HOT, as expected though there was a breeze all day and not a lot of humidity. Probably in 90s but bearable. Water was given to us on the bus and I drank a lot.
Today was Dessehra, one of the Hindu festivals, celebrated to rejoice the viceroy of Lord Ram over the ferocious demon Ravana. According to legend, Ravana abducted Sita, wife of Lord Ram. Lord Ram had to defeat Ravana to rescue Sita. In Delhi, the festival is celebrated with a lot of noise and energy. Huge effigies of the demon are burnt after sundown. They have fireworks, too. We were told that celebrations are not what they used to be, since both September 11 situation and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
Since it was a Festival, Sanjay made some adjustments to the itinerary in the OAT book. We went directly to OLD DELHI by bus (a bumpy ride and it was in the city)
We walked to the Jansa Masjid Mosque (largest mosque in India), passing by preparations for the evening’s festival celebrations. There were a lot of local police assembling in preparation for their security detail. Sanjay told us there isn’t much crime but a crowd does need some extra police presence.
We walked up the steps to Gate 3 entrance to the mosque. Removed our shoes and all women were given robes to wear. Seems this is a recent practice for all non-Indian women, with no special reason since we were all wearing longer pants and nothing sleeveless. Maybe they just want us to stand out, as if anyone wouldn’t be able to tell we are tourists. I paid 200 rupees to be able to take pictures in the mosque. This is common practice in many countries to charge. Steve held onto the receipt and had to keep showing it to the security in the mosque. Anyone who knows me wouldn’t be surprised that I’d pay for the privilege to take pictures. After all, I CAN’T miss anything that begs to be photographed!
After the mosque visit, we climbed onto bicycle-powered rickshaws for a ride through the Chandai Chowki Bazaar, an area of very narrow streets. The rickshaws had no top and provided a bumpy ride. Steve took video while I took more pictures. At the end of the ride, my butt hurt and I realized that the ride on the bus, in comparison, wasn’t very bumpy at all.
We went back to the bus (tipped the rickshaw person 200 rupees, with an appreciation of his hard work with transporting both of us) and boarded the bus. Took a short ride to Raj Ghat, a park location (on the bank of the Yamuna River) with an eternal flame and slate monument, marking the location where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after his assassination.
After a brief toilet stop, we rode to the India Gate, where a park surrounds a memorial to Indian soldiers who served Great Britain in WWI and Britain’s 19th century war in Afghanistan. We stopped near the Indian Parliament complex, with an opportunity to take some pictures as the sun set. Amazing were the many birds that were in the area. They didn’t bother any people. Photo op.
Time to go to Lazeez Affaire restaurant for an Indian dinner. Since there were many chicken dishes for the multi-course dinner, they brought us a couple of extra veggie items. Dinner was good and filling. I drank a tasty fresh lime soda that was both sweet and salty.
Back to hotel about 8:30. Will go to bed early so can be up by 6:30.
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