Getting a bit sad as today was our last day in India. Tomorrow morning we head to the Maldives. I think it is important to note how much India exceeded our expectations. We had a couple of misconceptions coming in, and our hopes were completely blown away. The people are so nice here (and no, they do not smell, hehe). Everyone we came in contact with made an impact on us. There is A LOT of poverty; the level is very difficult to experience and see. It is also hard seeing all the stray dogs everywhere. But Kyle and I both have so many wonderful takeaways from this country.
Our driving extraordinaire, Tarun... he deserves a ton of credit. We absolutely could not have navigated India without him. We hope we provided him some good laughs along the way, too.
So today we had all day in Delhi. Delhi is the capital and 2nd largest city in India. There are between 16 and 20 million people living in Delhi (there are people everywhere). We started with Old Delhi and moved to New Delhi. Old Delhi was built by Shah Jahan (go figure!). First place we went to was a mosque built by him, Jama Masjid. Kyle and I both had to cover up more to go in. The Muslim mosque can fit ~25,000 worshipers at one time in it's courtyard.
Next we hired a rickshaw driver to take us through the Chandani Chowk Market. The traffic in this area is insane. Funny thing is that most shops don't open until 10AM and we were there at 9AM, so most shops weren't even open. Our guide said we had to go there early because if not, we would spend far too long there as it would take forever to get in and out making it hard to see everything we wanted to see in Delhi. We ended up buying some teas and spices in the market, although you could find just about ANYTHING there. One thing I noticed is that the people actually live in these shops. Everyone that was opening up early were also packing up their bed areas. I asked later if this was considered "slums" and they said no. Maybe that gives you some indication into the poverty levels. Below is a link to a video I uploaded from a time-lapse of the rickshaw ride, as well as pictures from the market.
Old Delhi Chowk Market Rickshaw Ride
Next up- India Gate. It is a memorial in New Delhi to 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in World War I. ~13,300 of the servicemen’s names are inscribed on the gate. It is taller than the arc-de-triomphe in Paris.
After that we went to Humayun's Tomb. It is the location of the tomb of 2nd Mughal Emperor, Humayun. Humayun was the grandfather of Shah Jahan. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's wife, Empress Bega Begum. Both of his wives as well as his 3 daughters tombs are there as well. In fact, apparently there are 120 bodies in and around the complex... some are known family members, and others have no information. It is another UNESCO World Heritage site and was actually built before the Taj Mahal. If you look closely, you will see many similarities between the two structures.
Last stop before lunch was the Lotus Temple. It is a Bahá'í house of worship. For those unaware of the Bahá'í faith, it basically takes pieces from many religions and teaches unity of God, religion and humanity and equality of all people. It is a very cool temple where all religions are invited. It was built in 1986, and looks similar to the Sydney opera house. It has 8 pools surrounding it because the lotus flower grows in water. No pictures allowed inside the temple or information center.
Next we had lunch at an amazing place that we cannot remember the name of. It had an excellent ambiance (giant TVs with cricket playing, great music), yummy drinks and delicious food!!! They even have a gold statue of Michael Jackson! We were full and happy when we left!
Our last major stop for the day was to Qutub Minar. It is yet another UNESCO World Heritage site. The highlight was a 5 sections tall minaret. ~240 feet tall with a spiral staircase of 379 steps. The tallest brick structure in the world.
Our driving extraordinaire, Tarun... he deserves a ton of credit. We absolutely could not have navigated India without him. We hope we provided him some good laughs along the way, too.
So today we had all day in Delhi. Delhi is the capital and 2nd largest city in India. There are between 16 and 20 million people living in Delhi (there are people everywhere). We started with Old Delhi and moved to New Delhi. Old Delhi was built by Shah Jahan (go figure!). First place we went to was a mosque built by him, Jama Masjid. Kyle and I both had to cover up more to go in. The Muslim mosque can fit ~25,000 worshipers at one time in it's courtyard.
Next we hired a rickshaw driver to take us through the Chandani Chowk Market. The traffic in this area is insane. Funny thing is that most shops don't open until 10AM and we were there at 9AM, so most shops weren't even open. Our guide said we had to go there early because if not, we would spend far too long there as it would take forever to get in and out making it hard to see everything we wanted to see in Delhi. We ended up buying some teas and spices in the market, although you could find just about ANYTHING there. One thing I noticed is that the people actually live in these shops. Everyone that was opening up early were also packing up their bed areas. I asked later if this was considered "slums" and they said no. Maybe that gives you some indication into the poverty levels. Below is a link to a video I uploaded from a time-lapse of the rickshaw ride, as well as pictures from the market.
Old Delhi Chowk Market Rickshaw Ride
Next up- India Gate. It is a memorial in New Delhi to 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in World War I. ~13,300 of the servicemen’s names are inscribed on the gate. It is taller than the arc-de-triomphe in Paris.
Next we had lunch at an amazing place that we cannot remember the name of. It had an excellent ambiance (giant TVs with cricket playing, great music), yummy drinks and delicious food!!! They even have a gold statue of Michael Jackson! We were full and happy when we left!
Our last major stop for the day was to Qutub Minar. It is yet another UNESCO World Heritage site. The highlight was a 5 sections tall minaret. ~240 feet tall with a spiral staircase of 379 steps. The tallest brick structure in the world.
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