Delhiteful

My whole trip I've talked to other travelers who have told me their favorite places in India to visit. Almost none of them have said Delhi. In fact, whenever you mention Delhi to other travelers you often get a bit of a grimace and a sigh. There's a lot to see in Delhi but it can be frazzling. We would soon find out for ourselves...

It was Friday evening when Dad and I arrived at the New Delhi train station. We found our way to through the crowds and down to the Metro. I have to admit how surprised I was at how new, clean, efficient, and easy to use the Delhi Metro is. We got our tokens, went through security (pat-downs and bag x-ray at every station every time) and rode south to the very end of the yellow line.

We weren't actually even in Delhi anymore, but the satellite city of Gurgaon. We walked a short distance from the Metro station, past several nice hotels, to our hotel for the next few nights: The Courtyard Marriott (daytime picture here)...

Oh man... after the cramped, dingy hotels and guest houses I had been staying in for the past six weeks, this was like dying and going to hotel heaven.

The lobby was fancy and the staff as nice as could be and soon we were in our room...

And the elephant shower head just topped it off...

The in-hotel restaurant was a bit over our budget so we walked down the street and found a very tasty Tandoori place and had dinner. That night we slept very well.

The next day we decided to take it slow. I made the huge mistake of altering the settings on my camera the night before which led to all the photos on Saturday (the ones you're about to see) being taken on the lowest possible quality setting, thus they are a bit smaller with less details, but you get the idea.

Our first stop was the mighty Red Fort. This fort is one of the great symbols of Delhi and has played a significant role in Indian history even down until Independence in 1947...

Dad and the saris...

Inside the fort was a bazaar that once sold the latest and greatest traded goods, and now just sells tourist junk...

The inside included several old palaces including the audience hall, where the old kings would listen to people's complaints and business. This throne was built in the 1600's and some of the stonework was imported from as far as Italy...

Eagles were soaring above outside. Here's one perched on the fort...

Next we walked the length of the fort and then walked up the street a bit and through an energetic bazaar to India's largest mosque, Jama Masjid.



The views of the fort were nice...

We took our shoes off and went inside the mosque. It was actually an outdoor mosque...

But it had several alcoves for praying against the western wall (towards Mecca). And there was this guy...

Jama Masjid...

We climbed to the top of one of the minarets and had a fine view all over the city of Delhi (this is where I'm most ticked off about my low camera settings)...



Dinner was at a nice restaurant at Connaught Place, one of the more swanky areas of town with a lot of western stores and fancy restaurants. It was nice to get back to the Marriott. Admittedly, we weren't actually staying in Delhi, but so far we thought it was a pretty nice place.

On Sunday we woke up early and hoped on the Metro. Changed once. Landed somewhere in a suburb of Delhi looking for the LDS Church. The address from the internet and the map proved none too helpful as we scoured the area looking for it. Time was ticking and we decided to step into an internet cafe to check the internet again. But as we asked the internet cafe guy if he knew the address he said, "this is right around the corner!"

A minute later we were walking into the church just as they were finishing the opening prayer. It was a rather large branch compared to the others I've attended in India, there were about 40 or so people there including a few visitors like us. In fact, the lady who sat behind us was a Dutch woman whose husband was a sports reporter accompanying the Dutch cricket team competing in India!

We had a nice sacrament meeting and the mission president was there and taught Sunday school. Priesthood meeting was good and afterwards there was even a baptism of a young lady. It was very nice and I must have been tired because I didn't take any pictures.

After church we headed back into town. We visited New Delhi and the government area with its stately buildings, wide boulevards, and lovely parks. The India War Memorial was at one end...

And at the other end was the presidential palace...

With the street lined by various government buildings...

We walked down to the memorial arch. It was fun watching families and people enjoying the park on a Sunday afternoon...

We had a nice buffet lunch (well, I did, Dad was feeling just a touch ill and had something lighter) at a fun restaurant. Oh man, it was good.

And we had a relaxing evening at the hotel.

The next day was Monday, Dad's last day in India. Our first stop that day was Paharganj, the area near the train station where a lot cheap hotels and tourist things are. I scouted out a new hotel for the latter end of my week and Dad shopped for some souvenirs.

We had a nice lunch at a rooftop restaurant (pineapple chicken masala thing! ...very tasty).

Paharganj...

We ate leisurely and then as we were leaving the restaurant who should we run into there on the crowded street but Irish Adam!

Dead serious.

I couldn't believe it. Here I first met him my first week in India at a small train station and we had run into each other in three other cities since then. It was pretty crazy and Dad is my witness that it happened.

That afternoon we went out to one of the great Mughlai monuments of Delhi: Humayun's Tomb...

Built in the 1500's, it was an impressive precursor to the Taj Mahal...

There were a few other tomb ruins in the peaceful surrounding gardens as well...

We left the tombs and did a bit more souvenir shopping for Dad. He got what he needed and we headed back to the Marriott. We had our last dinner in India together at that Tandoori place and it was tasty...

Dad got all packed and ready to go in the room. His plane was out at a little after 1AM and so I saw him to his taxi at 10:30pm and said goodbye.

Dad's surprise gift to me for being the "tour guide" was two free breakfasts at the Marriott breakfast buffet. The Marriott had actually given us the fifth night free and so I would actually have two more nights there as well!

So the next morning I woke up in time to make the most of this breakfast buffet and I was not disappointed. Fresh fruit, pastries, donuts, European sausages and cold cuts, cheeses, fresh juices, sweet lassis, miso soup, bread pudding, omelets to-order, and south-Indian dosas (big crepes with potatoes and stuff inside). I paced myself and made the most of it. It kept me going until dinner that night.

I relaxed a bit that day and got a haircut/beardtrim/head massage. That afternoon I went out to another of Delhi's landmark sites: the Qutb Minar...

This giant minaret was built in the 1100's and is surrounded by ruins from various epochs in Indian history...







Can you spot the parrot?

This iron pole sits near the minar and is several hundred years older. Scientist still don't know how they made a pillar of such pure iron back then since it has never rusted...

The minar closeup...

Some Hindu temples from the Metro station on the way back out to Gurgaon...



I slept well and the next morning I enjoyed another fabulous breakfast at the buffet. They even remembered who I was, though they called me "Mr. Kent."

I relaxed in my room until the noon checkout and then gathered my belongings and said farewell to the Marriott. It had been a great island of clean and calm in my frazzling 9-week trip.

I took the Metro into town and checked into my new hotel in Paharganj, near the train station. It wasn't the Marriott, but it would do for my two remaining nights in Delhi.

On Thursday I slept in and then took a stroll down to Connaught place (the swanky area with western shops and stuff)...

I chilled in the central park for awhile (and saw a mongoose!) and then I went to a matinee showing of The King's Speech. The theater chairs were like lazy-boy recliners and I splurged and got popcorn. If you couldn't tell, this week I was just taking it easy.

After the film I had a nice vegetarian thali lunch at a nearby restaurant and then took the Metro south a bit.

For some reason, in this part of Delhi there were monkeys everywhere...

I found the Gandhi Memorial House!

This is the house where Mahatma Gandhi lived the last few months of his life. It is also the place where he was martyred. These were Gandhi's last steps as he was walking to his prayer spot one January morning in 1948...

And it was here that he was shot to death...

This was his room...

His bed...

And his meager belongings from his final months...

Gandhi's glasses...

It was a fine memorial to an inspiring individual.

Next I walked a few blocks to another Mughlai tomb. I got there just as the sun was setting and it was very peaceful...

On Friday I slept in again, took a trip to the Nizamuddin train station, where I dropped off my backpack and then I headed back into town. I had an incredible lunch at a hopping eatery at Connaught Place. Their specialty is kathi kebabs. That is a chicken or mutton kebab wrapped in a fried tortilla-like thing and filled with onions, egg, and other yummies. The place was packed but the food was so good.

I then went out to the largest Hindu temple in the world...




It was only built a few years ago and includes a huge theme-park-like area around it. Entry was free but no cameras were allowed inside and the security was so strict and the lines so long that I decided it just wasn't worth the hassle...

So I hung around Delhi a bit longer, enjoyed a ice cream soda somewhere and then went back out towards my train station. Nearby was an old mosque hidden in a maze of bustling alleyways. I went in to explore and had a nice experience (it was too dark and crowded for photos).

That night I got on board my train and was off to somewhere new. I had a great week in Delhi. I can see how it might overwhelm and be a bit draining, especially if one is in a hurry, but with the new Metro system and plenty of time, it was a joy! A Delhite!

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