roaming2: Delhi

We did not intend to spend so much time in Delhi at the start of our trip but we have had a good time here. Yesterday we visited the house and grounds where Ghandi spent his last days. There are foot prints on a walkway showing his last walk from his simple room to the prayer area where people gathered to see him and pray together and just a few steps into the area I's a stone marker where he was shot. The museum and all the photos and all his speeches and philosophies were wonderful in those quiet serene surroundings.

We arrived in Delhi on the 22nd at 1:35 A.M. With one bag missing so it took until 3:30 to be in our room at the Likir House. (we also had a delay because when we did get with our guide at the airport he could not get our driver Mr Omprakash to answer his phone and come from where he was parked so we set out to try to find him -- passed out asleep in the car - as it turns out he had not much sleep for the past three days driving tourists around and our long delay with the missingbbag allowed him to get into a very deep sleep. These folks work for Lalit who is our main guide but he is up in Ladakh leading a motorcycle tour. So he has provided a guide and driver who are his employees.) in bed by 4 Then up again for breakfast and on a tour of Akshardham a Hindu temple with many beautiful carvings. The sign said that 300 million man hours had gone into this project. I think I have worked on IT projects with that many hours that did not turn out nearly as well as this temple. It was wonderfully ornate and beautiful. On the way back to the guest house after all day out our guide was telling us all these historical details and very earnestly wanting us to understand but we both fell asleep while he was talking.. So embarrassing .. So back to the guest house and some much needed rest.

The next day a rickshaw ride through old Delhi and the spice market with all the constant activity, push carts, rickshaws, tuk-tuks and men going all directions with huge bags of spices, rice and staple foods. Looks like a bee hive of people. Our guide took us to his favorite shop and we bought a bag of spices and cooking oils and scented oils and lord knows what else. The owner and our guide have given us recipes and we have the shop owners email to write for more. He says he does this all the time and that his shop has been open for 95 years now in the same family.

Yesterday we visited a shop for village arts. The people running the shop go into the remote villages in the Himalayas and other parts of India training the women to weave carpets and make handicrafts in their own traditional style and patterns, and also provide the materials and looms etc. then buy all the goods they make and resell them at very reasonable prices. They are established like a governmental non profit with tax advantages recognized in many nations so custom charges are supposedly waived. We will see because we are shipping a box of purchases home from here.

The day before yesterday we had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant inside the Ethiopian Embassy grounds. Wonderful Indian curry dishes with garlic and potato naan that we still talking about. We want more and more of that. We have adjusted to the smaller portions of food and it still seems that we are very full all the time.

As the day starts here we can hear the parrots and birds in the small park outside our room. We are on the second floor with a large roof patio overlooking the park. People gather in the park in the early mornings to walk and visit. This morning there was a group of very old men shuffling around the walkways and talking -visiting with each other. Then they all gathered in a group for some time and had a big conversation then left in all directions back home. Often there are mothers with young children playing out there. This is an easy place to be in the heart of Delhi. The ice Cream shop is close too!

The street vendors on bicycle carts come through calling out their wares or crafts. Some sell fresh fruits and vegetables while some provide fix it and repair/ maintenance services. Our guest house is totally surrounded by nice private residences.

On the flip side of all this wonderful talk, I think I have sweated at least 5+ pounds off in this heat and humidity and being at the end of monsoon there are many Mosquitos at twilight and night hours so we try to be inside but sometimes do get in some evening and night time walks in the neighborhood.

We are already feeling the release that comes from travel here. No real responsibilities, worries seem to fade away and the sights and sounds just down the street can keep us pretty much entertained along with the many international guests in the guest house with stories of where they have been and where they live. And it will only get better.