1/21/2006 Day 2 Coninued: Touring Delhi

I'm on a bus on my way to Agra. Of course, a late start. So far, we have a variety of people on this tour from French Canadian to Chinese.

Yesterday was long and tiring. I booked for a half day tour. As I boarded the bus, the man with glasses sat across the aisle from me. Ended up, he was from D. C. I was asking Paul, the American, a question when our tour guide barked at us to be quiet and pay attention. Rameeshe, the guide, we found out liked to bark at those of us who got out of line quite often. Think along the lines of an elementary school outing with a older, slightly bitter chaperone. Paul and I didn't talk again until the second site, Humyan's tomb, for fear of being reprimanded again. We ended up laughing our asses off about it later on.

Rameesh was a middle aged man, short with black hair that was starting to thin. Thick glasses perched upon a bulbous nose and he was bundled up in a scarf, sweaters and a jacket. As if he were battling November in Montana. He liked being in control and didn't like it when one of us lagged or had interest in something other than what he was presenting to us.

Our first stop was Jantar Mantar. The Maharaja Jai Singh II had built it in the 1700's for astronomical observations.

The gigantic red structures were definitely impressive tracking the sun, moon, change of season, etc. It was amazing!






At Humayun's Tomb, we were on our own.
Rameesh was feeling under the weather and wanted to lay on the seats in the back of the bus while we did our exploration. Humayun's Tomb is supposedly what the Taj Mahal is modeled after. Except that it is red and smaller. Humayun's widow had it built as a shrine to him. His tomb is the main one but, there are many other structures surrounding the main tomb that are other tombs. One thing I learned in Delhi and Agra is that long ago, if someone was madly in love with you and you happened to kick the bucket, they would build a huge architectural feat in your honor.

I got Paul to take a picture of me. As I was walking around with my video camera, exploring, a worker saw me walking through the sight and told me to go to a window to look outside. Then a second window. Keep in mind that I would have made my way over anyway--I just happened to be ambling along. But, he stuck his hand out for money and as harsh as this sounds, I didn't give hime any. He didn't show me anything or explain anything and it is exhausting to be bombarded constantly by people trying to sell/scam you.


The third site was the Lotus Temple. It was absolutely gorgeous and tranquil.
The white structure was in the form of a Lotus flower. Before we entered, we were lead to a place where we took off our shoes. We were allowed to take video and photo outside but, were not allowed to once we entered the site. No talking out loud inside. Strict instructions about conduct were given before we were let in. I did have enough time to copy one of the holy writings down: Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not. And should abasement come upon thee, grieve not. For both shall pass away and be no more.--Baha'i llah

As I exited, I started talking to the Belgian girl, Anne. She was the girl who came rushing in last minute before the tour started. She was in India for a month then onto Nepal and Tibet. She had been all over the world. Taking month each year in whatever country. Fascinating.

BTW, I think I was the only person in the tour to make a Neverending Story reference. I thought the temple looked similar to the Empress' palace.

After the Lotus temple, we climbed back in the bus. Rameesh kept on babbling about a shopping center and how it was the best place to shop because even the locals shopped there, and on and on and on. I didn't understand why he was talking about it until the next thing we knew, we were pulling up in front of it. We were herded into the place and bombarded by sales people right and left. I was pissed. I hadn't wanted to shop and was dead tired. Anne told Paul and I that the tour guide makes a comission for bringing us into the store. Whether we buy anything or not. Paul had had it. His guide in Agra the day before kept taking him to shop after shop. He said it was draining. He was right.

So, the three of us opted to go outside and watch the children play across the road at an English Medium school. They were adorable. The headmistress invited us in and we took a tour of the school. Rameesh wasn't too happy.

But, before lunch, we had one more stop. Qutab Minar. The site has the highest tower in India. Rameesh was nice enough to give us the information that they had to close the tower to the public (to go inside) because of a stampede that killed tons of people. That and people throwing themselves off of it. But, even his gory background didn't ruin the moment.It was a little difficult to capture the whole tower in a pictures--especially up close.






*INTERESTING OR UNINTERSTING FACT OR PASSING OBSERVATION OR MAYBE I'M SNIFFING GLUE*
At the time, the exchange rate for money was Rs.44 to $1. Yes, the dollar goes very far and things are very cheap in India. But, that doesn't mean you should be fleeced! EVERYONE will try and get money from you as a tourist. Especially at the sites and when you are on a tour bus. Now, for an American, handing out a few rupees here and a few rupees there doesn't add up a whole lot but, but eventually, it will. It is also not a reason for someone to take advantage. Keep in mind that people trying to sell you stuff outside the attractions can usually be bought a government run gift shop or should be bargained down for at least half the price. Try and use some common sense if you choose to give out money.