street scenes

My in-laws were visiting recently. It was incredible to see India through their eyes. So many of the scenes and day to day views have become "normal" to our family. Watching Grandma and Pop Pop wide-eyed with mouths open as we drove around reminded me of our first days in India. In many ways, they seemed to enjoy our trips between home and school, to the grocery, and running errands as much as the big planned adventures.

rickshaw drivers in Old Delhi

women marketing outside Jama Masjid

chai wallah and rickshaw repair

cows causing a little traffic jam in Gurgaon

people waiting for bus and random vendors along highway between Agra and Jaipur

the "cool" seats on the bus

we always wonder if those riding on the roof get to pay less than the ones inside

Made in Marble

After an early morning visit to the Taj Mahal, our guide took us to what some would call a tourist trap. An excuse to get tourists to buy wares or not, it was very interesting. There was a short film about Makrana where the marble used at the Taj Mahal originated. Then some Agra locals showed us how the semi-precious stones are ground down for use in marble work.

The girls were able to use the tools and feel how it is actually done. Little one could have stayed here at the wheel for hours helping them.

They use a natural orange tinted stain on the marble. With this they can better see the designs and chip away at the marble.

Once the design is carved, the gems are placed and glued. Then the marble is cleaned back to its natural, shining, white color.

These artisans complete marble work the same way it was done on a much larger scale over 350 years ago. Watching the labor that goes into the small pieces makes the wonder of the Taj Mahal being built in just 22 years even greater.

There is fine detail in the lattice work and gem inlay on each and every corner of the Taj Mahal.

The experience that is the Taj Mahal

Our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal was through the East Gate. See the small archway in the center? From this point we could see just a little of the white marble glimmering through.

A few steps closer and it was a little more visible.

The way the sun reflects off the white marble is almost blinding.

Walking through the East Gate was amazing. It is definitely one of those things you have to experience to really appreciate.

And there it is....a wonder of the world....a symbol of Shah Jahan's love for his wife....

Taj Mahal

Old Delhi by Rickshaw Part II

Just a snippet from our bicycle rickshaw tour of Old Delhi.

Old Delhi by Rickshaw...the only way to see it!!

From Wikipedia...."Old Delhi, the walled city of Delhi, India was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty. It was once filled with mansions of noble and members of the the royal court, along with elegant mosques and gardens. Today, despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated, it still serves as the symbolic heart of metropolitan Delhi."

Visiting Old Delhi is a real adventure for everyone, and the only real way to see it is by bicycle rickshaw. You travel slow enough that you can take in all the sights. There are no windows to roll up so you are able to hear all the sounds and hustle bustle of daily life. It is open air so you are experiencing (and sometime being uncomfortably accosted by) the smells, feels, and heat of the city. On a different note, you are up off the street so feel a little safer from the traffic, trash, and uneven pavement that can be quite tricky to maneuver. It is the only way I have found to leave Old Delhi feeling as if I have truly experienced what are the charms of Old Delhi.

Through the help of friends, I found Kalu and his guided tours. He is a petite Nepali man with a group of drivers who give excellent tours ranging from two hours to all day depending on what you would like to see. Our driver calls Kalu and arranges a meeting place where he is always waiting with however many rickshaws are needed for the size of our group. We start out on a main street near the Red Fort.

Then he takes us down Chandni Chowk which is the main street in the walled city of Old Delhi.

He takes us past the shops and markets, and points out all the different points of interest.

After that, things get interesting as we turn down one of the many small alleys that make up Old Delhi. The one below is actually very wide. On many of the other alleys, you can reach out and almost touch the shops on both sides of the rickshaw.

The alleys are known for what is sold there. Shoe street, bead street, wedding street, etc. Fall is the big wedding season in India as the weather is just about perfect. The bride-to-be, her mother, and the "aunties" spend days and hours finding the best and finest sari/saris for the many different wedding celebrations.

I have been told there is a whole tradition and order of events when choosing the wedding sari. The women go into the shop, are offered a seat and a cup of tea, and fabric upon fabric is brought out. It is looked at, touched, held up to the bride, and the negotiations begin.

Up and down the alleys we traveled to find the spice market of Old Delhi. Our guide tells us that this is the largest spice market in all of Asia and spices are exported to the world from this point. The smells and dust were overwhelming. A scarf to cover your mouth and nose along with a bottle of water is an absolute necessity when visiting the spice market.

We wandered up and down among the stalls of spices and down a dark, dirty hallway to a set of narrow, steep steps behind our guide. Yes, he could have been taking us anywhere, but we trusted him and climbed flight after flight past bags of spices.

About halfway up we could see where the spices are stored and how the people are living among the essence o' spice.

At the top we went out onto the roof and looked down on Old Delhi.

Back out onto the street, past the sights, sounds, and smells.

Past the laundry drying on the side of the generator and over the piles of trash.

Past a local vegetable stand and down another alley.

Down the side alley to the Jain Temple and past some beautiful doorways. I could have taken hours of pictures of the colors and painted doors.

And finally a quick stop at Jama Masjid. (from Wikipedia) It is "the principle mosque of Old Delhi. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal, in the year 1644 and completed in 1658, it is the largest and best-known mosque in India. It lies at the origin of a very busy central street in Old Delhi."

We arrived too late to see the inside and were greeted by the beginning of Friday call to prayer.

Thus ends our tour of Old Delhi back at the Red Fort.

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib

I vowed to start and explore more of Delhi and its surroundings this fall and winter. Now that both girls are in school, I have more time and opportunity to see what I can see. There have been a few adventures and outings. Embarrassed as I am to say this, I'm not good at getting out on my own. This week, it has been fun and interesting to have my in-laws visiting. They are great companions and good sports when it comes to adventuring. Thanks to the advice of a couple good friends, we found the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. It is one of the main Sikh temples in Delhi. It is a smaller version of the Golden Temple in Amritsar which we visited in February.

As we were waiting in the long lines to store our shoes, don our head covers, and enter the temple, someone pointed us to a side door that led to the area for "tourists." India has made me somewhat cynical and un-trusting. Assuming that it was a ploy to get us to pay more money than the locals, my feathers got ruffled. I asked, in my sternest voice, "Why can't we put our shoes with the locals? What is going on here?" It was a pleasant surprise to find an office for tourists where a kind guide took over and gave us a very informative tour of the temple.

He led us through the pool to cleanse our feet, past the pilgrims, and through the temple.

The best part of the temple was seeing the kitchens. Volunteers prepare food for any and all pilgrims and visitors to the Bangla Sahib. Over 20,000 people of all castes, classes, religions are fed every day at this location. (See this CNN article to read more.)

forgive me

I have been on a blog hiatus....no excuses. Laziness, lack of motivation and organization, and new schedules have been the name of the game this fall. As an apology, I am shamelessly using our adorable four year old. She has learned to sing "Eensy Weensy Spider" in Hindi at school. She loves to sing it (all the time) and is even happier if we record and watch it over and over.

Now that you are all softened by the sweet singing voice of little one. I can tell you that I won't be posting again for a week. We are off during Diwali for a dream vacation of sun, sand, and relaxation. I plan to hit the ground running when we return and have a goal of ten posts for the month of November. I expect you all to keep on me and help me meet that goal.

Happy Diwali!!