Delhi: The Agony and the Ecstasy (Part II)
Trip Start
Oct 12, 2005
1
35
48
Trip End
Mar 31, 2006
Delhi,
India
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Here are a few highlights from the rest of our week:
Our guesthouse host, Avnish, organized a trip for all of the guests to India's National Folk dance festival performance, which was held in conjunction with the Republic Day Celebration. The performance included traditional folk dances from many of India's states. The dancers had wonderfully colorful and exotic costumes which contributed to their amazing performances. This was undoubtedly the best dance performance we've seen on the trip. On our way out of the performance, one of Delhi's television news crews interviewed Matt's Dad, Larry, on his impressions of the performance!
The fabulous Avnish also led the six of us on a four hour "Hidden Delhi" tour which focused on a trip through the winding, chaotic neighborhood of Old Delhi.
01 Flower Market
We can't think of a better way to see Old Delhi than with a local who has a fond interest in architecture and can keep track of six western passengers sitting on bicycle rickshaws in a sea of cows, goats, auto-rickshaws, the occasional insane car and a melee of people. Having been led around we might just try it ourselves on our next visit. We don't want to reveal too much of the tour because if you ever come here you must take it (just call Avnish at the Master Paying Guesthouse). We can say that it covered a lot of ground including a fresh flower market, delicious breakfast unique to Old Delhi, chai in the beautiful home of an Old Delhi resident, a visit to an Indian laudromat, a very informative Hindu temple tour and a visit to the Jama Masjid (the big central mosque in Delhi). The tour was exactly the sort of thing we wished we could have taken in other cities, a way to get a glimpse of life beyond the typical tourist track. The photos should give you a flavor of the tour.On that same day we returned to Old Delhi, again guided by Avnish (off-duty) to one of the most famous restaurants in the city, Kareem's. Avnish advised us to try the grilled leg of lamb, which arrived looking like something Henry XIII would have munched on. It was delicious. On the way to the restaurant we again rode the bicycle rickshaws through the teeming streets. Along the way, a boy comes through the street yelling something and all the crowd began to part. Following the boy was a group of men carrying a stretcher with shrouded body on it.
02 Rickshaw Parade
Off to be cremated somewhere evidently. While in Delhi we also took in a few other museums (besides the toilet museum). We went to the home where Gandhi was assassinated and learned more about his life work and final days. We also stopped by the Indira Gandhi Memorial museum (also her home where she was assasinated by her own Sikh bodyguards). Quite interesting to learn the history of her leadership in India as well as her family legacy which included two other Indian Prime Ministers -- Nehru (her father); Rajiv (her son). Rajiv was assassinated in 1991. It is a very dangerous ocupation to be a Gandhi in Delhi.
Along with all these glowing reviews, we would be remiss if we didn't mention a few more those typical, not-so-lovely, Delhi moments from our week --
* Walking through Connaught Circle one day, a shoe cleaning man tapped on Matt's Dad's shoulder and pointed to his shoe. We were all shocked to see that someone (i.e. someone related to the shoe man) had put some type of feces on his shoe for the purpose of having the shoe man clean it. Ahhh, the old Shit on the Shoe trick, we'd read about it but didn't expect anybody actually treid it! We bawled out the shoecleaner and sunseqently none of us would tolerate a shoe cleaning man within ten feet of us. Larry was a real sport-- we pooled our toilet paper resources and he was able to clean the shoe without the aid of the despicable shoe cleaner. It is interesting to note that Larry was targeted apparently because he was the only one who had leather hsoes of the kind that get polished. A good arguement to wear sneakers.
* The bathroom facilities at the Republic Day Parade consisted of urinal stalls for women with flat concrete slabs (no toilet, no hole!) that were slightly angled to drain the urine out on to the grass. Men got actual urinals, but they just drained out into a big hole in the ground. We both ended up having to use the facilities -- a definite first for our trip. We were actually surprised they had bathrooms at all and if you closed your eyes and pretended you were in a field in Cambodia it really wasn't that bad!
* We both have had slight bouts with Delhi Belly and pollution-related sinus problems although overall we've been remarkably healthy.
To be honest when we arrived in Delhi we weren't sure how this week would turn out but we have been pleasantly surprised and the uniqueness of India has really recharged our traveling batteries. We can't wait to explore more. As we alluded to in our first Delhi entry, there are incredible rewards here but it's definitely not an easy place to find them.
