Delhi, India

November 19-25

dara / Jim & I arrived in Delhi on Friday, November 19. We toured around Delhi for about three days. We ate lots of fabulous Indian food and wandered the markets for hours. The markets are a fun place to watch cows wandering the streets, venders cooking up spicy foods, rickshaws flying past the market-goers, kids selling anything for a rupee, and Westerners ignoring other Westerners because they are trying to experience "the real" India. We would need to escape back to our room every now and then for a little peace. :)

We checked out all the main tourism sites outside of Delhi. We went to Pushkar for the Camel Fair. It is a 10-day festival where camels are bought and sold every year. The owners are walking around and showing off their camels, while the bidding process happens between the interested buyer and the owner. It is quite fun, and camels are everywhere! There was also a fabulous market place too!

We also went to Fatehpr Sikr and the Taj Mahal. Fatehpr Sikr is a large fort in good condition, and it was the capital for a short time. The Taj Mahal is absolutely beautiful marble memorial, and we were there for sunset. The sun cast hues of orange onto the white marble. The reflecting pool and the gardens were an amazing sight too.

I like India! I spent a month in India with Habitat for Humanity about nine years ago. It was a great way to be introduced to the food, the people and the culture. I was able to learn alot about the country in a short time. However, near Delhi, the tourism business is out of control. The people, the government, everyone is out to make a buck. If you are looking for good experience of India, I would recommend spending a little more than a week in India and checking out other parts of the country.