A Day in Delhi

My mother descended on India on September 14, so we’ve been busy trying to see as much as we can in just three weeks while I do my best to keep my research moving along.  Yesterday we took the metro into Delhi and did some sightseeing.  First on the agenda was going to the railroad station to buy tickets, since the websites that sell them do not take international cards.  We had been warned that the tourists’ ticket office was very hard to find, which proved to be the case.  At one point, we had about five guys on us trying to convince us that, due to construction, the office we were looking for was in a different building across the street.  We ignored the scammers as best we could and eventually found the right place, only to be informed that because we did not have our actual passports on us (versus copies), we could not purchase tickets.   One strike.

Then we went to visit the President’s Palace and surrounding gardens.  It was very nice and uncrowded and green, qualities not often found in Delhi.  We wanted to see the Moghul Gardens that were on the other side of the presidential buildings according to the map, so we went on a long, very hot walk to find them only to be turned away by armed guards saying that we needed special permission to see them.  Strike two.  Should have read a guide book. 

We decided to hire a rickshaw driver for the rest of the afternoon.  We went to India Gate, which was cool but not fantastic, especially considering the uncommonly large concentration of leering men.  Not quite a strike; let’s call it a ball.  We proceeded to Humayun’s Tomb…finally, a hit!  We spent quite a bit of time inside one of the smaller tomb enclosures (Isa Khan’s tomb) thinking that it was the big attraction.  I think my favorite part was the wall around the tombs, how the entrance was a bit crumbled, and the palm trees behind it.  Humanyun’s Tomb predates the Taj Mahal and inspired its design.  It was amazing.  Very grand, that’s the only word to describe it.  We passed hours there very easily, and of course, Oliver turned into a tourist attraction too.  Sometimes I wonder how many thousands of people in India have seen his photo…maybe we should start charging?  Maybe find a Bollywood agent and start a college fund??

The rickshaw driver, Mr. Singh (the name for Sikhs) took us to visit his temple.  Very neat experience outside of the tourist realm.  We took off our shoes, washed our hands and feet, climbed up the stairs, and then covered our hair before entering.  It was evening and people were just starting to come to pray.  There were three musicians playing, one on tabla (drums) and two signing.  The leader of the temple even came over to welcome us and talk with us for awhile. 

Mom says that Oliver has grown so much in the last month that we’ve been here.  I packed up some clothes that don’t fit him anymore and replaced them with lots of new, bigger clothes from my mom and Juan.  I’m getting him to eat more food now that I know my mom’s old trick: put the sweet fruit on the front of the spoon to mask the veggies.  Ah ha!  Found out today that he really likes mango; he didn’t like it when I gave him some at home, but now he just gobbled it down!  He’s making lots of new noises and continues to flirt with anyone who’ll look at him, which is just about everyone. 

Oliver now has a little friend who’s just a month younger than him, Joram.  He’s Andre and Bianca’s son, a German couple who we were connected to thanks to a Fulbrighter in Delhi who met Andre at a yoga class.  We met them last weekend in Delhi, went out for lunch, bought chocolate pastries (of course we clicked!!) and had tea at their flat.  It was funny to see how Joram and Oliver make such similar noises yet their different personalities are already present.  Oliver just about exploded with excitement to see Joram, flapping his arms while standing up and yelling, while Joram is very, very relaxed and laid back and kind of scrutinizes new people while making a quizzical expression with his eyebrows.  Very fun to have baby interaction, and hopefully we’ll be able to get together with them soon!