Old Fort mosque
Immo and Diana visited from 28 December - 16 January, 2013. We flew up to Delhi to meet them then proceeded to travel through the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan) then flew from Jodhpur back down to Bangalore. It was a fun trip, and we got to see a really different part of India. I'll start here with our three days in Delhi....
We stayed in the neighborhood of Delhi Gate, a hustling, busy part of Delhi that's hard to imagine it's changed all that much in the centuries it's been around. Our Delhi travels took us to Hayuman's Tomb, the Old Fort, Red Fort, Qtab Minar, the crafts museum and various other sites. We did not go to the National Museum nor to India Gate since that entire portion of Delhi had been shut down due to the protests over the death of "Nirbhaya" the night we arrived. A word on that: although her rape was particularly violent and the forethought and brazenness of the attack shocked India and the world, she is only one of many, many women and girls who suffer similar violence here in India. The problems here (and, indeed, in so many parts of the world, the US included) are deep and it's going to take more than just a few laws to make cases like this become the rarity they deserve to be.
Anyway, despite the general pall set over the end of December by the Delhi events, our time in Delhi was wonderful. Temperatures were at achingly record lows (coldest temps in 46 years) and we spent a lot of time huddling under shawls and jackets but Delhi is a fascinating city with an amazing history. Kalani had just been there with his class (he returned to Bangalore 9 days before we landed in Delhi -- poor kid) and turned out to be an excellent resource. When parts of the city were closed he was quick to suggest other sites, both ones he'd enjoyed and ones he wished he'd seen. He even (much to Immo's dismay) brought us to his favorite restaurant on Chowdni Chowk -- the busiest street in Delhi (and, perhaps the world). The restaurant (Haldiran's) was Saturday-afternoon-in-India-packed with a wait for each table but it was fun to see him so excited to share his experiences with us.
Since there is just too much to talk about and explain I'm going to take the easy way out and just post my pictures below with short explanations:
Anyway, despite the general pall set over the end of December by the Delhi events, our time in Delhi was wonderful. Temperatures were at achingly record lows (coldest temps in 46 years) and we spent a lot of time huddling under shawls and jackets but Delhi is a fascinating city with an amazing history. Kalani had just been there with his class (he returned to Bangalore 9 days before we landed in Delhi -- poor kid) and turned out to be an excellent resource. When parts of the city were closed he was quick to suggest other sites, both ones he'd enjoyed and ones he wished he'd seen. He even (much to Immo's dismay) brought us to his favorite restaurant on Chowdni Chowk -- the busiest street in Delhi (and, perhaps the world). The restaurant (Haldiran's) was Saturday-afternoon-in-India-packed with a wait for each table but it was fun to see him so excited to share his experiences with us.
Since there is just too much to talk about and explain I'm going to take the easy way out and just post my pictures below with short explanations: