The tour started with the mughal ruins of Qutub Minar. The tower and ruins are an amazing appearance. Walls are carved with beautiful scenes and inscriptions. I find the native scripts elegant and captivating.
The tower is impressive. History of the tower includes several destructive lightening strikes. The top floors were replaced with marble and then destroyed by lightening again. I wonder if there was ignorance of lightening rods or just a preference towards reconstruction.
Script and carvings on the walls are just beautiful.
Then we proceeded to the silence of the Bahai House of Worship. We were batch processed in and encouraged to remain silent. Somehow the one and two year olds, and some adults, were unconvinced. Particularly entertaining was the Chinese Deaf Delegation. Guides repeatedly requested silence and no pictures in both Hindi and English. One delegation member signed the same to the group with little effect. A guide engaged one deaf photographer and the deaf standard bearer charged in defending the hearing impaired. It was quite a mixing of culture, communication, and the changing times.
The building itself is modeled after a lotus which holds great significance across multiple local belief systems.
The view eastward from the temple was both beautiful and bothersome with a blanket of smog covering the city.
Next stop Khan Market and Big Chill Cafe for delicious italian food. Khan Market felt nice. I'm beginning to think there is something simply human and organic about nice shopping and eating districts world wide.
Then we toured India Gate, some houses of government including the Supreme Court, and Connaught Place.
Later in the night (morning) we went out with local contact who were finishing their coverage of US business hours. We found a great rooftop restaurant and ensuing conversation. This also came with late unhealthy food and drinks which I'd pay for the next day. I'm usually pretty careful about diet and sleep to keep on track for energetic daytime adventures. I caved once, had a good time, and got a refresher on the merits of my routine.
After a first round of restorative rest we went exploring in Gurgaon and Delhi via foot and metro. The capital city appears much more western. Communication comes more easily and expats are plentiful.
It's great to find universals joys. Someone has a nice wheeling setup complete with snorkel.
We heard good things about Kingdom of Dreams as a collection of all parts of India. It looked promising for shopping and a show but the timing just didn't work. There was a photo shoot going on and very nice to see the models and coaching.
Then we headed off on the metro. Apparently the local metro was built in just a few years. Construction continues in efforts to reach even more communities. As an outsider I find the metro a tremendous asset. $3 for a day pass and stations near most major attractions. I suspected before and believe even stronger now - extra bonus points to cities with robust metro train systems.
We exited metro at Chandni Chowk. It was an impressive market and allegedly not best place to reveal an expensive camera phone. The market was truly impressive with the array of people, products, and presentations. In hindsight I'm disappointed to have no pictures of this experience.
We made our way through the densely packed market and on to Red Fort.
Unfortunately a stairway to the wall was roped off. Don't mind the bunkered gun covering the entrance :-)
Sultan's "Peacock Throne" rested here while he held court with normal people.
Columns are quite cool. There are artifacts from four(?) cultures in the columns. The one that caught my ear and eye were flames carved into the top of the columns from Persian influence. Persian influence featured several times in the fort.
This is one of two coverings for watching monsoon rains. A channel in the middle of the floor ran with water. The contrasting bunkhouses in the background were built during British occupation.
There is a mosque inside the fort. Orienting the fort toward Mecca as required would conflict with the geometry of the rest of the fort. Solution? Build a wall around the mosque so the geometry aligns with everything else. Inside the walls align the mosque as required. Interior design at its best. Imagine what these guys could have done with Caulk and modern building tools and materials...
Interesting designs on the walls.
Marriott Courtyard Gurgaon was home away from home for this trip. I really like the room layout. The "shower" was subtly downset from the rest of the bathroom. A glass wall keeps the room bathed in light. This is so much warmer than the typical American shower stall.
I found a nice perch on the fifteenth floor for working and writing. The metro train track runs through the picture about 2/3 of the way up. I find it infinitely entertaining to watch tractors, bicycles, Suzuki and Mercedes cars roll by slums and skyscrapers alike - usually on the left.
It was interesting to experience a call center in Gurgaon. They provide local opportunities that would not exist otherwise.
Hey Wes .... Glad that you are having fun ... North India is a glimpse of the Mughal Era. Enjoy the trip !
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