Sunday
I left Indonesia and moved on to India, a journey that took about twenty hours
from the guesthouse in Tanah Lot to the hotel in Delhi. First I took a car to
the Bali airport from which I flew to Jakarta. At the Bali airport, I enjoyed
the statues of the typical Indonesian entrance and Barong. In Jakarta, it took
an hour to collect my baggage and take the shuttle to a different terminal. A
man tried to get me to take his taxi—twice—by telling me that the shuttle would
take an hour. But I talked to a woman who said that it wouldn’t take that long
and that the taxi drivers charged foreigners too much. I had noticed that he
didn’t speak to anyone else waiting for the shuttle. I was a little concerned
because I had only two hours between flights, which is usually adequate, and
half an hour had already passed. But I arrived at the terminal in time to get
everything done.
The
next stop was Singapore. The terminal there has a butterfly garden, which was a
lovely respite after flying and while waiting. It also has a koi pond that has
the biggest koi I’ve ever seen. Next was the flight to Delhi. The plane arrived
half an hour late and I got in the Visa on Arrival line with a large Chinese
tour group. Since it took four minutes for each person, I was in line for half
an hour. When I finally exited, our agent was there with a sign and a smile.
And with the news that Kasey’s flight was also delayed, which meant that it
arrived at 1:00 AM instead of 11:30. But she arrived. However, her luggage
didn’t because her first plane was also late and she barely made her
connection, but the luggage didn’t. We arrived at the hotel at 3:00, ready to
sleep. When he dropped us off, the agent gave us each a marigold lei. Since
India’s time is 2.5 hours behind that of Bali and China where it was 5:30 AM,
it was a very long day.
Monday
we met our guide for our tour of Delhi. We started in Old Delhi, which took an
hour to get to from the hotel. The air was hazy from fog and pollution. We
passed the Red Fort but didn’t go in because it wasn’t on our itinerary and
it’s closed on Monday. It was still exciting to see my first Fort, which was
also my first sight of Old Delhi. Red sandstone gives the buildings their color
and name. I had learned from reading that the Forts were the palaces where they
royalty lived.
Old Delhi is mostly populated by Muslims. It covers less area
than New Delhi and is under half of the area of the city. Streets are narrow
with smaller lanes in the residential areas. It was very crowded.
Most
transportation is trishaws with the bicycle in the front, small tuk tuk-like
vehicles, and motorcycles.
Trishaws are also used for transporting cargo, and some
had amazing loads.
Our
guide told us that India has the second highest population—after China. It is
known for population and pollution while China is known for population and
fakes.
Our
first stop was Jama Masjid Mosque, built in 1656 and is the largest mosque in
India. The guide advised that there was no need to pay the camera fee (INR
300/$5) to take photos inside because there wasn’t anything to take photos of.
But I paid it anyway and, of course, was glad I did.
The building is beautiful.
Inside, a man collected my camera ticket; so there was vigilance regarding use
of cameras, not just signs. I especially enjoyed the intricate inlaid designs
and carvings.
Next we
visited the site of Gandhi’s cremation, which we viewed it from above. There is
a black marble block with flowers on top and an eternal flame beside it. Black
is a “bad” color for Hindus and was used because he was assassinated.
Walking
in the park was our first opportunity to enjoy women wearing the beautiful
saris that are typical traditional dress. Our guide seemed proud to point out
that this was the only site Obama visited when he was in India; he didn’t have
time to go to the Taj Mahal.
We
passed people with two camels. The guide said that people keep camels like
people keep horses, which was interesting. In the afternoon we passed a man
with an elephant.
The
next site was the President’s House, also called the Viceroy Palace. This is
where the President lives and also where the government offices are. It is the
largest such building complex in the world. The residence is in the middle with
the government buildings on both sides. The government buildings are exactly
the same, providing symmetry.
We stopped
briefly to photograph the gate, which was designed by the same man who designed
the Buckingham Palace gate and is exactly the same.
The two
kilometer road to the palace was lined with bleachers from the parade on
January 26 to commemorate the date of India’s constitution. This annual event
is attended by thousands, and Obama was among them this year. They were just
starting to remove the bleachers to be stored until next year.
We then
went to the India Gate, an arch to commemorate the 19,000 Indians who died in
World War I. Their names are inscribed on the bricks.
Then it
was time for lunch. When we talked about what we wanted to eat, the guide said
he’d take us to a food court where we could have anything we wanted. But we
were taken to a restaurant. When we walked in, I knew it was a restaurant
catering to tourists and would be expensive. This was Kasey’s first Indian food
other than that on the airplane. I especially enjoyed a lassi and cheese naan. Since
I like lassis, I had one every day while I could. Our guide checked on us twice
to make sure everything was OK. The second time I felt like it was more to see
if we were ready to move on.
We
stopped to look at the lotus-shaped Baha’i temple, one of seven in the world, which
is beautiful.
Then he took us to Delhi Haat to see “the real Delhi.” The sign
advertises it as “craft cottage industries.” It’s a large warehouse-like
building that has a number of shops selling crafts such as saris, pashmina
shawls, paintings, clothes, carpets and jewelry. A man there took us around and
delivered us to a few of the shops. Since it was our first day in India, we
weren’t ready to think about purchasing anything, but looking is always good. We
made it clear that we weren’t buying anything, but our guide and the salesman
made it clear that we could use our credit cards and they would ship our
purchases for free. Someone was with us every second, which was uncomfortable
and took the pleasure out of looking. Back in the car, we passed several such
places advertising crafts.
Our
guide then informed us that our tour was over, but it was only 3:00, and, since
we’d started late, we had only had 4.5 hours of our all-day tour. We mentioned
that a couple we met in the restaurant had visited a Hindu temple and asked if
we could visit one. He asked again if we wanted to see Qutab Minar, a minaret at
a mosque that he had dismissed earlier. So we agreed. Then he said that it cost
INR 200 to enter the site and we couldn’t get a good view from outside. I said
I wanted to go anyway. He was correct that the view from outside wasn’t very
good, mostly because the air wasn’t clear. If it had been better, I would have
pushed to go in, but it wouldn’t have been much better clearer. The minaret is
noteworthy because it was built in 1199 and is the tallest brick tower in the
world. The colors of the bricks would be beautiful on a clear day.
Kasey
had to remind the guide again that she needed to change money. To get to the place
he took her, we walked through part of a market area, which I enjoyed seeing.
Since
we had asked, he then took us to a Hindu temple. I felt like this was asking
for something special, but when I looked at the itinerary later, the temple was
listed. He just wasn’t going to take us. Shri Lakshmi Narain Temple was built
in 1938. You are not allowed to take cameras inside, and they check bags to
make sure you don’t have a camera or a phone. (The guide kept them for us while
we walked around.) We especially enjoyed architecture of the beautiful, red and
yellow building. It is decorated with elephants—at the tops of columns, door
handles, etched on decorative building blocks. Again, I had to push to go to
the side area where we had seen a woman taking photos of the building.
Then
our tour was over. It was 5:00, and we’d had a full-day tour. I felt like we’d
seen enough of Delhi. The guide asked us if we were satisfied with his
service—a hint that we should give him a tip. He was the least favorite of our
guides.
When we
passed a car being decorated with flowers, the guide confirmed that it was
being prepared for a wedding. Weddings can be held in hotels, banquet halls, or
in a park depending on the couple’s financial status. They are held over three
days and lots of people attend. The bride wears traditional dresses. If they
are rich, they buy the dresses; if not, they can be rented.
After
arriving at the hotel, we walked to a market the guide had said was nearby. The
driver had pointed up the street when we asked how to get there. When we were
walking around the roundabout there, a man told us how to get to the market.
Off we went. Several minutes later a man, perhaps the same man, told us again
how to get to the market, giving us the same directions from a different place.
We crossed the street at the stop light as instructed, and a different man
asked if we were going to the market and gave us directions. We walked on and met
the same man who now suggested we take a trishaw for a good price. Another man
said he’d been in the U.S. and suggested we go to the metro station. I later
learned that there is a market at the metro station; so he may have been really
helping. The second man then pointed ahead and a trishaw appeared—for a good
price, of course. We decided that it was time to turn around. We didn’t get to
the market, but it was good to have a walk.
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