Incredible India

I made it to Akshardam Temple on Tuesday, after all. The temple itself is closed for renovations, so I was only able to wander the grounds (which were beautiful) and check out the exhibitions. Exhibition #1 involved a series of rooms, each with a scene telling the story of Lord Swaminarayan's life, acted out by robots. Exhibition #2 was a 40 minute movie about his life. And exhibition #3 was a 12 minute boat ride (think: theme park) through the history of India. There were Catholic nuns on my boat, which I thought was pretty cool (seeing as this was at a Hindu temple). Although the whole thing was kinda kitschy, by the end of it, I did actually feel a sense of inner calm and tranquility. I even contemplated becoming a vegetarian for a minute or two.

That night, Nathan and I went for a walk through a sort of informal market area next to our hotel. What strikes me most about India is that even though people are living in squalor, there is this wonderful feeling of community and industry everywhere you look. It's a good reality check.

Yesterday, I took on Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort. The Red Fort was beautiful and tranquil; the perfect place to spend a hot, sunny day. But Indians are funny... every time I took out my camera, people started begging me to take their photo. At one point, a group of women came up and stood next to me. They didn't speak English and my Hindi is primitive at best, so I had no idea what was going on until I turned and saw a man with a camera, at which point there was nothing left to do but pose and smile. Apparently I am a tourist attraction.

A little later on, a family asked me to take pictures of their kids. I'd been saying no to people (mainly 20-something guys) all day, but since the kids were totally adorable, I couldn't refuse.



After I'd waved goodbye to the family, this little guy couldn't resist creeping over to me for his own photo op.


On I wandered to Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk is... confusing and overwhelming and completely amazing. It's a labyrinth of tiny streets and alleyways, lined with shops. And when I say shops, I really mean alcoves packed with wares. It is more crowded and even dustier than anywhere else I've been so far, with incense masking the scent of urine and rotting garbage. But amidst this filth you find colourful displays of fresh fruit and vegetables, thousands of glittering and miraculously clean saris, and smiling people all shouting hello. I'll say it again: India is amazing.

Here is one of the wider and more formal streets in Chandni Chowk:


On one of my rickshaw rides back to the metro (I had to take two because the first guy took me to the wrong place), I learned the lesson once again that Indians are obsessed with having their picture taken. As soon as this guy noticed my camera, he swerved in closer to make the shot.


To round off the day, Nathan and I had thali at a dhabba (sort of a cross between a restaurant and street food) we'd found on our walk the night before. The food was excellent, though a little too spicy for me, but the naan has ruined me for life. I will never be able to fully appreciate naan anywhere else ever again.

Today, I'm supposed to head over to the Lodhi Gardens. I'm still not sure whether I'll make it. The lazy bug has bitten me again today.

Tomorrow morning, we head off for our weekend getaway in the Himalayas. We've settled on Shimla; Darjeeling would have been nigh impossible. I guess this just means I'll have to come back! No complaints here.