Delhi Sights

I decided that I must try the famous brunch and was not disappointed when I saw the setting. The I joined my remarkably fresh looking friends and we were hurtled into the city traffic, which I have to say is something else. Oswaldo asked, "Is it like Napoli?" and I paused while I thought for a word, No, it's like...anarchy!" There are no rules. People must die every day; I have never seen anything like it. Tiny little tuk-tuks - vans with the structure and soundness of a coke can, with 6 adults squeezed in, 1000s of motor bikes with whole families, only dad wearing a helmet, ox carts, intrepid pedestrians crossing the road - and everybody beeping. ALL THE TIME! Not in a Rio kind of way BEEEEP BEEEEP with significant hand gestures and opinions about the intelligence of the other drivers expressed with no reservation. No, here stone-face drivers and a kind of regular beep- beep pause, then beep-beep. It adds to the cacophony of the whole thing. Anyway we went through Old Delhi observing some really sad slums - all shades of grey dusty dwellings sort of camouflaged into the general dusty and grey road picture with the odd cow taking a rest. What catches your eye then are the colorful and glittery saris worn by the graceful women - maybe for this very purpose.
Our first stop was the ancient Jama Maishid mosque, where to our jet-lagged dismay we realized that we had brought neither extra socks nor the antiseptic gel for the now necessary removal of shoes. Lucky me was wearing socks, but Jytte had to brave the very dirty courtyard replete with pigeon droppings in her bare feet. We also had to wear large overdresses reminiscent of the clowns in Dumbo. With my belt purse I looked pregnant, but at this point: who cared? Having seen The Blue Mosque and others so recently, this surprised by its general state of disrepair. If you squeezed your eyes shut you could imagine a former grandeur, supported by the graceful slender columns and ornate archways. A group of confident boys caught my eye, as they strode through the colonnade, maybe on their way to a lesson, immaculate in starched white tunics and skullcaps, about 12 years old. Outside the mosque ancient man squatted surrounded by lemon peels bartering a lemonade we were unlikely to try. Another had arranged a colorful display of embroidered skullcaps. Next stop was Humayun's Tomb - also called Baby Taj - which we reached through another burst of traffic stopping briefly at India Gate for photos. We had all slept very little and were respectively 8 1/2 and 11 hours jet-lagged, so it was hard for us to take much in. Also, it was very polluted, which made my eyes smart. The tomb was enclosed in beautiful gardens where uniformed staff gathered leaves in a slow and meditative manner with very small brooms. We had a water (mineral water now comes sealed - and safe) in the shade and watched 4 'homeless' dogs stretched out comfortably on the soft green grass. Again the monument was most a shell reminiscent of former grandeur, few mosaics, no objects. Raj then took us to a very nondescript restaurant, which had a long line of customers waiting to get it. We understood why when we tasted the fabulous food. I had my first lesson in how to eat dal with nam and other sauces piled with cooling yougurt. Your fingers get messy - but it is sooo good. Freshly squeezed lemonade to accompany. We decided to head for Connaught Place for shopping, but left quickly when it turned out to be crowded and with no national character at all. Instead Raj took is to a great street market Sarjo ni Nagar, where Jytte and I were as happy as clams buying, for example, flouncy skirts (to hide those legs the Indians don't like to see) for 100 rupies ($2). We finished the shopping part of our day in the Cottage Industries shop with much higher quality items. Jytte revealed an admirable skill in bargaining as she faced down the salesman with gimlet eyes, before settling on a reasonable price for a gorgeous shawl. Then back to the Imperial for a well-deserved drink in the cool dark bar - and then an early night for the 5am departure for Agra the next day.
Check the photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/schateaubriand/NewDelhiDayOne#