Chak de India- My Days in Delhi

I arrived in India in the most comfortable way possible, with a friendly driver holding a sign with my name on it outside the Delhi airport. (I have never had someone waiting with a sign with my name on it before.) I stayed with my friend Vandini, her husband Rohit, and his family in a comfortable home in New Delhi near Lodi Gardens.

My first day I walked around the neighborhood visiting the tombs in the gardens, as well as the larger Safdarjang's Tomb.












On my second day I took an uniformative bus tour, in which I visited the beautiful Bahai Lotus temple, which some Australian tourists I met insist was inspired by the Sydney Opera House.





The next day I took a heritage tour of the Qutb Minar area, and adjacent Mehrauli Archaeological site.









My fourth day I visited the old city, forgetting of course that the Red Fort was closed, but winding my way through the streets to the Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) just in time to hear the midday prayer call. I hid out in an ajacent restraunt until i was allowed in, where I witnessed the some last late prayers, napping, and washing.







Besides sightseeing I also went to see a hindi movie, "Chak de India" about a women's hockey team and went shopping and bought several kurtas (long tunic shirts) at Fab India and Anochi, and some beautiful tie died dupaatas (scarfs)at the Gujarati State Emporium.



On my last day, I had an allergic reaction to a bug bite, and my foot swelled up again (even worse than in Thailand). So I spent the day as a tourist at home, here in the Raj family living room, and visited a nice skin doctor at her home in the Defense Colony. The cheap twice daily doses of steroids, anti-allergic medication, anti-bacterial, and creams together cured in foot in a matter of days.



Overall am loving India and Delhi. despite a few mis-starts, and despite not seeing two of the major architectural sites of Delhi the Red Fort, and the New Delhi Capital Complex, I feel like I learned a lot of useful things here, like how to eat, how to dress, and how to hire a rickshaw. Now I am ready to go off on my own.