Old Delhi: Humayun's Tomb

This was our last visit in Old Delhi. It was really a quite beautiful place. It's a huge series of buildings, all tombs or mosques built for the emperor Humayun. Some of it is for his servants or most important advisors, and the largest building it the emperor's own tomb. We first went to the right, to a beautiful little tomb with 3 graves. You could walk upstairs (stairs of death, worse than the Colosseum I swear!) and see breathtaking Moghul architecture, including intricate stonework. Beware: Old women and men pose for pictures then demand money, or start telling you facts and demand a tip, with no prompting or asking if you'd like a guide. Very tricksy!

The actual tomb is what the original Taj Mahal was modeled after, and you can absolutely see the resemblance. Interestingly enough, the tomb was built on the orders of Humayun's wife, who wanted her husband honored in the best of fashions. Very rarely do you hear such stories about women in India's past, so I thought it was interesting. We spend ten minutes at the end trying to get pictures of these bright green parrots that live everywhere, but they kept hiding, lol. Still, a beautiful visit nonetheless!

Old Delhi: Jama Masjid

This was our next stop. The Jama Mosque, the oldest mosque in Delhi. If you want to take a camera you have to pay a fee, and since I feel awkward taking pictures inside holy places, I opted to just not take it. We also had to pay for a cover up robe, because we were wearing half sleeved shirts. I wasn't incredibly impressed by the mosque. It was large, and ancient, and it did have a great view of the city, but other than that it was just a large stone place with lots of people sitting around it.

However, the markets around the mosque are something else all together. Walking from the car was a scary experience, because I still haven't seen a busier street. It was completely filled with people, hundreds of rickshaws and cars, and so many animals! There were inumerable stands selling food, and thus hundreds and thousands of flies and hornets. And let me tell you, bugs in India are at least 3 times the size of those at home. Those of you who know me well can imagine how I handled the hornets. A funny site were the few food stands without any bugs, which of course means they sprayed bug spray all over their food, not a more appetizing choice. There were also lots of stands with huge cages full of chickens packed together, which they would take out, one by one, and chop off their heads. Then they would throw them into a new cage where they would sit for hours on the hot sun. Everyone has elected to be vegetarian. On a happy note, I got my first marraige proposal, which went something like this.
Me, dodging past killer bugs and whimpering quietly at their size, making a mad dash through hundreds of people for the car
Man: Excuse me
Me ignoring him, mostly to avoid looking at the bugs
Man: Will you marry me please?
Me look back and burst out laughing, feeling quite absurd.

Old Delhi:Baha'i Temple

*Note, I obviously didn't take this picture, as I don't own a helicopter, and while I did take lots of pictures I loved how this one highlighted the lotus flower shape. I just got it from google.

So, this was the first place we visited in Delhi. It an absolutely gorgeous temple. The grounds are beautiful. We had quite a few people taking pictures of us, which was strange, but really just foreshadowing. You have to take off your shoes before you enter the temple, and they require quiet inside. Members of all religions are encouraged to worship there to whichever god they may believe in. Around the center circle are tons of chairs, and each 'lotus blossom' holds a small podium with an inscription of an important saying according to the Baha'i tradition.

To be honest I've always had a hard time understanding Eastern religions, perhaps because I believe spiritual belief must encompass a life fully if it is to be followed, rather than half-heartedly choosing to believing a higher force and let that be that. I've had a hard time finding much on the Baha'i tradition, but I know it does not believe in idols, which is something new for a lot of Indians, being Hindu, who have idols everywhere. It is interesting that it was hard for the Indian community to accept the temple, which you can read about on the webpage for the temple. The Lotus flower is of course significant, and is am important symbol in Indian culture as well.

I suppose I got an appreciation of beauty and for the amazing works man can create, but for me I had no spiritual experience there, which I've found is true of all temples in India. Many people find other places of worship separate from their own religion to still be able to inspire a spiritual experience, but I don't think I'm one of them. Kind of just made me miss the Iglesia Merced.

Saas Bahu Aur Sansex

This would be the first Bollywood movie I saw while in India. I'm pretty sure it means Daughter's in law, mother's in law, and sensex, which for anyone not paying attention to our global financial crisis is like nasdaq for India.

All in all, I give this movie a solid B. Although, I give it that in terms of it's Bollywood status I have to admit. The plot follows a mother and daughter, the mother newly divorced (gasp!) who move into an apartment complex to create a new life. The sullen daughter meets a kind young man who helps her get a job, and of course whom she falls for. However, he is 'dating' a slut of a woman who uses him for money. This plot line is quite easy to follow, and in my opinion the least interesting part of the movie.

The mother however, is a surprisingly strong and independent woman. In the wake of a divorce, quite a shameful, nearly unheard of thing in India, she manages to create a new life for herself, making friends with other women in the building, who choose to overlook her marital status. She decides eventually to invest in the stock market, which sparks a relationship with the quirky, socially inept stock broker she sees, and puts in his place! She gets all the other women involved, and they all find a new strength and solidarity they didn't realize women in India could have. Of course everything comes up roses, but I loved that the main character was so strong and fought so hard to become her own woman so late in life. They even made fun of how gossipy and judgmental women in India can often be, which I thought was refreshing.

All in all, not great, but still pretty good, with an overall good message. Not gonna be a blockbuster hit, though, lol. And just in case you were wondering, the movies are in Hindi, but they say 30% of the lines, and always the important ones (i love you, will you marry me, and the like) in english.

Let's like, go to the Mall

Yes, they have malls in India. But much like the market, they leave a lot to be desired. They are very, very small, with a few clothing stores (very very expensive) and household decoration stores, and the occasional music store. But for the most part they are full of stores which are closed or not yet built. The only happy part of the malls is the movies! They all have a movie theatre, which of course I'll write about later. I just thought I'd share the sadness and disappointment brought on by the shopping experience. Sigh, I just want a wal-mart, something I never thought I'd say. Oh, and a barnes and noble. Barnes and noble would be clutch.

Markets in India

How do I describe markets? Markets are where people go for pretty much everything. There are always clothing stores, a pharmacy or two, a mobile phone store, a bank, and sometimes a grocery. At nice ones you get bookstores, and even not nice ones have sweet shops (though they only sell pastries that-like every other westerner-are way to sweet for my taste). They aren't set up like, say a shopping center in the U.S. however. They are very crowded, and the stores are indescribibly small. Imagine a CVS, or a Duane Reade, and take about a fourth of it, and that is the size of a reasonably large store. Most are half of that again. Things aren't bought the same way, much like Chile you don't "shop" yourself you tell someone what you want and they get it for you. The only time this isn't true is in a grocery store, and there is so little choice at those anyway...I really miss bread and more than one brand of anything except cookies, and produce, and diet soda-GOD I miss diet soda-and candy and snacks in general. I thought Chile didn't believe in snack food! I resort to buying biscuits (crackers to americans) to help add on to my now nonfat diet and added exercise (I walk a lot, even more than in New York) which is causing the pounds to come off, ever so slowly. Hopefully this gives you a slight idea of how a market is in India, though if you ever come here yourself, only go at night. They are always dead until at least 8 p.m. when suddenly there are henna artists, neon lights and balloon vendors and shoppers galore. More chance of being run over, but way more chance for culture absorption too!

Cows and Dogs and Pigs, Oh my!

The abundance of animals on the street here astound me. I mean, you may have thought the number of street dogs in Santiago was crazy, but there's 3 times the amount of street cows in the middle of Delhi. The entire street will be teeming with fast moving cars, but there is often an ox, chomping away and who knows what in the middle of the street, chilling. And as for the monkeys and pigs and dogs that roam the street as well, there's no lack of them either. Granted, the cows are treated very well (they're a holy animal) and the dogs more often than not get rocks thrown at them. It's a doggy dog world in India, but I have to admit I've gotten used to the cows who almost run me over every day a lot faster than the cars. It's just a sight, and experience you have to witness for yourself!