Long Day in Delhi

So over the past few days we have gently disuaded mom from her romanticized vision of the Indian Rail system, and this morning we made arrangements to hire a car and driver for the remainder of our trip, to transport us from Delhi to Agra, to Gwalior, to Fatehpur Sikri, to Jaipur, and then back to Delhi. If we hired just a car alone we would be dead in minutes - the traffic is ridiculous. Rickshaws, cars and motocycles in every direction, obeying no traffic signals or lane markings as far as we can tell, and honking non-stop.

Our driver came with a trial run today so after breakfast we had him transport us to Old Delhi where we started by visiting the Jami Masjid, a beautiful red mosque on a hill. Sadly, the pollution is so bad in Delhi that everything was hazy and foggy like a very cloudy day, so I am not sure we got the full effect.

After the mosque we wandered through the little streets to the Red Fort, stopping for some authentic street chai which was delicious, although not as good as the stuff I used to get in the internet cafe. Then we walked through the grounds of the red fort, which also would have been more impressive in the sunlight but was still pretty neat - there were little green parrots flying through the buildings, and chipmunks everywhere.

After the Red Fort we walked through some of the bazaars in Old Delhi which were a bit overwhelming - traffic and noise and dirt so many people - it was pretty unbelievable.

We met our driver again and he took us to Gandhi's tomb, and then to a place called Delli Haat which was a nice break - its a closed off market of indian handicrafts from all the different states of India, and you pay a small fee to get in (about 30 cents a person) so its a bit cleaner and less crowded than an authentic market. Usually we might have scoffed about after our more gritty experience in Old Delhi it was a welcome relief.

Now we are off to find some dinner, maybe back to the United Coffee House where Mom and I ate our first night here... although as I type Matt has fallen fast asleep on my leg so I'll see if we can rouse him with the lure of some murgh mahkani or chicken tikka masala.

Tomorrow we head to Agra...