Delhi: Round 1

The morning (which began at 6am due to the jet lag) started out with me consuming the last of my smuggled beef jerky - which is probably the last bit of bovine I'll have for two months. I spent a few hours today cruising around Delhi with a personal driver. The first stop was Qutb Minar (see picture below). It was pretty impressive. The site is a mosque and dates back to the 12th Century. I also made my way over to the Lotus Temple and walked around Lodi Gardens and Tombs (where I think I saw a wild monkey). There's a lot more to see in Delhi, especially in the older part of the city, but I will be back with a friend in a few days to catch what I missed.

Qutb Minar, Delhi

In driving around Delhi, I noticed a few things. First, there is absolutely no regard for traffic laws - if there are any, that is. Drivers swerve in and out of lanes, bicycles run rampant on the freeways and traffic horns are non-stop. The streets are littered with taxis, auto-rickshaws, conventional automobiles, large trucks, bicycles, carts, animals and pedestrians. Quite crazy. Second, I came to learn that cows are indeed sacred in India. In a bustling metropolis such as Delhi, I must have seen about a dozen free-range cows meandering throughout the city. I guess I'll need to keep an eye out for landmines in the future. Third, Delhi appears to be growing by leaps and bounds. It seems like the city is building new highway and railway systems. Because the city is so old, the government decided to build up - the highways are entirely raised. No wonder why India is importing so much concrete and steel. Finally, it's apparent how poor some of these people really are. It looks like a significant percentage of the population lives in cramped and dismal quarters. Everything is dirty and dust covered. Bathing habits are suspect - well, except for the people I saw washing themselves on the street.

The next stop is Bombay, where I am meeting up with some people from school and will spend the next three days. There are about ten Americans that traveled to India to go to a wedding which will take place this Sunday. I am looking forward to exploring Bombay and going to an Indian wedding.