The 'festival of light' to big city bright lights!

Trip Start Sep 07, 2004

Trip End Aug 15, 2005

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Flag of India Delhi, India
Saturday, November 13, 2004

We stayed in Mcloed Ganj for a further 3 nights and I was getting to the point of India overload so we decided that we'd bring the flight to Hong Kong forward by 3 days. After 2 and a half months of travelling India, both Rich and I had reached saturation point with the bad bits of India and had truly had enough! Mainly because I was sick of the constant leering, lying, gobbing, blowing of snot out of nose onto pavement, staring and of course the toilet habits. Yes, I have to admit defeat I'm afraid. Having said all that, when we got to Delhi, we had some of the best few days in India.
After trying to get a cheap package to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and being told that it was closed on Fridays due to it being a mosque and Fridays being prayer day, we ended up being invited back to our travel agent's house for the Diwali festival the following day instead. (This was the same guy who we bought our Rajasthan car package from 10 weeks previously - Mr Shyam)
We spent the previous day wondering around Delhi, doing a few touristy bits n bobs like going to see the modern Lotus temple which took us an hour to get to in a rickshaw in rush hour traffic to then be told it was closed

Lotus Temple (From outside!!!)

! and at this the rickshaw driver let out a very unconvincing "oh no!, what a pity, would you like me to take you back?" As if he didn't know it was already closed!

So the following day we bought a traditional Diwali present - some Indian sweets - for our hosts that evening and got ready for a night of fireworks and festivity. Mr Shyam sent his younger brother to pick us up from our hotel mid-evening and on the way, the streets and no doubt the whole of Delhi was just clouded in a mist of firework smoke with people setting off fireworks everywhere, on the sides of the road, from the roof tops, the middle of the roads - everywhere! As we walked into his house the family were praying by their shrine in the living room and Mr Shyam introduced us to them (his wife, sister-in-law and 3 sons. We exchanged gifts and then were seated outside on the balcony. All the apartments were lit up with candle light and fairy lights, it was just like having Christmas early for us. We sat on the balcony and had chai whilst trying to hold conversation amidst the phenomenously loud fireworks! We then went to the local temple with them, but they had to lend me a scarf for my head and a top which wasn't black! We walked into the temple and the atmosphere was out of this world. So peaceful yet vibrant at the same time. Everyone was in their best saris (well, obviously not the men). we queued up with the family to receive a blessing from a very holy man called, something like 'Lakshmanam Baba' As we got to the front we kissed the floor and then received an apple, then sat down in what one man described as the "line of Heaven" as we were in view of the holy Baba

Mr Shyam's family at Diwali

. Afterwards we went in to a back room in the temple and ate blessed food (prashad)Then returned back to Mr Shyam's house to set off fireworks. Well ladies and gents, what can I possibly say to describe the atmosphere at this stage?! Well to begin with, you have never heard bangers as loud in your life, they were so loud we went momentarily deaf after each one was let off and they were let off constantly by the whole neighborhood. Secondly you have never seen sparklers as bright, they were about a centimeter and a half wide so the amount of magnesium packed into one sparkler was probably the equivalent of 20 packs of sparklers you'd get in the UK! And thirdly, little children as young as 5 were setting off huge fireworks in the middle of the street with nobody particularly watching over them. Fireworks were going off all over the road and in all directions. As fire crackers, bangers, Catherine wheels and rockets were all going off on the road, cars and motor bikes were just casually riding through them. lads on bikes, hands-free, shouting "Happy Diwali" were screaming past, sometimes dodging them and sometimes not! Rich got hit twice too bless him - don't worry he's OK! They were exploding under cars, flying off at head level almost killing people as they descended into the sky! And I am NOT kidding! this was totally normal. Indians definitely do not have a fear of death, what will be will be and Karma will take care of that!

On our walk back, The streets of Delhi were full of very happy Indians all wishing each other happy Diwali, just like New Years Eve. We finished our night of with a few drinks in a local, seedy bar with lots of drunken Indians and Nepalese and had our last few Kingfishers.

And now were in Hong Kong, and what a difference! We've been here 3 days and instead of making this a super long entry, I'll start a new one! . . . . . .