India

We had breakfast at 8 AM and met Raj, our wonderful tour guide, in the hotel lobby for a long day of touring. Dale opted to stay at the hotel in the air conditioning.

We began by making our way to Humanyun's Tomb. We exited our van and began walking toward Humanyun's Tomb. Before we reached the gate of Humanyun's Tomb, we arrived at the Tomb of Isa Khan. This mausoleum is octagonal in shape and built mainly of red sandstone. It was built in 1547–1548 during the reign of Sher Shah Suri.

We stopped at the Tomb of Isa Khan briefly for history and photos.

We then proceed to the gate of Humayun's Tomb. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was built in 1570. It is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Humayun's Tomb is truly impressive with carved, stone screens allowing for airflow. But I am struck at the lack of emphasis on preservation of these structures.

Throughout our tour, Raj gave us a ton of background information. It struck us that India is a country who has been constantly attacked and conquered.

We continued our day by driving to the Jama Masjid. Jama Masjid is located at the heart of Old Delhi. Jama Masjid is the capital's largest mosque. It was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656, and inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari. Jama Masjid is situated in the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad (today Old Delhi) and served as the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors until the demise of the empire in 1857. The Jama Masjid was regarded as a symbolic gesture of Islamic power across India, well into the colonial era. It was also a site of political significance during several key periods of British rule. It remains in active use, and is one of Delhi's most iconic sites, closely identified with the ethos of Old Delhi.

In order to tour Jama Masjid, we had to remove our shoes. I forgot my socks in the van but still decided to tour the mosque. We also had to wear a Indian dress. I thought that I would be able to not have to wear something over my dress but I think that the 'gate keeper' wanted to be able to charge us all for the privilege of wearing one of their dresses. And to add insult to injury, I was given an awful looking orange dress which clashed with my pink scarf.

Bob opted to remain outside the mosque and people watch.

We then proceeded into the courtyard. The pavement was very hot. I thought that I would have blisters on the bottom of my feet.

In the center of the courtyard is a large pool for cleaning feet, hands and face. Luckily, we did not have to participate in the cleansing just to tour the mosque. I could not imagine washing my feet let alone my face in this pool.

I had several people approach me and ask to have my picture taken with them. At first I thought it was because I looked so ridiculous in my orange and pink outfit but I think it was because of my height and pale skin.

We next made our way out of the mosque and boarded a bicycle rickshaw for a ride through Old Delhi's narrow streets lined with ancient shops. These streets are truly chaotic with people, vehicles, rickshaws, and animals everywhere all going in different directions.

We stopped at a tea and spice shop. Bob and I bought some Kashmiri Saffron before finishing our rickshaw ride and making our way back to our van.

As we were all hungry by this time, our guide took us to a restaurant. The food was fantastic (we are praying that we will not experience any illnesses from eating here). I had Sweet and Sour Chicken. Bob had Butter Chicken with Naan.

Having had our hunger satiated, we boarded our van and made our way to Bungla Sahib which is a Sikh Temple. This is one of the main worship places for Sikhs. It is a white building topped with a golden dome which has a pool inside the complex where the devotees take a bath before entering the temple. The holy rhymes of Gurbani are continually read. There is a large community kitchen inside the temple which serves free food daily to all the visitors and devotees of all religions, society, cast, and creed.

Everyone had to take of their shoes in order to enter the temple. I removed my shoes and put on a pair of socks. A young lady said that I could not wear my socks. I took off my socks but as we prepared to walk up to the entrance to the temple, I saw that we had to walk through water. I opted to not proceed. Bob had also decided not to enter the Temple but, at this point, I could not find him so I just did some people watching.

When the group finished their tour, we reclaimed our shoes and proceeded to the van.

We drove to Raj Ghat. This is located on the banks of the Yamuna River and is a well maintained park containing the simple black marble platform marking the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948.

Prior to entering the park, we had to both walk through a metal detector and enter a "frisking" room. The men and women are directed into separate "frisking" rooms where one receives a thorough pat down.

After being frisked, we made a brief walk to where we once again had to remove our shoes. Bob and Ron opted to not proceed any further.

This memorial is the cleanest area that I have seen so far in India. As I approached the black marble platform, I was once again asked for a photo. I happily took a photo with an Indian woman.

Our final stop for the day was to be Swaminarayan Akshardham. We were to tour this temple and watch a light/water show.

On the way from Raj Ghat to Swaminarayan Akshardham, our driver actually drove the wrong way down a 3 lane expressway. Driving in the correct direction is harrowing enough. We all held our breath as 3 lanes of traffic came towards us. It seems as if the Indians think nothing of driving in the wrong direction. I think that the only reason that there are not more accidents is because there is so much traffic that it impossible to travel quickly. But the honking everywhere is crazy. No one stays in their lane. I previously thought that driving with Bill DeGroodt (AKA Mario) in South Africa was scary. South Africa's driving craziness is nothing compared to India.

As we pulled up to the Swaminarayan Akshardham entrance, we all asked how long this would take and if we had to take off our shoes. We were told that we would have to take off our shoes and it would be a little over an hour. We took a vote. We all decided to return to the hotel instead of touring Swaminarayan Akshardham.

I know that our guide is thinking, "what is up with these Americans and their hesitancy to remove shoes". It is such a cultural distinction.

Upon returning to the hotel, I immediately jumped into the shower, donned my mask and went to bed.Read more