Greetings from the Taj West End in Bangalore!
Today has been a long, eventful day.
It started with a fabulous breakfast buffet at the hotel in Delhi where I ate so much masala dosa, I thought I would burst. Our driver picked us up shortly thereafter and we headed out on a tour of Old and New Delhi.
Today's tour guide was a billion times better than the one we had for Agra. He was so friendly and didn't just lead us from place to place but instead gave history and background and his own insights. We asked him so many questions and he didn't mind at all; even about the personal ones.
Our first stop was the Presidential Palace which looks very similar to the White House except that it's made of red sandstone and marble and is easily three times bigger. Like back home, you have to take photos from behind a fence but even the gate was so ornate that I didn't mind!
We then saw the India Gate, which is very similar to the Arc de Triomphe, and were able to witness a snake charmer in action! It was so freaky. Of course, he charged 100 RS for the pictures we took but I didn't mind. Where else will I ever be able to take a picture like that?! Besides, that's only like $2 US which still blows my mind.
Most of what we did next was driving past government buildings and government residences and such since Delhi is the capital of India. We skipped the Red Fort because we wanted to see other things and it's very similar to the Agra Fort.
Of course we had to go to Raj Ghat, which is Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. It's a black marble slab with an eternal flame and marigolds that are replaced every day by caretakers. Really, it's a huge place with garden after garden and only one of several memorials within walking distance of each other. Once again, I got accosted by people wanting my picture but this time I turned the tables and demanded a picture of them afterward! So now I have random strangers on my camera.
It was then time to tour temples and mosques. So I spent most of the day without shoes on, at the hottest time of the day, walking on marble and sandstone. My feet are not thanking me. First stop was the Jama Masjid, which is the largest mosque in India. We had to put on these long robes in order to enter the grounds, which I understood, and charged us to bring in cameras, which I did not, but I paid anyway. I'm really glad I did because I got these three Muslim boys to pose for me in the courtyard and I really think it's one of the best pictures I've ever taken. The second stop was the Laxminarayan Temple which is where our guide worships. We were blessed by a monk honoring Shakti and then watched our guide pray to Hanuman.
After that, we went to Birla House, which is where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. You can actually walk the same path he did before he got assassinated and of course there is a marker where he died. It was amazing to hear the parallels between India's independence and America's. Once again, the British and their damn taxes! Ha.
All the markets were closed so we wound up at a government sponsored shop for workers from Kashmir. Again, we got this whole spiel about how they make their crafts and then got enticed to buy stuff. This is where I learned that I really, really suck at bargaining. I get nervous about offending them by offering a low price and then I have no idea how much any of this stuff is really worth and then apparently I can't convert RS to USD in my head. So I'm sure I overpaid out the roof for everything I bought.
We then went to lunch where I had way too much garlic naan, but it was cool because our guide ate with us. Then we went to Quitab Minar Tower which is just amazing. I've never been someplace so old before. The ruins surrounding it are magnificent too.
By then, we had just enough time to grab a quick snack at the hotel before heading to the airport. Let me just say that flying domestically here is ridiculous. They have a ridiculously low weight limit for luggage which means we had to pay $100 US to get our stuff checked-in. Of course, you have to go to a different counter to pay for that so SR goes to do that while I'm just hovering waiting for her to come back so we can get our tickets. Which means that I basically got shoved around for 15 minutes. Security is even worse and it's really scary to see these guys wandering around with machine guns. The weirdest thing is that they won't let you go to your gate until your flight has started to board.
Anyway, I am settled in what will be my home for the next two weeks. The Taj West End is the most beautiful hotel I've ever been in. It's really a resort so I'm in the Ambrosia Suites and my room is larger than my house back home. No joke. I really have no idea how I'm going to get to the main lobby tomorrow to get picked-up by my driver since I appear to be a zillion miles away from it. Guess I'll cross that bridge later. For now, I must go to sleep as tomorrow is my first day in the office.
It started with a fabulous breakfast buffet at the hotel in Delhi where I ate so much masala dosa, I thought I would burst. Our driver picked us up shortly thereafter and we headed out on a tour of Old and New Delhi.
Today's tour guide was a billion times better than the one we had for Agra. He was so friendly and didn't just lead us from place to place but instead gave history and background and his own insights. We asked him so many questions and he didn't mind at all; even about the personal ones.
Our first stop was the Presidential Palace which looks very similar to the White House except that it's made of red sandstone and marble and is easily three times bigger. Like back home, you have to take photos from behind a fence but even the gate was so ornate that I didn't mind!
We then saw the India Gate, which is very similar to the Arc de Triomphe, and were able to witness a snake charmer in action! It was so freaky. Of course, he charged 100 RS for the pictures we took but I didn't mind. Where else will I ever be able to take a picture like that?! Besides, that's only like $2 US which still blows my mind.
Most of what we did next was driving past government buildings and government residences and such since Delhi is the capital of India. We skipped the Red Fort because we wanted to see other things and it's very similar to the Agra Fort.
Of course we had to go to Raj Ghat, which is Mahatma Gandhi's memorial. It's a black marble slab with an eternal flame and marigolds that are replaced every day by caretakers. Really, it's a huge place with garden after garden and only one of several memorials within walking distance of each other. Once again, I got accosted by people wanting my picture but this time I turned the tables and demanded a picture of them afterward! So now I have random strangers on my camera.
It was then time to tour temples and mosques. So I spent most of the day without shoes on, at the hottest time of the day, walking on marble and sandstone. My feet are not thanking me. First stop was the Jama Masjid, which is the largest mosque in India. We had to put on these long robes in order to enter the grounds, which I understood, and charged us to bring in cameras, which I did not, but I paid anyway. I'm really glad I did because I got these three Muslim boys to pose for me in the courtyard and I really think it's one of the best pictures I've ever taken. The second stop was the Laxminarayan Temple which is where our guide worships. We were blessed by a monk honoring Shakti and then watched our guide pray to Hanuman.
After that, we went to Birla House, which is where Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life. You can actually walk the same path he did before he got assassinated and of course there is a marker where he died. It was amazing to hear the parallels between India's independence and America's. Once again, the British and their damn taxes! Ha.
All the markets were closed so we wound up at a government sponsored shop for workers from Kashmir. Again, we got this whole spiel about how they make their crafts and then got enticed to buy stuff. This is where I learned that I really, really suck at bargaining. I get nervous about offending them by offering a low price and then I have no idea how much any of this stuff is really worth and then apparently I can't convert RS to USD in my head. So I'm sure I overpaid out the roof for everything I bought.
We then went to lunch where I had way too much garlic naan, but it was cool because our guide ate with us. Then we went to Quitab Minar Tower which is just amazing. I've never been someplace so old before. The ruins surrounding it are magnificent too.
By then, we had just enough time to grab a quick snack at the hotel before heading to the airport. Let me just say that flying domestically here is ridiculous. They have a ridiculously low weight limit for luggage which means we had to pay $100 US to get our stuff checked-in. Of course, you have to go to a different counter to pay for that so SR goes to do that while I'm just hovering waiting for her to come back so we can get our tickets. Which means that I basically got shoved around for 15 minutes. Security is even worse and it's really scary to see these guys wandering around with machine guns. The weirdest thing is that they won't let you go to your gate until your flight has started to board.
Anyway, I am settled in what will be my home for the next two weeks. The Taj West End is the most beautiful hotel I've ever been in. It's really a resort so I'm in the Ambrosia Suites and my room is larger than my house back home. No joke. I really have no idea how I'm going to get to the main lobby tomorrow to get picked-up by my driver since I appear to be a zillion miles away from it. Guess I'll cross that bridge later. For now, I must go to sleep as tomorrow is my first day in the office.