Saturday, July 5, 2014
Today
was our first day in Delhi. We were expecting more of an assault on our senses
but it was not what we expected. Delhi is not any worse or better than many of
the cities we have been in Peru or Central America. There are more people so
poverty is more visible.
Our hotel is fine and clean and located close to
central town. Security is pretty serious here and cars are checked coming into
the hotel grounds and all bags, purses must be scanned prior to entering the
hotel. We are searched with a body scanner as well.
We were expecting smells,
sights and noise but have not been surprised by any of it. We have seen a few
cows lolly-gagging down the road but mostly eating any spoiled fruits or
garbage. Tomorrow we will be going to old Delhi so our experience may be a bit
different.
Child selling flowers
In
India, many animals are considered sacred. As such, these animals are shown a
great deal of reverence and respect. There are many gods and goddesses but like
other religions, there is one supreme being or God. The other deities are
comparable to branches on a tree with Brahman or God being the trunk and the
others being branches and limbs. They are separate but part of the same being.
We have seen a few monkeys about but have been told by a few people that there
is currently a monkey invasion happening in Agra where the Taj Mahal is
located.
The traffic is congested but so is Toronto, the difference being that
there are no visible lanes dividing the lanes and as such, cars, motorbikes,
and rickshaws all try to vie for that one visible spot of pavement.
Today we
went to visit a very famous Hindu temple called Akshadaram. Security again was
very tight as they have had problems at some of the religious sites in the
past. The only thing we were allowed to carry in was a wallet, no cameras or
cell phones, no purse. This was actually wonderful as it meant no one taking
snaps, talking or texting. The temple and grounds are beautiful. We were also
each patted down (I would say groped) by the women security forces to make sure
we were not taking in anything like cell phones or cameras or other items.
Intricately carved sandstone and marble inlaid floors make the temples an
architect’s dream. Archways and fountains surround the temples and many of the
stone work carvings depict a story.
Food
has been great to date and we have been able to sample many different Indian
dishes. The temperature has been in the melting range. Normally the monsoon
would have arrived at the end of June. The temperatures today were over 40 with
89% humidity. Like I said earlier, melting temperatures.
Shauna will be
arriving within the next hour or two from Australia which will complete our
group of 4.
Rhonda and I were able to have a yoga class at the hotel on the
roof. You could see the city below, hear the beeping of cars and see the smog
settling over the city. To the west, the sun was just starting to set. In spite
of the noise and shimmering heat we could really see the beauty all around and
feel that we are truly blessed to be able to be where we are.