Delhi - November 16th

At least today we can do some sightseeing without having to organise travel.  However we first tell the hotel reception we have booked our own travel, which results in them being distinctly frosty towards us.  Our first call (getting there by metro) is the Red Fort, the massive sandstone edifice in Old Delhi, which was built almost 400 years ago, and inside it houses a number of palaces.  The entrance gate is quite spectacular, but inside is not as impressive as I thought it might be.  Still it takes a couple of hours to wander and see everything.

After that we walk/cycle rickshaw through Old Delhi, paying a visit to the Jama Masjid, a massive Mosque capable of holding 25,000 worshipers.  Old Delhi itself is a maze of bazaars of various types; strangely our walk takes us down stationery road, where all the shops appear to sell various types of paper and cards.  We even buy some nice cookies from a street vendor before getting on the metro again.

We lunch in a place called Khan Market, which turns out to be a trendy hangout for expats, and therefore expensive.  After that we go to Ghandi Smirti, a museum dedicated to the great man’s life at the spot where he was killed.  It was quite moving, although the multimedia exhibits seemed a bit childish given the sombre nature of the site.  It also gives Dorota inspiration for the put down for our auto-rickshaw drivers who want to take us shopping, Ghandi didn’t need any goods, so why would we (although we did pick up a few things in Khan Market).

Our final tourist spot is Humayun’s Tomb, a great mausoleum which is said to be the basis for the Taj Mahal.  However this tomb is marble and sandstone, and the contrast of the white and red looks particularly good at sunset.  I think overall we have been lucky with the times we have visited the various sites around Delhi.  However we still are getting the various problems with the photos (taking them, obstructions and so on).  We finish our day back at the main bazaar in Pharangi, the backpacker area.  It is chaos as usual, but we find a little calm for a good vegetarian meal in a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet.