Delhi in Pictures

The Story of Humayun's Tomb (as told to us by Lok, a supposed retired history teacher who was "hanging out" by the entrance): Humayun was a drunk and a horribly lazy man. One day, he was climbing the stairs to pray, and in his usual state, tripped and fell to his death. His wife had the monument built in his honor. Frankly, we prefer this type of storytelling to any prerecorded audio guide-- whether the stories are accurate or not. For his time, he asked Duane to simply exchange him INR for $3 USD. Duane handed him INR greater than the equivalent of $3 USD. He says to Duane, "Sir, I am sorry, but I cannot owe you." Did he really think we were going to come back later for change? Duane explained that it was simply a "tip" and Lok thanked us profusely multiple times. To Lok, thank YOU for yet another tiny India memory.

Who needs a gym when you spend your days exploring ancient Indian monuments in the Delhi heat?

My all time favorite picture. It is very common and entirely legal in India-- entire families, often with infants and children much younger than this, crowded onto one motorbike. However, what makes it funny, is that a man in back of this bike, who was driving a car, had just been pulled over for failing to wear his seat belt!

Qutub Minar: A stunning complex of of ancient Islamic architecture. I began to realize, however, that with SO many monuments, we would never be able to recall which was which in pictures. As a result, I started making hand gestures in front of them. A brilliant idea if I do say so myself. This, clearly, was the Sun Temple.

Our favorite little girl. Duane, with his big heart, finds it impossible to say no to the children. While he realizes that the money he gives them is unfortunately, not likely going to them, he simply cannot refuse. Anyways, he usually pulls whatever spare change he has in his pocket and hands it over. This little girl, however, set a firm price, and rejected his initial offer! She drove a hard bargain and followed us, persistently but not annoyingly, all around Old Delhi-- holding firm to her price. Guess who won in the end?

Lotus Temple: This exterior picture does it no justice. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside. One of my absolute favorite sites-- the interior is simply stunning. After removing your shoes, you are allowed inside to sit on the marble pews and listen to the magnificent chanting and prayers. Between the chanting and the background music of tweeting birds flying around the dome, I cried the entire time. It was simply, that beautiful.

Akshardam Temple: A different type of beauty than Lotus Temple. While Lotus Temple appeals to the ears above all, Arkshardam appeals to the eyes. Again, we were not allowed to take cameras in, so this is the best I could do from the parking lot. The architecture is magnificent and within the temple are several murtis of Hindu deities. It was a sweltering day and after our tour of the temple, Duane asked for some rupees to buy water. Oops! "Someone" had already donated them all as offerings to the Gods. (Don't worry, he will thank me later. With our egg retrieval on Tuesday, what could be more important than keeping the Hindu Gods happy?)

Delhi Haat: I bargained hard for a duvet cover and some pillow cases and in exchange promised Nissar some free internet advertising. Always one to keep a promise, here he is with his beautiful embroidered silk goods. Stop by if you will be in Delhi in the immediate future-- apparently, the vendors change every 15 days.

Old Delhi: Typical transportation-- tuk tuks and rickshaws

Old Delhi: Shoe shine anyone? Not exactly sure how well business is going for them. Barefoot and sandals are pretty much the norm here... I've yet to see very many shine-worthy shoes.