When last I blogged I was at the border between Nepal and India. It’s time to carry on through India. In getting ready to write this blog, I was going through my photos from India while waiting for my flight to Berlin from Helsinki. After three days in Helsinki it was surprising how far away India seemed and yet the pictures from Delhi were at best only four days ago. Such is the time compression possible with modern transport. And as I write this, I’m speeding through Germany on the way from Berlin to Prague on an ICE train which has the potential to reach 150+ mph, taking barely 4 hours to make the trip, including several stops on the way. (Note added in editing: If you have not already done so, read my previous blog to see how well this went!!)

Anyway, we pick up the journey having completed the entry formalities at the Indian border. As best I can tell from the map, and from observation, there is no clear natural boundary between India and Nepal other than a line drawn on a map (someone correct me if I’m wrong) and this is reflected in the cuisine and, to some degree, the culture. The big difference at the border is that you go from a minor catastrophe on the Nepalese side through an obvious no-mans-land to a major catastrophe on the Indian side. It’s like Nepal is a warm-up for India, where everything you’ve seen in Nepal is there in India, only multiplied by a factor of 10 (or more). And India is one big contradiction-there’s no other way I can think of describing it. On the one hand you have a country that is very technologically advanced, having nuclear weapons, a space program, a leading player in computer technology and research, home to some of the richest people in the world (and the largest house in the world-more on that later) and, of course, Bollywood. On the other hand you have a country that still relies mostly on manual labor to get things done, where the majority of the population still practice some form of agriculture (much of it subsistence) and water buffaloes are still widely used as farm “machinery”, where many live way below any conceivable poverty line and urban slums still proliferate in urban centers. Don’t get me wrong, India has many very beautiful places (and I have the pictures to prove it) but it’s hard to look at these places and ignore all the rest, and especially so in the cities as you probably drove through a slum to get to the tourist attraction! The whole thing is exemplified for me in the advertising billboards for luxuries that most Indians can only dream about located above slum dwellings (no photos unfortunately). And yet, most people have cell phones – go figure!

This photo is a perfect example of the contradiction that is India. IGI airport is a modern, world-class facility that is as fine an airport you could find anywhere. Yet right alongside the runway is one of the urban slums that are found throughout Dehli and Mumbai.

The Indian side of the border. The truck is a TATA product and is a classic. TATA started out building steam locomotives and it shows in their trucks-you almost expect to see steam and smoke coming out of a chimney somewhere.

One of the two vehicles that would carry us to Varanasi.

Waiting for the Indian authorities to process our passports and entry documents.

This is how trucks leave the factory. The body is added elsewhere apparently, and built to the customers requirements.

Day 1: After leaving the border zone, we drove through an alternating landscape of rural and subsistence farming interspersed with small to medium sized villages and towns, passing through only one major urban center (the city of Ghazipur) on the way to Varanasi, our intended destination. Our guide was intent on us getting to Varanasi no later than 4 or 5 in the afternoon so he kept us moving most of the morning and into the early afternoon with only two short stops for potty breaks/leg stretching. About 1:30 it was obvious that we would have to stop for lunch and to give the drivers a break as the long hours of driving (with the added hassles of navigating the traffic in each village/town/city along the way) was starting to wear on them. After lunch, back into the vehicles and more driving until we eventually arrived in Varanasi.

Family transport, Indian style. The ladies ride side-saddle because of the sari.

First impressions of the city were of hundreds of people crowding the streets, trash in piles by the side of the road, the obligatory cow or two wandering down the street, vehicles of every type trying to navigate through the city. Eventually, we turned a corner and arrived at our hotel (the Haifa Hotel) which is located right on the border of the sacred section of town.

Varanasi is one of four sites considered sacred to Hindus. The first, and foremost, reason is the presence of the river Ganga (Ganges). The Ganges flows south out of the Himalayas and turns eastwards to flow across the northern plains of India before entering the ocean though its delta in Bangladesh. What makes it of religious significance in Varanasi is that for a short time the river turns and flows from south to north through the city before turning eastwards again. This is considered to be of great significance in Hindu mythology and there is a story attached to how this flow of the river came about. The consequence of this special relationship with the river is that over time a series of ghats, or gates, have been built along the river bank, stretching for several kilometers through town. The ghats, which were sponsored by various Indian states or rulers, date from the 16^th and 17^th centuries and consist of a series of steps that lead down to the river, surrounded in many instances by ornate decorations reflecting the sponsoring state or individual. The ghats provide access to the river for individuals to bathe in the river and carry out religious ceremonies (called puja) at the direction of holy men and priests. Several ghats are dedicated as burning ghats, for use in cremations, as Hindus believe that to die and be cremated in Varanasi gives you a short cut to paradise.

Our hotel is located about 3 minutes from the ghat at the southerly (upstream) end of the ghat complex and as soon as we were settled Chetan took us down to the ghat (known as the Assi ghat) to orientate us to the layout of the ghats and the town. One of the hard things to realize is that the river is still running high and was much higher only weeks before. The evidence for this is the thick layer of silt and mud that covers the ghat steps in many places. This is slowly being removed by high pressure hoses as the river level drops but the steps go down at least another ten feet or so below what we can see based on the structures that stick out of the mud in places. (An aside-as I look out the window of the train there is snow on the ground, the first I’ve seen on the trip!) As you look along the river bank you can see ghats stretching pretty much as far as the eye can see, the end of the ghats being marked by a large water intake complex that takes water from the Ganges for Varanasi. We’ll be going out on the river tomorrow, travelling further upstream to meet up with some boats on which we’ll travel back to Varanasi, camping overnight beside the river. So, after dinner, I opted for an early night as we are going back to Assi ghat at sunrise to watch the morning rituals before heading out for the river trip.

Assi ghat

Looking from Assi ghat downstream. You can just make out the ghats stretching as far as you can see along the river bank.

Day 2 and 3: The early morning at the ghat is given over to religious ritual and observances. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges is a holy act and cleanses the body and soul. Making a pilgrimage to Varanasi is an important event in Hindu life and bathing in the Ganga is an important part of it. Both male and female practitioners take part in the ritual, although women tend to use ghats dedicated to their use and separate from the men.

Unfortunately, there are also the ever-present beggars who cluster around as soon as tourists appear. The ones that are probably most disturbing are the mothers with children in their arms begging for money for milk for the children. It is very obvious that the children are severely malnourished – western medicine would label them as failing to thrive is the most severe way. One story that I have a vague recollection of hearing is that some beggars deliberately disfigure themselves in order to attract more attention and sympathy. Judging by the odd angles of arms and legs and the clean amputation wounds on some individuals we encountered, I could just about believe the reality of the story. I have no idea if this is in fact the case but the evidence I saw could be construed as being supportive.

Chetan also explained that you needed to watch out for people, particularly men at the ghats, coming up to you and offering to shake your hand. Most westerners would see this as a polite greeting but these men will now insist that you have entered into a legal contract with them and you owe them money for religious services they provide based on this contract. They are, of course, bogus and it’s a scam but it can get very awkward for a westerner when caught up in one of these scams. I almost became a victim of this type of behavior, in a fashion, in Mumbai. As I was walking along the street and about to enter a building, a small girl came up offering to give me some flowers, which I declined as I suspected this offer was a scam. She insisted on draping the flowers over my camera anyway and I got rid of them as soon as possible. I was inside for the best part of 45 minutes, but when I came out she ran up to me and challenged “I give you flowers now you give me money”. Fortunately, I was able to brush her off but if it had been an adult it would have been more difficult.

It’s hard to talk about the beggars without sounding heartless and cruel as the only realistic way to deal with the beggars is to ignore them and not give them anything. It was explained to us by Chetan this way: if you give something to just one beggar the signal goes out and you are swarmed by every beggar in the neighborhood and you just can’t give something to them all, so don’t start. Also, the government of India has put in place programs to try to get the beggars off the streets and provide them with resources to improve their lives without begging. By giving to the beggars you are encouraging them to keep on the streets rather than taking advantage of the government programs. This is particularly true for children who should be in school (it’s free!!) as they will do much better in life with an education than they ever will by begging (did I mention it’s free!!). I struggled with this issue for the whole of the time I was in India (and Nepal for that matter). You can’t ignore it and you can’t change it and you can never quite come to terms with it.

Anyway, after breakfast we packed what we would need for an overnight stay on the river and headed out in the vehicles to our rendezvous with the boats we were to take down the river. At the location a bridge was being built over the Ganges to connect the village on the other side with the main road through the area. This building activity was going on all along the river with bridges at varying stages of construction. Most of it was being done by hand although at each site a crane was present to lift heavy structural units and hoppers of concrete up to the work site, but most everything else was being done by hand (including mixing the concrete!).

There were three boats, plus a kitchen boat, to carry us down the river. At this stage, although the Ganges had dropped significantly from flood stage there was still a substantial current to carry the boats and each came equipped with a sail. If all else failed there were oars for rowing as well. The boats were crewed by local fishermen (two per boat plus the cooking crew) who have formed a co-operative, aided by Intrepid, to operate these overnight boat trips. After two days traveling downstream, they turn around and tow the boats back upstream, taking about a week to retrace their steps.

One of the boats we used for our Ganges trip.

Under sail.

Put your back into it man! What do you think this is, a pleasure trip?

"I have good news and bad new. Extra rations for lunch. After lunch the captain wants to water ski!"

We spent two days, in total, traveling down the river, camping overnight on a sand island in the river. We covered about 70 km in total, although it was very difficult to gauge just how far we traveled or how quickly we were going. I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

Taking it easy

A Hindu temple

River transport - the government limits river travel to cross-river ferries and does not allow large vessels in most ares

Experimenting to see how many people can fit on the boat.

Anything and everything is carried.

Water buffaloes

Fishermen

Yet another local ferry

A Mughul fort that dominates this section of the river.

A closer view.

The boats pulled up at the camp site.

Sunset on the Ganga.

Getting down with their own bad selves. 

Dawn on the river

The work day starts early

The camp site and the boats

Sunrise

Varanasi comes into view in the distance

Evening Day 3: We arrived in Varanasi in the early afternoon of day 3 and, after thanking the crews for their hard work, we returned to the hotel for free time until the evening. After night fell, we took to the river again to take part in what is known as the flower ceremony. Small candles are placed in decorated holders that will float on the river. After being lit, they are released onto the Ganges; for Hindus the belief is that any wish made as the candle is released will be granted. Chetan had arranged for us to have around 60 or 70 of these candle floats in the boat so we all were able to make all the wishes we wanted for whomever we wanted and then still have candles left to launch.  We then traveled further down river to a pair of adjacent ghats where evening ceremonies were being performed for the Hindu pilgrims to celebrate and venerate the Ganges. I tried to take pictures of this but they really don’t do the ceremony justice.

The little lamps on the river

Night celebrations on the ghats.

Day 4: Another early start as we went for a sunrise boat ride on the river. This was a great opportunity to observe the morning bathing rituals. Again, I’ll let the pictures tell the story.

We then had free time until the late afternoon when we were to catch an overnight train to the megacity of Jhansi, the closest station to the town of Orchha, our final destination. I tried to see Benaras Hindu University but the campus was closed off by the police due to an overnight disturbance. So I went down to the central market for a while but began to notice that I was not feeling that great.

Morning ritual bathing in the Ganges in the morning

Hundreds of people come down to the ghats each morning to perform various rituals, not just to bathe.

I’d been having some GI issues for about a day but figured it was just one of those things. But now it was getting more serious and I realized that I was in trouble. After talking with Chetan we went to the pharmacy across the street and the pharmacist gave me a course of pills that contained an antibiotic, an anti-diarrheal, and active lactobacillus. These are used to treat locals who suffer from bacterial GI problems. By the time we arrived at the station that evening I was spiking a fever, throwing up and generally no in great shape. Fortunately, I could curl up in my bunk on the train and sleep which I did.

At the station

Here's our train to Jhansi.

Day 5: When I woke this morning I felt 100% better than the previous day. While my GI problems continued the fever was gone, I felt human again and I felt hungry and ready to eat again - the pills were doing their thing.

We arrived in Jhansi late in the morning and hired large tuk-tuk’s to carry us out to Orchha. The tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled contraption that is found across south Asia and the Middle East. These come in many forms and fly through the traffic dodging cars, trucks and buses. For passengers it’s a wild experience and all you can do is hold on and hope that your drive knows what he is doing. The smaller versions tend to stay in town but the larger ones we used had room for our luggage and could travel longer distances (Orchha is about 45 minutes from Jhansi).

Chetan had told us that our accommodation in Orchha would be basic but as I indicated in an earlier blog, what we got was something significantly better than average – the former hunting palace of the Maharaja of Orchha. Orchha was once a royal seat, first for the Mughals and then the Maharajahs, who only surrendered their power when India received independence from the British in 1948. The town is known for its many palaces and temples which we visited later that day and in the morning of the following day. Again, the pictures tell the story.

The gardens of the hunting palace of the Maharaja in Orchha-"basic" accommodation indeed.

On the terrace of the palace.

Looking along the porch near my room.

Looking across the Betwa river from the terrace

Looking across the palace complex in Orchha

Temples by the Betwa river in Orchha

The palace complex in Orchha

The palace complex in Orchha

The palace complex in Orchha

The palaces of Orchha are famous for the paintings in several of the royal bedrooms in the palaces

Details of the paintings. These have been partially restored.

Day 6: This morning, we were treated to a demonstration of Indian cooking techniques and lunch was the product of the demonstration. After lunch we had free time to sight see and to shop in the market in town.

Our host for the cooking demonstration

Her sister-in-law demonstrating how to make chapatis

The young lady is the niece of our host and also helped out with the demonstration.

Day 7: Another early start (5:00am) to make the return journey to Jhansi to catch a train to Agra. The journey took about 3 hours and got us to Agra late in the morning. Again, our hotel was above average and located conveniently for seeing the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. So, after lunch, we hired pedal rickshaws to take us to the Red Fort and then on to the Taj Mahal. Let me assure you that everything that has been said or written about these buildings is totally inadequate to describe the reality. The Red Fort was built by Akbar the Great, the second great Mughal emperor of India (Hindustan). Most people are familiar with the story behind the Taj-it’s a mausoleum built by the grandson of Akbar, Jahangir (also known as Shah Jahan) to honor his wife. What is not always known is that Jahangir was held captive by his son in the Red Fort for the last 8 years of his life and he spent much of it staring out at the Taj, so much so that he lost his eyesight and had to rely on his daughter to describe the Taj to him every day. When he died he was buried alongside his wife in the Taj and the placement of his sarcophagus represents the only asymmetry in the Taj. I stayed in the Taj complex until the security guards asked me to leave at the end of the day as the marble façade (the building is brick faced with marble, not solid marble as it appears) changes color as the sun sets. I tried to capture this but I don’t think the pictures are adequate.

The Red Fort of Agra-the seat of power for the Mughul emperors. The red color comes from the sandstone used in the constructio.

The entrance

The moat complex-when filled with water it was home to crocodiles.

The gardens inside the fort.

This room was Jahangir's "prison".

The marble facing is inlaid with semi-precious stone like lapis lazuli

More details of the inlays.

In some cases the marble is decorated by using relief carving

Another view of the garden in the Red Fort.

A marble pavilion in the Red Fort.

Detail of the decorative features of the pavilion.

The view of the Taj Mahal from the Red Fort.

The Taj

Another view

The classic postcard view. What many people don't know is that this was never the view that Jahangir want people to see. he intended the taj to be viewd from the other side-the river side (see below)

Yes, I was really there!

Another postcard view.

A view of the detail. The Taj is not solid marble (it would have been to heavy). Rather it is of brick construction but surfaced with marble slab inlaid with semi-precious stone of carved in relief.

This is a guest house built on the east side of the the Taj. There is a matching building on the west side (to maintain the symmetry) that is an active mosque.

Detail of the carving on the Taj

Another closer view of the structure

This photo was taken from the western side of the Taj at sunset.

Five minutes later it looked very different

 Day 8: Another early start to get to the park across the river from the Taj to catch it at sunrise. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. We then went to a nearby mausoleum, known locally as the Baby Taj. No prizes for guessing where the inspiration for this tomb came from. That afternoon, we visited a workshop that specializes in marble inlay work. The family that operates the business is descended from stone artisans from Persia that did the inlays on the Taj. The family stayed in Agra and the skills have been passed from father to son (only males can learn this trade) through multiple generations. It takes years of training before the men are trusted enough to do the fine detail work-they start learning at about age 7 and by the time they are 30 they are trusted enough to start doing the really fine work. The previous day was Erica’s birthday and I had promised her a model of the Taj and was able to purchase one for her from these artisans. So, she has a Taj made by the descendants of the original builders of the Taj.

This picture, and the others below, were taken from across the river from the Taj Mahal. This is the view Jahangir intend people to have.

The Archaeological Survey of India recently discovered evidence of foundation work in this garden area that matched the floor plan of the Taj Mahal.

It has been rumored that Jahangir intended to build a black Taj in this location (this was the excuse his son used for imprisoning him).

If Jahangir had been able follow through on his plan there would have been tow Taj Mahals, mirror images of each other, but one in white marble and one in black marble.

Highlighted by the first rays of the sun.

The "baby" Taj-no mistaking where the inspiration for this building came from

Detail of the relief carving in the marble

Painted decoration inside the mausoleum

Detailed inlay work done by descendents of the artisans who did the work on the Taj Mahal

Yes, this carved marble with inlays.

A hand-carved model of the Taj Mahal in marble. the ones I bought are smaller than this but look similar.

The afternoon was then free until 7:00pm when we headed for the train station to catch the train to Delhi. This train is the best train that the Indian Railways operates and comes with everything laid on. We finally arrived in Delhi at around 11:00pm and arrived at our hotel in Old Delhi about 11:30pm. After getting our rooms, a number of us got together for a final social gathering as the next day the group would be breaking up with many, myself included, heading off to other destinations.

Day 9: Chetan took us for a walk around the Karol Bagh district of Old Delhi, a great place to shop as it is a market area. We stopped by a restaurant for breakfast and then the group started to split up as individuals went their separate ways. At 9:00am a car picked me up and took me out to Indira Ghandi International airport for my flight to Mumbai. The flight went off without any drama (Air India is a great airline) and I arrived in Mumbai about 3:00pm.

Chetan had emphasized that we should not try to hire taxis off the street or through individuals in the airport as they would likely rip you off. Instead the regional governments have set up a system of pre-paid taxis. You go to a booth outside the terminal where you let them know where you need to go. They figure out the fair which you pay to the people in the booth. They then give you two receipts, one for you and one to give to the driver when you reach your destination. He then takes the receipt back to the booth and gets his money. This gives the driver the incentive to actually take you to your destination and to do so efficiently, and you can be certain that you will not be held hostage for more money at any point during your trip. This I did and arrived at my hotel-The Bawa Continental in Juhu Beach-without incident.

Day 10: With three days in Mumbai, I decided to take the first day (which was also a Sunday) easy and not start my scheduled visits until Monday. This gave me a chance to catch up on laundry, reorganize my gear for solo travel again after two weeks with the Intrepid group, and to work on my blog.

Around 11 I went for a walk around the Juhu Beach area. This neighborhood is famous as one of the areas that the stars of Bollywood have their residences. These are not actually on the coast but lie along the main road through Juhu Beach. The beach itself is only two minutes from the hotel so and I will readily admit to being very surprised at the beach. It’s definitely not like any beach I am used to. There is no sand, more a granular material that makes up the beach. There’s basically no one swimming, the water quality does not allow it, but there are lots of people standing around in the surf at the edge getting their feet wet. There are vendor carts up and down the beach and stands on the edge of the beach by the road. Scenically, it’s not an attractive site (but judge for yourselves from the pictures) but it is considered to be one of the nicer parts of Mumbai and many of the major hotels chains have hotels along this stretch of the coast.

Juhu Beach

Another view

That afternoon, I grabbed a tuk-tuk and headed to a nearby mall as there was a branch of Travelex, a world-wide currency exchange company, in the mall. One of the issues with traveling is how to handle money. For the most part, I had used my ATM card to get money from my bank account in local currency but my bank (and I suspect this is largely true for all US banks) limits how much I can get each 24 hour cycle and charges a fixed fee for the privilege. Changing money is the next best option and I have been doing this for some of the trip. You have to watch for two things when you do this – what exchange rate are you getting and how much commission is the currency agency charging. If you get a good rate you likely will pay a hefty commission and if you are not charged a commission then you’ll get a less favorable rate. Rarely do you find a good rate and little or no commission. It’s also wise to use government licensed currency agencies as these are regulated and held accountable. And always count your money after you get it in front of the agency personnel to make sure you get the amount you are expecting.

Once back at the hotel I made the final arrangements for the car and driver for tomorrow for the trip out to Lonavala-the reason I came to Mumbai in the first place. Lonavala is a former British hill station, a place for the colonial officials, etc. to travel to in order to escape the heat and humidity of the coast. These days it is still used as an escape by the people of Mumbai, particularly during the monsoon season. It lies on the main road from Mumbai to Pune, and with the building of a modern four lane highway between the two cities, it’s only a two hour journey from Mumbai. The “hills” that Lonavala sits on are in fact the edge of a large lava flow, called the Deccan Traps, that resulted from a large volcanic eruption about 65 million years ago (which is thought to have last about 30,000 years) when India was a separate land mass drifting northwards towards what would eventually be Asia. The eventual collision gave rise to the Himalayas and as India continues to push into Asia, the Himalayas (including Everest) continue to grow taller. The lava was laid down in layers (the word trap is derived from the Swedish word for steps) resulting in a mass that is over 2000 meters thick and covers an area of over 500,000 km², giving an estimated volume of 512,000 km³ of rock. The original lava bed may have been as large as 1.5 million km² but erosion and ongoing tectonic changes have reduced this to the current observable size. There is a growing school of thought that has linked this eruption with the global events that cause the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event (the end of the dinosaurs). I could (but won’t) go into the reasons why, but suffice to say this makes it a place that I want to see.

Day 11: Wow! The Deccan traps and the resulting plateau are incredible. It is unfortunate that there is an ever present smog problem in India as the effect would have been more spectacular. As you drive to the east of Mumbai towards Lonavala, just after leaving Navi Mumbai (New Mumbai), through the smog I could glimpse the edge of the lava mass rearing up at least 1000-1500 feet straight up from the coastal plain. To reach Lonavala, the road winds up the face of the lava flow through a series of switchbacks to an altitude of over 650 meters. The flows still form hills that are much higher than this, reinforcing the immense size of these lava flows. My driver took me to several sites where I could see just how dramatic the flows are and I hope my pictures are sufficient to illustrate how spectacular they are. We also went to a Buddhist monastery in caves carved into the rock starting in the second century BC. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Definitely a day well spent.

The Duke's Nose-a formation on the way to Lonavala

The Mumbai-Pune highway travels through some spectacular scenery as it makes its way up the escarpment of the Deccan plateau

Part of the Buddhist monastery carved into the rock at the Karla caves.

Stupas that indicate the Buddhist origin of this complex.

Relief carving at Karla caves.

Close up of some of the carving.

A broader view of the complex. It extends behind me for anothe 50 meters or so

The dge of the Deccan plateau illustrating the layered, or stepped, nature of the lava

Another view that shows the layering.

These formations are between 1500 and 2000 feet high

Day 12: Following up on the success of yesterday, I hired another car and driver today to go down to South Mumbai. This is the historic area of Mumbai and is where the British (in the form of the East India Company) gained a foothold in India. Originally what is now Mumbai was a series of five islands, the biggest, Colaba, being the site of the original settlement. Over time, the channels between the islands were filled in as Bombay (the British name for the city) expanded and outgrew the original island. South Mumbai is now a peninsula that is the major financial and commercial center of the city. The residential areas are to the north and the two regions are linked by a very efficient, if overloaded, public transport system.

South Mumbai has many colonial buildings from the days of the British Raj.

The Central railway station

The Gateway to India. Originally built to celebrate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Ironically, when the Britsh left India in 1948, the last troops to leave marched out though this arch.

The Taj Mahal Hotel, one of the great hotels of the colonial past, and still today.

One of the buildings of the University of Mumbai

The central mosque of Mumbai, reachable by causeway and only when the tide is out.

There is a suburb, just north of the financial district, that is also the home of Bollywood stars and the wealthy and it is here that you will find the largest house in the world. It is 27 stories high (yes, that’s right!!), a floor area of just under 400,000 ft², has an indoor pool, movie theater, ice room that makes snow, a four-story outdoor garden and everything else you can imagine, plus a helipad on the roof (the owner, Mukesh Ambani, is not allowed to land his helicopter there as the Indian Navy refuses to give him permission). It takes a staff of around 500 to maintain the home for a grand total of 3 residents. It really does represent rampant consumerism gone totally crazy and illustrates, yet again, the contradiction that is India. I only got pictures of the upper third of the building poking above the skyline but you can find pictures of this monstrosity online quite easily (it’s officially called Antilla).

Antilla, 27 stories of rampant consumerism

Another view.

Day 13: Today I headed back to Delhi but this time the trip was not without incident. My flight was scheduled to leave at 1:00pm but we were informed at around 11:00am that there would be a delay. Then at 11:30am AirIndia announced that her would be at least a 2 hour delay and that we would be given lunch, at their expense, in the food court. That did not sound promising and it turned out that the flight was delayed by over 4 hours in total, the result of an equipment failure on a plane in the morning and the knock-on effect that had on the subsequent flights. After arriving in Delhi, I got a pre-paid taxi to the hotel and called it a day.

Day 14: I hired another car and driver for a tour of Delhi today. This was not as enjoyable as my experiences in Mumbai as the driver was more intent on talking on his cell phone, and acted only as a driver, not a guide as my other drivers had. Still, I got to see the major points of interest in both Old and New Delhi, so in the end it was a success.

Qubt Minar in Delhi, the tallest minaret in India. Construction began the 1100's but several rulers added to the structure, including a British office in the 1800's. His contribution was removed as it was not in keeping with the original structure

The complex features ruins of many buildings, all made of red sandstone

Many of the buildings feature finely carved motifs, in this case verses from the Qur'an

More of the ruins at the Qubt Minar

This the entrance to a mauslolem int he complex

The sarcophagus and some of the internal decoration are of marble

More of the ruins.

The Lotus temple of the Bahais. Is it just me, or does this look vaguely familiar?

The entrance to Humayun's tomb. Humayun was the father of Akbur and the first Mughul emperor of Hindustan (India)

The entrance gate

Detail of the wing of the entrance gate.

This mausoleum is acknowledge as the direct inspiration for the Taj Mahal

This picture shows why.

Detail of the main building.

Inside the mausoleum.

The India Gate, India's national war memorial. The names of those memorialized are carved into the stone of the arch.

Looking down the avenue from the India Gate towards the presidential residence. The houses of parliament bracket the road adjacent to the presidential residence. Some of the infamous tuk-tuk's are waiting at the traffic signal.

Day 15: So, today I finally leave India after two weeks. It hardly seems like it’s been just two weeks-given all that’s happened it does seem like I’ve been here for much longer. The flight left on time (10:30am, Delhi time) and 8 hours later (at 3:30 local time) I was in Helsinki, Finland. The contrast between the departure point and destination could not have been more dramatic. Why Helsinki, you may be asking? For the answer to that question, you’ll have to wait for my next blog about Helsinki, which I should post by the end of this week, earlier if possible.

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