India.

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I've started this entry and aborted it several times because it's hard to know where to begin with a country as enormous and complicated as India. I'll just have to jump in and start writing, or else I will be forever stuck in Nepal.

I touched down in Delhi on March 20, about two weeks ago. On the taxi ride from the airport, I felt a sense of the energy and vibrance of the city. Delhi actually has modern infrastructure, a fact which impressed me greatly coming, as I did, from Kathmandu. There are major construction projects everywhere. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I felt an electricity in the air, like I was really in the capital of a rising superpower. India is the world's second most populous nation at over a billion people, and what I believe the be the largest growth rate in the world in absolute terms. It has one third as much land as the U.S. There is a great deal of poverty, of course, but also a significant middle class and wealthy class, making for a much more dynamic economy than many developing nations.

From what several people told me, I expected to be accosted the moment I got off the airplane by pickpockets, touts who insist on taking me to their hotel, and people selling drugs. In fact, the arrival was just what you'd expect at any modern international airport. When I got outside and shared a cab to the city with a couple of Canadian guys who were on my flight, you could tell that you weren't in America or Europe, but it wasn't like Nepal, where the reminder comes in sharp jabs to your butt as the cab jumps from one pothole to the next, and swerves to avoid oncoming traffic on the one-and-a-half-lane-wide road you are on. The road that took us to central Delhi from the airport was a full scale 6 (maybe 8) lane highway. I think the first clue that we weren't in England or Australia was that the cars pretty much ignored the lanes, squeezing in one or two extra ones in each direction.

When we finally arrived at the somewhat grungy tourist hotel section known as Pahrganj, I understood what people were saying. The main street of Pahrganj, the Main Bazaar, is nothing but shops selling tourist goods - pashminas, cheap carved elephants, sunglasses, etc. About a dozen cows wander about, completely unaffected by the chaos around them. However, walking down the street as a tourist provokes a veritable chorus of "Hellooo", "How are you?", "What is your name?", "Where are you from?", or the slightly less fluent "which kaantree?". You hear it dozens of times when you walk down any commercial street, and after a few days, you get a little tired of responding, so you just begin to tune it out. Sometimes, the shop owner acts insulted, as if you think he is beneath speaking to, when it is actually the case that if you spoke to every shop owner who tried to initiate a conversation for just 30 seconds, you would never get down the street! Plus, you would be wasting his time unless you bought something in his shop, since he doesn't really care what your name is. One guy near my hotel really impressed me with his persistence - after a while, we both started laughing when I came by. "Keep on trying" I told him. "Maybe I'll change my mind after the twentieth or thirtieth time."

In any case, I have months left before I go home, so I had no intention of loading up on tourist junk at the beginning and hauling it all over South Asia, so I generally dealt with them by putting my head down and ignoring them. I quickly learned to tell taxis that I won't go into any shops that they stop at (they get a commission, which you pay for with higher prices for goods).

Alright. Sorry. I'll stop griping now.

Delhi actually has a great deal to offer to visitors. First of all, it probably has the cheapest modern metro system in the world - 15 - 30 cents per ride, depending on zone, and it is great - fast, efficient, and comfortable, if it goes to your destination, which isn't always the case - the initial map is only about half finished. It is a phenomenal achievement to construct a metro system from nothing in a huge bustling city, and I consider that a sight worthy of seeing for that alone. Many of the vehicles in this town, both the little autorickshaws and city buses run on CNG, compressed natural gas, which, while still a fossil fuel, burns much cleaner than gas or diesel, so the air in Delhi is pretty clean. I'm very impressed with that. They've also got a number of destinations that serve as camera candy, some of which I am posting here, for the vicarious touris experience. There is a monumental astronomical observatory, built around 1730, called Jantar Mantar, which looks like a postmodern playground. It's all done in pink masonry, with one sundial that is about 35 feet high. You can actually see the shadow as it moves across the lines ruled on the base, and I think it can be read to about 2 seconds of accuracy. I also visited its big brother in Jaipur, which I'll mention when I get there. The other really awesome site in the Delhi area is a victory tower called Qutb Minar, an 800 year old, 72 foot high stone tower. The intricate carvings that ring the structure are so well preserved that they look like they were done yesterday. I am sure its state of preservation is partly due to restoration, but I think that it has been done very well.

Other sights that I visited that were:
Jama Masjid - Biggest mosque in India
The Red Fort - A massive old Mughal structure. This site is badly marred by the presence of a police station and some other ugly modern buildings within the walls.
Humayun's Tomb - Beautiful final resting place of a Mughal king
Safdarjang's Tomb - Less spectactular, later example of Mughal post mortem architecture.
Bahai Temple - Very modern temple built by followers of the new age Bahai religion, which, from my passing familiarity, professes that people can worship any person or thing they want to, as long as they are tolerant of others doing the same. A nice idea, though it's more of a philosophy than a religion. However, being in South Asia has led me think that most religions start out like that, and then they acquire rituals and fetishes as time passes, sort of like the evolution of snow in New York City. I'll stop there, before I offend too many people.
The Rajpath - This is the wide avenue that takes you between the very British-feeling structures that house the apparatus of India's government. Not very pedestrian friendly, they look like they were designed by people who need a golf cart to go from their front door to their car.
Birla Mandir - A very impressive temple, built in 1938, by the billionaire founder of Tata, the Indian everything company. Not surprisingly, it is dedicated to Laxmi, goddes of wealth.

I think it was around my third day that I noticed that the spot on the right side of my rib cage that I had bruised 10 days earlier in my mountain bike accident in Nepal, still hurt as much as the day I got it. This seemed abnormal, so a thought popped into my head: maybe something was broken! I looked up the symptoms, which matched perfectly that of a fractured rib. Despair not for me, though, friend. Fractured ribs are far from unusual, and, as long as it is not a break, there is little that modern medecine can offer me to aid my recovery save Aspirin. It does make the rickshaw rides on potholed roads a bit harrowing, but besides that, it causes me minimal impairment. Lest you fret too much, I will let you know that it is healing nicely now.

I spent five days in Delhi before realizing that I needed to move on, having run out of sights to see and patience for the rickshaw drivers. So, I packed my bags and hopped on a train to Agra, home of the icon of India, the Taj Mahal. The ride took around 3 hours and cost $5 for a first class seat. I don't have a whole lot to say about Agra - it's a big city, 1.2 million, but the tourist section is based on the Taj. There are several other important sites that the tourism business is always trying to convince people are also worth visiting, but most people do Agra in a day, then move on to Rajastan, as I did. If you ever do go to Agra, make sure you also see the tongue-twisting Itimad-Ud-Daulah, nicknamed the Baby Taj. Predating the Taj by a decade, it is smaller and less dramatic, but the stone inlay work on its walls is far finer. Man. My narration is starting to sound a lot like a guide book.

The Taj Mahal is breathtaking, an exquisite work of poetry in marble and stone inlay. The onion-shaped domes soar in serene harmony, the four towers echoing the shape of the main chamber like ripples of raindrops in a pond. Watching it in the light of the early morning, you can almost feel it contemplating the quiet eternity of the hereafter. It is a mausoleum built in 1631 in memory of the wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who died while bearing his fourteenth child. Only pictures can do it justice. Actually, only seeing it for real can do it justice.

The entrance fee is extortionary, in terms of local prices: 750 rupees, or about $17, but everyone pays it because, well, you can't go to Agra without seeing it, and, besides, it's not large compared to American entry fees. For comparison, the next most expensive site I've been to cost 250 rupees, $5.50. It always leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I know I'm being overcharged, but, sometimes, you just have to swallow it.

The next morning, I headed west to Jaipur, the hot, dusty capital of Rajastan, where I expected to put in about two weeks, if I can bear the heat. I shall continue with that as soon as time and computing resources permit.

I'll add a few editorial comments for those who are curious about the daily experience of an American in India.

1) Food - Unlike Chinese food in America, which I have heard is so grossly divergent from what they eat in China as to be more American than Chinese, the Indian food I've had in NYC is very similar to that which is served here. The main difference is that you see a lot more vegetarian only restaurants, and you typically spend $2 to $3 on a full meal. This is not the case at the tourist joints, who charge as much as the tourists are willing to pay. I like the food, but it usually is some form of green, brown or red mush, so I find myself craving some texture.

Water is generally a challenge for tourists. While iodine tablets can kill pathogens in tap water, it often tastes fetid anyway, so most tourists drink bottled water exclusively. It's a shame, as this produces mountains of plastic waste, but it's tough to get around it. If I had a stove, I'd try boiling it, but it might still taste gross. In spite of being reasonably cautious, I've had four or five bouts of what is sometimes called Delhi Belly, or Travelers' Sickness. Each time, one or two pills of Cipro (an antibiotic) cleared it right up. I'm hoping to reach a point where I am immune to the major germs causing this illness, but I don't think I've arrived yet.

2) Hotels - a decent hotel room can be had for $10-$20 a night in most places. Paying more than that gets you views, fancy service, and western amenities. You will probably get AC also. I've been staying in cheaper places, $2.50-$9 a night, which gets you a room with some light and a ceiling fan. The higher end of that range has attached bathrooms, nice decoration and a pretty good foam rubber mattress. The cheaper ones usually share a bathroom and have a not-so-great mattress. This time of year, the fan is adequate, as temps are in the low seventies at night.

3) Weather - In the 17 days I've been here, mostly in Rajastan, it hasn't rained a drop, and has been sunny and hot every day. The daytime high temps were low nineties when I arrived, and are now low to mid hundreds (yup), but humidity is very low. You need to drink lots of water and consume plenty of salt. Light colored clothes and a hat with a brim are a good idea, and you need to wear sunscreen.

Thanks for reading, and I'll try to write again soon.

I hope this finds you all well,
Dan

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Photos

British India
The long, spread-out Rajpath is home to the federal government buildings of India. They are stately, but fall short of awe-inspiring.

Safdarjang's Tomb
Humayun's better.

New Delhi Train Station
Right next to Pahrganj, this is a veritable sea of green and yellow autorickshaws.

Mickey D's
I stopped at McDonalds, not for a taste of home, but to see the menu. No burgers here, as cows are sacred. I had to try the vegetarian McTikki burger. It was really bland.

Qutb Minar
This 72 foot high tower was the ultimate expression of manliness in its day, and stands up pretty well even today.

Qutb Minar Detail
The carvings that encircle the tower are exceedingly graceful Arabic script.

Bahai Temple
It is about 20 years old, based on a lotus flower. It has 27 petals, 9 per level.

Birla Mandir
Elegant modern temple to Laxmi, goddess of wealth.

Jantar Mantar
Kooky 18th century astronomical observatory.

Humayun's Tomb
Pretty.

Baby Taj
This mausoleum was build by the father of the man who build the Taj Mahal. It is smaller, but the stone work is much finer.

Me 'n the Taj
You gotta get a picture of yourself in front of the Taj if you go there! Hopefully, I can lighten it with photoshop.

Postcard Shot
Note the artful reflection in the pool. I bet everybody's gonna start doing that now.

Comments

[Yacavone]

How are ya!
Checking the site once in a while. Looks like you are having a great time.

[Mom]

Love the photos
The photos are really professional looking. And I love your writing style. Mom

[Roz Gordon]

We miss you
It is Passover and the sedar and we miss you! This trip sounds amazing! Much love, Roz

[Judy Brauner]

Spellbound!!!!!
JUST started receiving this blog and it is so compelling that i am reading it at 2a.m. and can't put it down. Great fotos and great writing. I'm lovin' it!!! Have fun..be safe.

[Anuj Anand]

Good reading
Good to see you today at Bear. I was going through my emails and found link to your blog. I am born and brought up in Delhi. so I decided to read this first. I really liked your writup. I still can't belive you left job when all the way to nepal and India to explore. I wish I had such freedom in my mind... Keep in touch.. [e-mail]