Old Delhi

On Thanksgiving we had professional development at school. As if that isn’t bad enough, Brad and I were still both feeling sick. My version of the disease ended with a rash all over my body and Brad had only gotten over his fever the day before. He had to go to the hospital and get a shot in his butt. So, it wasn’t with much enthusiasm that we boarded the plane to Delhi.
We perked up, though almost right away. Delhi was COLD, and it was great to feel freezing. But I can’t say the air was cold and clear, Delhi is green, full of parks and trees, but it is so polluted. I guess you can expect that in a city of over 12 million.
We spent Friday touring Old Delhi. We hired a taxi for the day, thinking that’d be it, but our taxi pulled up to the gates of the old city to have a quick chat with another guy and before we knew it we were on a cycle rickshaw. I swear, we don’t plan these things, they just happen. So there we were, being peddled through the streets of Delhi where I saw things I thought I’d only ever see in magazines: a man with elephantitis of the foot, kids stuffed into little cages being pulled to school on a bike, severely crippled beggars, barbers on the street. And that’s just what we saw. At one point we drove past what we think might have been a prison and heard horrific screaming coming from inside. And then there were the smells, oh the smells….
Our first stop was a mosque, the largest in India. They were getting ready for Eid, so there were pray mats being laid out. It was a big, peaceful place.
After the mosque the rickshaw driver wound around through all these really tiny streets. The streets were just packed, and really colorful and loud. I told Brad it was like Merle Hay Mall at Christmastime, but of course, it was unlike anything I've ever seen.
At one point the driver stopped and told us to go see the Jain temple, so we did. Inside we weren't allowed to take pictures, or wear shoes or leather. Also, menstruating women were prohibited and we had to wash our hands and mouths before going in. I wanted to be respectful, but there was no way I was going to put Delhi tap water in my mouth, so I only just pretended. I can't really explain what went on inside, because I was kind of in a state by that time, like I'd fallen asleep and woken up on some other planet, some really weird, loud planet with lots of ringing bells and chanting....
Anyway, we eventually left the temple and made our way to the Red Fort, built by the Mughals in the 15th century. Like the other undertakings of Shah Jahan, the Red Fort is impressive and opulent, full of arches and marble and precious stones. We walked around for a quite a while, but we were still pretty tired from the illness so we decided to head back to the hotel for naps.