Thursday, October 16, 2008

Well, the blog has been delayed. We were really having a rip-roaring good time until we both got sick from something we ate. That wasn't unexpected at all, but still, when it happens it still floors you. First I had to find a doctor for Dave, and then when he got better, I got sick! It still didn't keep us from seeing a few sites between bathroom breaks, and I was still able to spend a day at the U.S. Educational Foundation in India. I was just nearly dead when I got back to the hotel. That's all.

Anyway, here are some things we saw before we got sick.

Our second day in Delhi we saw Lal Qila (the Red Fort), which to me was like the Indian equivalent of the Forbidden City. It was the palace of the Moghul emperors back in the 16th century. All the buildings were entirely made of marble inlaid with precious (now missing) and semi-precious stones.



The fort is located in Old Delhi, which is the most congested, craziest, and absolutely most interesting part of Delhi. It consists of bazaar after bazaar, selling just about anything you can imagine. Dave and I estimated there must have been well over 1000 sari stores in the district. Here you can get gold, silver, silks, flowers, clothing, toys, books, whatever you are looking for...if you know where to look. It was very intimidating just because of the mass of humanity at this place. We turned off the main road and got lost (on purpose) in the maze of alleys that zigzagged everywhere, stopping at a chai stand for refreshment.


Uh...maybe that's the part that led to getting sick. Anyhow, while we were standing there enjoying the tea, a man actually walked up to us with a cobra in a basket offering to make it dance. He promised it wasn't a biting snake. I was like, but dude, it's a cobra.

More than anything, I loved the colors of the bazaars. I'd like to say I liked the smells, but that really depended on exactly where you were standing at the moment, or what you were standing in at the moment.






More to come!!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

OMG, we're in India, LOL.

We made it in one piece and have had a couple of terrific days exploring. Unfortunately, Dave got overenthusiastic with the food and is a bit ill today. Nothing an Indian doctor can't fix for $10, inclusive of medications!

The first morning we just walked around the neighborhood of our hotel and found some markets and places to eat. We absolutely rejoiced when we found some cows in the road. Silly foreigners.



After lunch we got back to our hotel totally exhausted, sweaty and a bit overwhelmed. When it started to get a bit cooler, we ventured back out to Humayan's Tomb. This tomb was the precurser to the Taj Mahal.




In the evening we went to Khan Market which was an interesting mix of tiny stalls selling tiny baubles, and up-end stores, such as Benetton. We found a little kabob stand where I at the spiciest thing I have ever eaten in my life - a Mutton Kabob roll. We had to go get ice cream after that to cool off.


The second day was full of much more adventure. More to come!!