruff. We were mutually thrilled to take a few photos together.
Our last day in Delhi we met a friend of a family friend for lunch. Mrs. Jain not only treated us to a wonderful meal and some political insights, but also a personal historical tour of the Lodi gardens and tombs.
After an informative afternoon with Mrs. Jain we made a final stop at Humayun's Tomb, an architectural pre-crusor to the Taj Mahal and a peaceful garden complex. 
Its symmetry and presence were just so beautiful; I had never been anywhere like it before.To top off a full few days, we set out on the first of our many overnight bus rides in India -- it was probably the ride on which I got the most sleep, in retrospect, and it brought us away from the hubbub of Delhi and straight to the chilled out serenity of Pushkar.
1 comment:
great pics
hope you enjoy india !!!
cheers
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