Long post about the second half of my weekend

7/25/10 9pm

As I sit here Sunday evening while enjoying my room service dinner (swanky, I know, but I'm exhausted and busy packing for my trip) I can't believe we've come to the end of the third weekend of this wonderful journey. I know I sound like a broken record when I say that every moment of the day I'm learning something new about all sorts of things- but it's the truth. I thought I was going to write a long entry tonight and post it, but I figured I would treat myself to another hour of internet access because, why not.

The second half of my weekend was quite interesting. Beth and I met up with Akshat, a friend of a friend of a friend (something like that) and HIS friend for what turned out to be an evening full of adventure! Akshat is a doctor, and he is busy working for the anti-doping branch of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. So basically his job is to inform athletes that they are going to be drug-tested and then usher them through the process. Sounds like quite an exciting job, right? His friend, whose name I never caught, is the assistant to some top brass guy in the Indian Army. He has spent time in a bunch of different locations: Iraq, Israel, and more, and is currently stationed in Delhi. These two guys have known each other since they were little kids in school, and throughout the evening it was wonderful to see the affection and high regard they have for each other. They were also very friendly and hospitable- but then, aren't all the Indian people I've met?

We started off the evening with coffee, spent some time trying to figure out where to eat, and then abandoned the idea of dinner altogether to go for drinks at this nightclub called RPM, located in the "hip" Vasant Vihar neighborhood of New Delhi. Guys, you know me- you know that going to loud clubs with DJ music is not my cup of tea- so I embraced the opportunity to do something I don't ordinarily do. The DJ was great and played a good variety of songs that are apparently popular in India plus songs that are apparently popular in the US. There were people dancing like crazy. It was almost like being in the middle of a Bollywood video, I guess that's the only way to describe it to someone who has never set foot in an Indian nightclub. When I got home after 1am, after quite an exciting drive through the quiet night-time streets of the city, I was totally beat. Beth and the guys got a bite to eat at our hotel's 24 hour restaurant but I didn't think I would be able to stay awake through that!

Which brings us to today. I woke up wondering what I would do and thinking that it would be fun to try some solo sightseeing because I hadn't done that yet. I took a look at my map of Delhi and decided I'd be able to see a couple temples in one shot: the Lotus Temple and the ISKCON Temple. Outside the hotel gates, I was lucky to encounter Mr. Kumar, who ended up being my tour guide for a couple hours- and this was great!

He did the thing that a lot of auto drivers and taxi drivers like to do, which is to take you to places where you can shop in addition to the stops you have already specified. So the first place we went was a higher-end textiles and crafts market, where I purchased some gifts for folks at home. The prices were higher than what I have grown used to paying, but nonetheless I still feel like I got some good deals! Salespeople in India are so funny- always unabashedly trying to talk you into buying multiple items or things you have not expressed interest in. They will literally show you every single item in their store unless you draw the line! Americans, I think, are used to being very polite and saying "I'm not interested" in indirect ways, and I have found this does not work in India. You have to know what you want, and get in and out and be firm without being rude. Otherwise, you'll end up over budget, or buying multiple items because you feel indecisive, which is what happened to me at this particular store. So, be firm, that is my shopping tip for India.

After my first shopping stop, Mr. Kumar took me to the Lotus Temple. The Lotus Temple is a beautiful landmark of New Delhi, on a nicely maintained landscaped campus- the building is actually shaped like a giant lotus and it's one of the world centers of the Baha'I faith. Inside the temple are simple benches you can sit on, and there is no talking allowed inside, just sitting and thinking. It was peaceful and serene. On the way out I got a brochure about Baha'I but I haven't read it yet, so I guess if you want to know more about Baha'I you'll have to find out yourself.

Then, another shopping trip. This time I actually limited myself to things that have been on my gift list, plus one thing I have been planning to get for the house (not telling!!!!). I was in and out of there in about ten minutes and then finally got to visit the ISKCON Temple! Unfortunately Mr. Kumar said we could only stay 30 minutes because of some kind of parking situation, and at that point I didn't want to argue because it was getting to be the heat of the day. I regret not being more insistent on staying because I could have spent hours there! It's in a beautiful complex that contains the Vedic Expo (which to my knowledge is a multimedia show, complete with a talking robot, about the Hare Krishna philosophy) plus there's a restaurant and a book and gift shop. I went into the temple room to see the deities, which were supposed to be out according to the information I had looked up, but unfortunately they were not. However, there were some devotees chanting and it was a pleasant atmosphere so I enjoyed it for as long as possible before hopping back into the auto rickshaw and coming back to the hotel.

I thought I was in for the day, but after the heat of the day passed, Beth and I ended up going over to Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. Jama Masjid is a mosque built a few hundred years ago and it sort of looks like the Taj Mahal but made out of sandstone and on a much smaller scale.

But I should back up and describe our ride there. So, the auto drivers… sometimes they are not as nice as Mr. Kumar. Sometimes they do not speak a lick of English. And sometimes they decide that they suddenly need to refill their CNG canister (CNG is compressed natural gas- it's how a lot of vehicles in India are running these days and let me tell you, way less pollution!) in the middle of taking you somewhere. So we got into this long line of about 30-40 autos… and had no idea what was going on. Anyway, that was interesting. I knew it would happen at some point, I just wasn’t sure when, and I was hoping that it wouldn’t be at a time where I actually had some place to be.

So Jama Masjid. We wore our Indian gear so as not to be hassled by the people who run the mosque, and I'm glad we did because all the other non-Indian people there ended up having to put on these incredibly strange looking hospital gown type getups because they were believed to be inappropriately dressed. Just after we arrived we heard the muezzin and watched the people do their prayers and afterwards we were able to go into the mosque itself. We walked around a bit, took a bunch of pictures, people-watched, and sat on the outside steps before leaving to watch the sky full of kites being flown by kids standing on rooftops. I couldn't tell whether the pictures I took captured the kites in the sky, but it was an image I won't soon forget.

Anyway, it was exciting to see Old Delhi. And by exciting, I mean, it was a completely insane place. Old Delhi is kind of what you think of India as being like. Narrow crowded streets with people, bicycle rickshaws, motorbikes, auto rickshaws, and carts, all trying to push past each other. Total chaos and a strange mixture of the most pleasant, and the most unpleasant, smells. Stalls lining the alleys selling things like kebabs and books. Lots and lots of live animals (we saw chickens, other birds, roosters, and a giant goat) and lots and lots of dead animals (um, the head of a goat, just to give one example) covered in flies either before or after cooking. I'm pretty sure that sight would turn anybody vegetarian. We weren't even there for that long but I was completely fascinated by everything I saw. I'm not sure if I have the guts to spend more time exploring Old Delhi, but if I do I can be sure that it will be quite an adventure.

So that was my weekend- action packed and full of memorable experiences, all of which are documented photographically. When I get back from the Taj I'll do another picture post (hopefully Picasa won't confuse me so much this time around) so all the wonderful people who are following my blog can share the wonder.

Well, it's about time for me to finish packing and get to bed early, as I have some more action-packed days ahead. Also, Titanic is on. Until next time!