While most of our time in India will be spent in
Hyderabad, we also have an office in Delhi (Gurgaon, to be specific). I had some trainings to deliver at that
office in early December, so we made a long-weekend out of it to see spend a
little more time in Delhi sightseeing and also take another trip to the Taj
Mahal. We were warned by a lot of our
co-workers that it would be cold, so we should bring jackets with us. “Cold” is a relative term in India. It did get down to about 10 Celsius (50
Fahrenheit) at night, which was refreshing, but it’s nothing compared to the
Midwest. How’s that Polar Vortex 2.0
going, Chicago?
On Friday, December 5 we flew up to Delhi, which is about
a 2 hour flight. We arranged to be
picked up at the airport by a hotel car.
They touted the BMW that would greet us at the airport…which would have
been great if it weren’t for my 187 cm frame (for those of you not yet on the
metric system: http://bit.ly/1BPkZXb), and
AB’s gigantic carseat… After about 15
minutes of manoeuvering in the dark (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPmTGFg06zA),
I was cramped into the front seat and we were on our way to the hotel! The best part of the journey was passing a
“Government Approved Drinking Place” (and that place was HOPPING!).
We decided to spend our first day touring Delhi. The first thing that hit us in the face as we
headed into the main part of Delhi, literally and figuratively, was the
pollution. Amanda and I had noticed it
seemed bad back in 2010, and we thought we were used to relatively high levels
in Hyderabad, but we were shocked at how dense it was almost everywhere we
went. The Wunderground description of
the weather conditions was appropriate: “Smoke”.
Our first stop was going to be the National Rail Museum
to check out some cool old trains and take some pics to send to AB’s buddy
Felix. But, alas, the museum was closed
for renovations. Apparently it was
supposed to have opened up over a month prior…but was delayed. At least we snapped one picture, despite
objections from the “security guard”.
Aside from the emergency bathroom break for AB at a
random (awesome) hotel, our next stop was a huge, gorgeous Hindu temple
complex: Swaminarayan Akshardham. There
were A LOT of school groups visiting (most schools apparently go 6 days a
week), and as we entered Amanda and AB went through the female foreigner’s lane
– with the school kids on either side.
As usual, they were enamored with AB and were yelling to get her
attention and grabbing at her as they walked through. Every time we passed by any children for the
rest of the time we drew an inordinate amount of attention. The grounds of the complex are vast, with a
number of amazing sculptures and hand-carved pillars/etc. It was remarkable…but we found out upon
entering that cameras weren’t allowed…so no pictures. Just trust me – it was great.
Our next stop was a drive over to India Gate, which is an
Indian war memorial. Before stopping
there, we took a drive on the Rajpath, which is a ceremonial road that runs
from the residence for the President of India straight to India Gate. When we were there they were already setting
up bleachers for the annual Republic Day parade that occurs on January 26 of each
year. This year President Obama will
actually be there for the parade.
Once we got to India Gate, we soon realized that the
structure itself wasn’t the most intriguing part of the experience for us. Lining the street and sidewalks are people
(often young children) selling various souvenirs (mostly gimmicky stuff) and
lots of food carts. We were told that
Delhi was known for its street food – and it didn’t disappoint. It got built up a lot…especially by our
friend Jai…and I couldn’t let him down by NOT trying something, right?
The one thing I had to try was pani puri. I had tried it in a restaurant before, but
this was the real-deal. I was
strategizing as we walked around trying to pick the right cart to stop at
(there were probably 20-30 that we saw there).
Of course, I ended up stopping at one with an older gentleman who didn’t
speak any English – go figure. Upon
telling him I’d like some pani puri (mostly with gestures…accompanied by
wide-eyed looks and snickers from locals), he started serving them up. I’ll note that this is all by hand. He first starts with a hollow piece of fried
dough (puri) that he pokes a hole
in. He then puts a little mixture of
potato, onions, and spices in (think of what’s in most samosas) and then dips
it into a vat of tamarind sauce and a vat of spicy/tangy flavored water (pani).
From there he plops the filled dough-ball on a platter and I put the
whole thing in my mouth. It’s a large
bite, but you have to take it down all at once or you’ll have a huge mess on your
hands. It’s a pretty fantastic blend of
flavors: crunchy dough, tender potatoes/onions, sweet, and spicy. By the time I’m done with the first, he’s
already got another loaded up for me.
Gotta keep going. I was expecting
six…but had to tell him to stop after my tenth!
Amanda was fairly horrified with the situation and I think had been
making plans for my funeral as soon as I got this idea in my head. Of course…not horrified enough to not take
pictures. [Note: I am still alive…and
didn’t get even a little sick!]
While the pani puri was the adults’ big adventure, the
enormous park around the area was definitely AB’s. The playground there is really a series of
similar play areas that stretch for a while.
We hit all of them. Swings and
slides were, as usual, the big hits. We
were definitely the only Westerners in the entire park and AB drew another big
following. Luckily she was distracted
enough with having fun that she didn’t notice the hundreds of pictures that
were being taken of her while she played.
Don’t worry – we got plenty of evidence to back up her popularity.
And AB even started showing off how assimilated she is
becoming with Indian culture by her complete and utter disregard for a line at
the slides. Time after time she marched
right up to the stairs for the slide and squeezed herself in like everyone
else.
After a series of bribes, we finally got AB to agree
leave the park and head to a Catholic church in the area. We arrived at the church early and actually
got to see the processional from a wedding.
There were a few men playing drums for the crowd as they left the
church. This was close to what we’d expect to see at a wedding in the US: white
wedding dress, suits for most of the men, Western looking dresses for most of
the women. [From what we have heard…a
Hindu wedding is extremely different. We
need to find a way to get to one of those while we’re here!] Once the dust settled, we were able to get in
for Mass, which was pleasantly normal – until the end. Before Mass was over, the priest talked for a
few minutes encouraging everyone to attend a protest later that week. There was another Catholic church in the city
that had burned to the ground and it was suspected to have been done by
arsonists. Whoa.
Never a dull moment in this country!
After church we headed back to the hotel to rest up for
the next day when we headed to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.
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