Our first stop was the India Gate, which is a military monument. Getting there required crossing about 8 lanes of traffic. We went to the nearest crosswalk, but that seems to mean little to the drivers! Following the locals, we crossed "Frogger-style" going one lane at a time. As we reached the other side, a police officer was chuckling at us as we celebrated our accomplishment. Next we took off on foot for Lodi Gardens, which was a nice place to sit down, rest, and take in the lovely plants. After that, we headed for a local marketplace for lunch.
Then, we took an autorickshaw (picture a lawn mower with wheels!) across the south side of Delhi to a few shrines. One was a beautiful one in honor of a leader, and it was the prototype for the Taj Mahal. It was amazing!
Next, we crossed the street to a local Islam shrine. What a different experience! Where the first shrine had lush, sprawling grounds, this one was at the end of a network of narrowing streets. It was extremely disorienting , and it made me a tad nervous. Still, we pushed through and saw a beautiful shrine with quite a few people praying. It was quite an sensory overload: ornate beauty, strong incense, etc.
After that we took a walk back to the India Gate and down a grass strip to the subway station. As we headed back north, we encountered a new problem: we weren't able to get off! Our stop was the same one we had trouble with earlier, but this time, so many people were boarding the train that we couldn't fight our way to the door! Luckily, a kind police officer offered us some assistance in disembarking. After a informal dinner, we're resting up from about 6 miles of walking today. Delhi has such strange contradictions: there's quite a divide between the haves and have-nots, and while some streets are beautiful green shaded boulevards, others are little more that dusty trails clogged with traffic.
1 comment:
Leap frog, always interesting in another country.
The pictures look great.
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