Day Three: Delhi National Museum
Trip Start
Sep 21, 2006
1
4
228
Trip End
Jun 01, 2007
Delhi,
India
Sunday, September 24, 2006
So, I moved on to the President's House nearby to take I the view of Lutgen's Delhi down the RajPath to India Gat and wandered through the park watching the egrets by the stream.
I arrived back at the museum and checked the main entrance. It was open.
The exhibitions in the National Museum cover three floors and are worth half a day - some exquisite lintesl from the 11th and 12th century, numerous stone Vishnus, a display of intriguing Hellenic-influenced busts from Gandhara, textiles, coins, musical instruments and arms
Narasimba
. I fell for a bronze erotic figure of dancing Devi.A sign in the museum reads: Prohibited: Smoking, Spitting and Pan.
I stopped for a tepid buffet then it was time to switch hotels and join my Rajasthan tour group.
My new base is in Karol Bagh, west of seedy Paharganj. Traffic here is still chaotic, but with fewer cows. People are more well-groomed. There is even a coffee shop. It's no Starbucks. The sweet cappuccino is from the kind of Nescafe machine you find in an office.
The tour group I meet at the Hotel Good Palace is a fair mix of Brits and Aussies. I'm sharing a room with Oliver, a 22-yar-old on his first trip out of Europe, so I'm playing the role of seasoned traveler. Most of the ensemble are also using the tour as a stepping-off point for a greater 9-10-month round-the-world trip.
Binu our guide is from Kerala so suited to fathoming the complexities of Indian life and recommending delicacies, though I doubt he will be the first to instigate any boozy nights out. He leads us to the Crossroads Restaurant, a tourist haunt with fish 'n' chips on the menu. My korma, in celebration of the current festival, Navratha, has the auspicious number nine vegetables. One is a cherry, complete with stone that nearly cracks my teeth. It was too mild and sweet. I hope we can find a more authentic place to eat tomorrow.
