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Published: December 8th 2005
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Hi Everyone!
Apologies in advance for this update, the keyboard sticks like crazy!
Yesterday was pretty interesting. I checked out of the HK Choudhary guest house - the smell was really getting on my nerves. I read the Delhi times, picked up my train ticket, and met Suno at 10am. We went first to see a huge Hindu temple. No pictures were allowed in the temple, and we had to pass through a metal detector and take off our shoes before entering. Inside, Suno explained the many Hindu gods to me and we strolled through the huge building. Later, outside, I posed by a huge elephant statue for a picture and wandered through a children's play area and large garden.
Then we went to a tourist office to see about a new hotel room. I was taken by car to see the hotel that I chose, the Princess Taj. It is in an area called Carol Bagh, an area filled with busy market stalls. The doors are thick wood, and the floor a sort of marble.
My room was a great improvement on the last, so I agreed to take it, leaving my backpack behind. Then it
was back to Suno and his rickshaw, and off to see the beautiful B'hai temple. Built 20 years ago it is shaped like a huge lotus flower. Again we took off our shoes and left them with an underground shoe-mider, passing them through a small window. The temple is surrounded by shallow pools of tranquil blue water, and brick paths.
Inside, a beautiful Indian woman with her finger to her lips indicated the requirement for silence to all of the visitors entering. The ceiling was high and pointed, and at the apex were some symbols in gold. The floors were marble and there were hundreds of wood and marble benches.The B'hai's write in their brochure that people from all faiths are welcome to sit quietly and pray or meditate silently according to one's own wishes. After sitting quietly for a few moments, I strolled silently around the perimeter, and then exited. We gathered our shoes and headed off to find some food.
There was alot of traffic, and many traffic jams, so it was awhile before we arrived. Enroute we tried to go through a very narrow market area, but it was impossible for the rickshaw to pass. Many people crowded around, and some shouted greetings to me, and others tried to sell or beg.
For those who do not know what an autorickshaw is, imagine an old motorcycle. Attach a bench to the back, add a windshield to the front and then cover the whole thing with a canvas canopy. Painted bright green and yellow, autorickshaws are to Delhi what yellow taxis are to New York.
So I had another lassi, tomato soup and a veg dish with paan (bread). It was good, but the portions are so large that it is impossible to eat everything.
After lunch (about 3pm), we headed roughly North to the Red Fort. The Red Fort is amazingly huge. Construction on it began in 1638 and it was completed 10 years later. The walls stretch for 2km!! We entered from the Lahore Gate around 4pm, and the sun was low in the sky making the whole fort blush even redder. Inside were many beautifully sculpted pavillions. We passed through Chatta Chowk (the covered Bazaar) where there are many souvenir shops. Originally, these shops carried goods for the royalty who lived here - silks, gold and jewelry. I took a lot of nice pictures, with the sun looking red through the smog.
Leaving the Red Fort in thrickshaw a leperous man tried to beg money - he was missing one eye, he was covered in scabs and open sores and one foot was wrapped in a yellow plastic bag. He called me 'sister' and kept begging. I was pretty scared. This went one for several minutes as we were stuck in a traffic jam.
Suno then took me to another of these tourist trap craft emporiums, but I managed to be nice and still not buy anything. I was shown some very beautiful rugs of fine wool and also of pure silk. They range in price from a few hundred dollars to a few thousands dollars! Very tempting!
I was given a great lesson on how to see if a rug is well made (look at the back to see the stitching), if it is made of real silk or just a shiny cotton (cotton burns like a candle, silk melts like hair - he showed me by burning scrapings from the carpets) and how the carpets are woven (hand-knotted with hundreds of knots per square inch).
Suno then took me back to the Taj Princess. I had a late dinner (lassi, butter chicken and naan) in the hotel resteraunt with two pleasant men from Uzbeckistan and watched a Hindi TV show before going to bed around 10pm.
This morning I had a nice shower in my marble bathroom (before you get excited, realize that it isn't exactly the Hilton - it was grungy!!) and got ready. The shampoo was the neatest though, it was black!! It seems to have worked well though.
Today I am going to the Canadian Embassy, lunch and a Hindi movie, then catching a train at 8:50 pm to Jodhpur in Rajastan. I travel overnight and arrive at 8am tomorrow.
Until next time,
Eileen!
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Simon Pilkington
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Sounds Great
Hello, Well India sounds fantastic, I can't wait until I get there myself. Your Blog is great so far and am waiting for your next update. I'm presently in Sydney Airport about to fly to hawaii.