My plans for today were to start the day slowly and explore parts of Old Delhi.
The weather was warm. 26 to 39 today with 'widespread dust & haze'.
As usual, the immediate comparisons between the comforts of the haves, compared to the deprivations of the have nots are glaringly obvious.
From the absolute comfort of my hotel room at the Hilton New Delhi Mayur Vihar, my view is of slums where people live in absolute poverty.
The hotel was opened about twelve weeks ago. It is of 4 1/2 star quality. The staff are obliging, and the service is excellent. Every facility is on hand. Four complimentary bottles of spring water are provided every day. Cable television is beamed into the rooms. Wireless internet is on hand, and all fittings are flawless.
400 metres away, people are living in the dirt. Tin sheds form their housing, and ablutions are carried out almost in the open. Adjacent to their dwellings are assorted cows and pigs, wallowing in a festering green waterhole..
Around them construction continues at a breakneck speed. New commercial and residential buildings are being built everywhere....
I, on the other hand finished my breakfast, had my coffee and read "The Times of India".
The taxi driver from yesterday, Nelu, was reliable, so after breakfast I called him, and organised that he should be my tour guide for the day.
I gave him carte-blanche to use his own imagination as to where we should go.
First stop was Humayan's tomb. An impressive early Mughal tomb built for the Emperor Humayan in the mid-16th century by his Persian born wife. Elements of the design of this building, including the dome, and the formal gardens were later to be refined and used in the design of the Taj Mahal. A very beautiful and impressive memorial, surrounded by large tranquil gardens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humayun
After leaving the tomb, we visited the shrine of one of the world's most famous Sufu saints, Nizamuddin Auliya. Again, fascinating. This is one of the sites that Nelu visits regularly for meditation, and is quite near the Humayan tomb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizamuddin_Auliya
From the Sufu shrine, we motored on to the Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, a sikh shrine. After wearing a head covering, removing my shoes, washing my hands, and then walking through a foot bath, I was allowed to enter the temple. Within the temple is a shrine to their holy book. Raised on a plinth and surrounded by fresh flowers, this temple is a site for quiet meditation. The sikhs at this site provide clean drinking water and have a large kitchen where they cook and provide food, for anyone who needs.
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Damdama_Sahib_(Delhi)
When I was leaving the "gurdwara" Delhi police were filling an urn with fresh water, and locals were collecting sandwiches from the kitchen.
From the the sikhs we moved on to visit the famous Red Fort within Old Delhi.
Getting there was half the fun. Firstly, pushing our way through the traffic, eventually we got as close as possible to the fort, where we stopped and I continued my journey on a cycle-rickshaw. The poor driver rode through heavy traffic for about half an hour before depositing me at the entrance to the Red Fort.
The Red Fort is one of the Indian World Heritage sites and is a popular tourist destination. Entry is via security checks, very official looking, but I suspect rather innefective. After going through the security checks I bought an entry ticket for 250 rupee ($5), the locals pay 10 rupee (.20c).
More security, metal detectors and body searches. A number of militia with old rifles standing guard.
The Red Fort was built in the 17th century and was the residence of the Imperial Family of India. It is fantastic.., and a combination of many beautiful buildings.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort
After walking around the site for over an hour, I returned to my patient rickshaw driver who returned me to my taxi driver whe had also been waiting patiently. Before heading back to the hotel, I was "encouraged" to visit another little shop with Indian handcrafts. Lovely, but I'm afraid one is the same as the next..
Just before getting in the cab however, I was treated to a snake charmer, sitting nearby who had two cobras performing...
More than enough excitement today.
The weather was warm. 26 to 39 today with 'widespread dust & haze'.
As usual, the immediate comparisons between the comforts of the haves, compared to the deprivations of the have nots are glaringly obvious.
From the absolute comfort of my hotel room at the Hilton New Delhi Mayur Vihar, my view is of slums where people live in absolute poverty.
The hotel was opened about twelve weeks ago. It is of 4 1/2 star quality. The staff are obliging, and the service is excellent. Every facility is on hand. Four complimentary bottles of spring water are provided every day. Cable television is beamed into the rooms. Wireless internet is on hand, and all fittings are flawless.
400 metres away, people are living in the dirt. Tin sheds form their housing, and ablutions are carried out almost in the open. Adjacent to their dwellings are assorted cows and pigs, wallowing in a festering green waterhole..
Around them construction continues at a breakneck speed. New commercial and residential buildings are being built everywhere....
I, on the other hand finished my breakfast, had my coffee and read "The Times of India".
The taxi driver from yesterday, Nelu, was reliable, so after breakfast I called him, and organised that he should be my tour guide for the day.
I gave him carte-blanche to use his own imagination as to where we should go.
First stop was Humayan's tomb. An impressive early Mughal tomb built for the Emperor Humayan in the mid-16th century by his Persian born wife. Elements of the design of this building, including the dome, and the formal gardens were later to be refined and used in the design of the Taj Mahal. A very beautiful and impressive memorial, surrounded by large tranquil gardens.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humayun
After leaving the tomb, we visited the shrine of one of the world's most famous Sufu saints, Nizamuddin Auliya. Again, fascinating. This is one of the sites that Nelu visits regularly for meditation, and is quite near the Humayan tomb.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizamuddin_Auliya
From the Sufu shrine, we motored on to the Gurdwara Damdama Sahib, a sikh shrine. After wearing a head covering, removing my shoes, washing my hands, and then walking through a foot bath, I was allowed to enter the temple. Within the temple is a shrine to their holy book. Raised on a plinth and surrounded by fresh flowers, this temple is a site for quiet meditation. The sikhs at this site provide clean drinking water and have a large kitchen where they cook and provide food, for anyone who needs.
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurdwara_Damdama_Sahib_(Delhi)
When I was leaving the "gurdwara" Delhi police were filling an urn with fresh water, and locals were collecting sandwiches from the kitchen.
From the the sikhs we moved on to visit the famous Red Fort within Old Delhi.
Getting there was half the fun. Firstly, pushing our way through the traffic, eventually we got as close as possible to the fort, where we stopped and I continued my journey on a cycle-rickshaw. The poor driver rode through heavy traffic for about half an hour before depositing me at the entrance to the Red Fort.
The Red Fort is one of the Indian World Heritage sites and is a popular tourist destination. Entry is via security checks, very official looking, but I suspect rather innefective. After going through the security checks I bought an entry ticket for 250 rupee ($5), the locals pay 10 rupee (.20c).
More security, metal detectors and body searches. A number of militia with old rifles standing guard.
The Red Fort was built in the 17th century and was the residence of the Imperial Family of India. It is fantastic.., and a combination of many beautiful buildings.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort
After walking around the site for over an hour, I returned to my patient rickshaw driver who returned me to my taxi driver whe had also been waiting patiently. Before heading back to the hotel, I was "encouraged" to visit another little shop with Indian handcrafts. Lovely, but I'm afraid one is the same as the next..
Just before getting in the cab however, I was treated to a snake charmer, sitting nearby who had two cobras performing...
More than enough excitement today.
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