Delhi, India
Today we had a full list of what we wanted to do. Our hosts left some basics in the refrigerator to eat, so we had buttered toast before taking an Uber to the Akshardham temple. We were queuing to get in when we saw a list of prohibited items: cameras, phones, portable chargers, shoulder bags, and any electronics. You could bring a small money purse and water bottle and could wear your belt, rings, etc.(these were all listed on signs with pictures). The prohibited items had to be left in the cloakroom. Well, we discussed going in anyway, but Randy didn't want to leave his camera and I wasn't keen on leaving my bag with passport and electronics either.
So we didn't go to see the temple and took an Uber to the next thing on our list--the capital mall. As the car came closer to the mall area, the streets became very straight and well kept up and the streets were lined with big leafy trees. My first thought was, British (and I was probably right). The capital buildings are fairly new (remember the original capital for the area was Agra) and classic looking. The capital buildings are at one end of the mall, at the other end is the India gate, but it was too hot to walk the two miles to see that. The temps were up near and just above 100 today with a heat index around 6:00 of 118.
We then took an Uber to the Lotus Temple. It is a Bahá'i temple. It has nine sides formed by 27 marble petals, arranged in groups of three to look like a lotus flower. There is no entry fee. You are allowed to take photos outside, but not in the temple and complete silence is required inside. You walk down a long walk bordered by flowers, then each group is given a plastic bag to put your shoes into. You are then required to be in an orderly line are are let in in groups. You can look around or sit and meditate or think. It is very peaceful inside. We figured that since it is very beautiful (marble) and they don't charge a fee of visitors, they must have some wealthy donors or members.
Becuase we didn't go to the first place on our list, we finished everything early. We took an Uber back to our neighborhood (about 30 minutes). We were hungry, so we stopped in at the local McDonalds. McDonald's in India does not serve beef, so every item was chicken. And they have no Diet Coke. So we ate and discussed our next move. We chose to go back to our apartment for naps, then go somewhere in the evening. Well, by the time we woke up (7:30), nothing was open to go see, so we found a restaurant--The Hotel Saravana Bhavan. The are an international chain; a "South Indian High Quality Vegetarian Restaurant). Joshua had a type of pancake with sauces and Randy and I got something similar to what we had in the restaurant in Jaipur, the many dishes on a tray with rice and bread. We still weren't sure how to eat it, but did our best. We also picked up a few more bottles of water. Up early tomorrow for our flight to Dubai.
Today we had a full list of what we wanted to do. Our hosts left some basics in the refrigerator to eat, so we had buttered toast before taking an Uber to the Akshardham temple. We were queuing to get in when we saw a list of prohibited items: cameras, phones, portable chargers, shoulder bags, and any electronics. You could bring a small money purse and water bottle and could wear your belt, rings, etc.(these were all listed on signs with pictures). The prohibited items had to be left in the cloakroom. Well, we discussed going in anyway, but Randy didn't want to leave his camera and I wasn't keen on leaving my bag with passport and electronics either.
So we didn't go to see the temple and took an Uber to the next thing on our list--the capital mall. As the car came closer to the mall area, the streets became very straight and well kept up and the streets were lined with big leafy trees. My first thought was, British (and I was probably right). The capital buildings are fairly new (remember the original capital for the area was Agra) and classic looking. The capital buildings are at one end of the mall, at the other end is the India gate, but it was too hot to walk the two miles to see that. The temps were up near and just above 100 today with a heat index around 6:00 of 118.
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| The India gate (it says India on it) |
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| The mall |
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| The capital buildings |
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| The parliament building |
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| The capital buildings |
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| The grounds |
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| The India gate is in the distance |
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| Over the doorway is a quote in English about liberty being a blessing |
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| There is a man with a big gun in that building at the end |
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| The fountain and flowered walk |
We then took an Uber to the Lotus Temple. It is a Bahá'i temple. It has nine sides formed by 27 marble petals, arranged in groups of three to look like a lotus flower. There is no entry fee. You are allowed to take photos outside, but not in the temple and complete silence is required inside. You walk down a long walk bordered by flowers, then each group is given a plastic bag to put your shoes into. You are then required to be in an orderly line are are let in in groups. You can look around or sit and meditate or think. It is very peaceful inside. We figured that since it is very beautiful (marble) and they don't charge a fee of visitors, they must have some wealthy donors or members.
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| The walkway to the temple |
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| Yet another person grabs Joshua for a photo! |
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| Randy's the photobomber |
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| Stands selling food (mostly fresh fruit) outside the temple |
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| In the morning, I see heavy wooden carts like this piled high with mangos and other fruits being pulled by bicycles! Legs of steel! Many of them are being walked in the heavy early morning traffic. |
Becuase we didn't go to the first place on our list, we finished everything early. We took an Uber back to our neighborhood (about 30 minutes). We were hungry, so we stopped in at the local McDonalds. McDonald's in India does not serve beef, so every item was chicken. And they have no Diet Coke. So we ate and discussed our next move. We chose to go back to our apartment for naps, then go somewhere in the evening. Well, by the time we woke up (7:30), nothing was open to go see, so we found a restaurant--The Hotel Saravana Bhavan. The are an international chain; a "South Indian High Quality Vegetarian Restaurant). Joshua had a type of pancake with sauces and Randy and I got something similar to what we had in the restaurant in Jaipur, the many dishes on a tray with rice and bread. We still weren't sure how to eat it, but did our best. We also picked up a few more bottles of water. Up early tomorrow for our flight to Dubai.
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