Up and at 'em

Way too soon, the morning arrived. I parted the curtains and took in the dramatic view of smoke. "Hmm, I wonder what the weather forecast is today?"

We had breakfast in the hotel then met VK, our tour guide, for our orientation at 0830. As soon as he gave us a quick rundown, we were off. He did note this would be the longest day of the tour. More than likely, we wouldn't get to Agra tonight until about 9:30 (we actually got in at 10:30pm). No worries, there’s a lot to be seen between now and then. We started at the Birla Temple. It is a large Hindu temple built in 1938 by an Indian business man. VK gave us a great deal of explanation about the temple, the symbols, and the different gods. He also noted the same businessman built the Buddhist Temple that was just next door. Although I snapped a few shots, we didn’t tour that temple. The Hindu temple also had a dharamshala attached to it. This is a guesthouse that is offered free of charge to those making pilgrimages. Although the stay is free, the time is limited, as it is intended that you will be moving along in a day or two. Following our visit, we moved on to the government area. New Delhi is like DC, it is the seat of the government; it has lots of monuments, and it has an area that reminded us of the national mall. The park runs from the parliament down to the India Gate, which is a memorial to WWI Indian fighters, then continues on a bit farther. Because of the smoke, the visibility was limited and you could not see the length of the park from one end to the other; post cards make it clear that there are days that are clear enough to see the breadth of the area. (Did I mention that I got on the plane with a bad cold that has now become chest congestion? My poor, pink lungs.) At the India Temple, lots of school children ran around, and it appeared that a girls’ school was taking their student pictures there.

The memorial to Mahatma Gandhi was next on the menu. A very simple marble slab marks the location of his ashes and an eternal flame burns at the head of the stone. Hundreds of visitors were paying respects and, again, many school children were having a field day. These kids were particularly lively, and very anxious to say hello, shake our hands and give high fives. I walked up the structure and just held my hand out, like I was going through a pep rally: high fives all the way up to the top!

We fiddled around New and Old Delhi most of the day, having lunch at a local restaurant around 2pm. I had a spinach and paneer curry, while Kim went for the vegetable dumpling curry. Both were delicious and I ate the fresh naan until my tummy puffed out.

We stopped at a local crafts store before embarking on the ride to Agra. As we drove, I observed a few things. First, there is very little reason for them to waste paint on the roadways, because nobody observes the idea of actual lanes. Secondly, you can put an engine on about anything and call it a motor vehicle, and then you can drive that motor vehicle on the roads that are narrow and have no lanes. Third, the honking of a horn is natural and should cause absolutely no alarm. And fourth, running lights are an option, particularly on the highway at night. Same with bike reflectors (that’s right, no street lights, no reflectors, no lane observance-wow!).

My last observation for the day, though, is not the traffic, which could take up several more pages, but it is “smoke.” So here’s the deal. Fire is essential. Fire is used to cook food in the open, fire is used to keep people on the sidewalk warm, and fire is a popular method of trash disposal. These three elements combined (again, no pun intended, since I’m only talking about one of them), make “smoke.” It seems to be at its worst in the evening and early morning, I suppose because not as many fires are burning in the day time. I’m pretty sure there are very large particulates stuck to my lungs. I’m starting to hack like a lifetime smoker. But I’m not complaining-I’m grateful. At least I get to be in a nice hotel tonight, and I’m not sleeping with my head two feet from the road, warming my hands in a fire built in the gutter, or burning the trash I’ve gathered to clean my living area.Weiterlesen