Driving Around Delhi

Today was my first day of sightseeing with my new driver Abid. Abid will be Driving Miss DeLisa around India for the next 13 days. God help us both!

We started in Old Delhi at the Red Fort, a sandstone fortress built in the mid 1600's. As usual the traffic outside was completely insane and people selling things and begging followed me to the fort. But, when I walked through the famous Lahore Gate, a symbol of independence for India, and it was immediately calm inside. Even as I passed through the "ladies" bazaar everyone was quiet and respectful. The impressive grounds, including the marble halls where emperors held audiences, lived, or bathed, were very serene. This was the first bit of tranquility I have known in India.

Of course, the next stop was back to pandemonium at the Chandni Chowk, the main shopping bazaar of Old Delhi. As I wandered through the bazaar, I saw the familiar Golden Arches and almost sprinted for McDonald's. I had to settle for a chicken sandwich and fries, because they don't have hamburgers in India. I was glad that Abid was with the car, because it's Ramadan and he is fasting from sunrise to sunset--for a month. Now that's devotion!

Next we hit two sights in New Delhi. Humayun's Tomb, a mid-16th century Mughal architecture complex, was an early inspiration for the Taj Mahal, and is now a World Heritage Site. The elegant grounds and the building were magnificent. The tomb was commissioned by the Persian-born senior wife of the Emperor Humayun.

My favorite stop of the day was the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. The former house of Indira Gandhi was turned into a fascinating museum about her life and her political career. It's inspirational to see a female leader who had a good family life and devoted herself to public service. Along with political memorabilia and her personal effects, we saw her study (she had Eames chairs!), dining room and living room. It was amazing to see how simply she and her family lived. We also saw the spot where she was assassinated by her guards. How very sad!

Strange sighting of the day -- a group of monkeys walking across the road in New Delhi. Abid claims this is not unusual... I wonder just would be unusual in India!