Last night I got absolutely no sleep. I spent majority of the night looking at the clock on my phone just waiting for the time to pass. I think it was a combination of still being jet lagged and being in a bed that was very unappealing to sleep in. They bed was super hard, but luckily I had my sheets to lie on. The room is full of ants and Jackie and I have each killed a beetle as well. Definitely not the most pleasant room on the planet, but its India! Hal says the hotels will be a lot better from here, so it’ll only get better from here. Breakfast was surprisingly good at the hotel. I had some fried eggs and toast with jelly. I’ve also been having a really sore throat so we managed to find a pharmacy down the road and I got some antibiotics for 70 rupees, which is less than $2. I was surprised how cheap it was, and luckily I recognized the medicine so I knew it would help.
The first place we went today was Jama Masjid in New Delhi. It is the largest and best-known Islamic Mosque in India. It was pretty similar to some of the mosques I remember seeing in Egypt in terms of architecture, but you could definitely tell it was of Indian design. It had the traditional Domes and Minarets that are typically seen in Indian architecture. I’m sure I’ll be seeing this throughout many more places, including the Taj Mahal, which we’ll be seeing in 2 days. Although the mosque was beautiful, the most interesting part of this experience was probably the interactions we had with the locals. We were being followed in groups and constantly had our picture being taken. I noticed early on that there really aren’t a lot of tourists in Delhi. When the Indians do see people that look as different as us, it must be something amazing to them.
After exploring the mosque, we went into a very busy street in the middle of Delhi that was PACKED. I can’t even emphasize the amount of people and vehicles were on this one road. It was pretty overwhelming, but very interesting to see. Seeing the different types of people I noticed how blended the areas are. On one corner you will see a homeless man and a dying dog, and the next you’ll see a shop with a security guard selling beautiful saris that are very expensive. There aren’t any clear-cut divisions of where the poor and rich are living. We had lunch here in a cafeteria-style place that Jeremy took us to. Jeremy Fritzhand ‘10 is a former Minerva fellow, is here with us on the trip, which is great because he speaks Hindi from living here and knows all the places we’ll be going. Emily LaCroix ’11 is the current Minerva Fellow in India and she’s with us as well. It’s been great having them with us because they’re able to answer so many of our questions.
After this we went to a Dilli Haat, which is a market geared towards tourists. I hate to admit it, but it was such a joy shopping here. I’m sure the prices were jacked a little higher than usual but it was very mellow here and a pleasant to shop in (I’m having such an American moment). I bought some bengals with peacock feathers on them and some other gifts for people. I’ve been told there are peacocks in India so I’m looking forward to seeing those because I absolutely love peacocks!
After the shopping and passing out on the bus, we went back to the hotel to rest and then to dinner. On the way to dinner I actually got knocked over by a dog! I know this sounds bizarre, and it totally was. A little kid was playing with a dog and the dog god scared or something and completely knocked into the side of my leg and I wiped out. It was so strange; I was more shocked it even happened than being concerned about being hurt (I was totally fine! I caught my fall with my hands thank goodness). For dinner I had Dal, which is some concoction with lentils and spices, and naan. I’m trying to avoid meat at all cost on this trip because I have a sensitive stomach and eating meat in Egypt past year seemed to set it off. I’m being super safe with food for the next 3 weeks! I’ve also been drinking Lassi, which are these yogurt drinks. They’re apparently really good for you and have tons of protein and probiotics. Since I left my probiotics home I’m going to drink these as much as possible, and they’re very tasty!
Tomorrow we’re spending most of the day on the bus driving to our next destination: Jaipur! I probably wont have much to write but hopefully I’ll have some great pictures to post. Since I’m using my brother’s camera instead of my own I was still getting used to it today, so hopefully I have better luck with it tomorrow.. Until then!
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