Pittsburgh, last day in Delhi in review

How does the time fly so quickly?
Monday, today, is my last day in India. One of the (many!) fascinating things to me about "India" (since I am only in a tiny patch of the subcontinent) is how comfortable I feel here. Not that I enjoy the poverty, the racism, or the ignorance, but I do not feel scared off. And no doubt my comfort level has a great deal to do with the fact that I have been welcome in a home, and have had the extraordinary luxury of, a local travel guide (Kim) and driver. Still, I am fascinated by this place. It is beautiful and ugly all at the same time.

My flight home was scheduled for 10:50 Monday evening, so we had the whole day to sight-see and shop.

I did not want to miss Humayan's Tomb, a beautiful pre-cursor to the Taj Mahal right in Delhi and not far from Kim's place in New Friends' Colony. To put it boringly, it is a crypt, but less boringly, the symmetry of the place, much like the Taj and Lodi garden, remind the visitor of the many elements of Persian/Islamic design involved in creating such a harmonious place. Truthfully, I liked it almost as much, if not more, than the Taj Mahal. (Photos in transit, Camera lost!)

Shopping followed, first in a fly-, stink- infested open air market called Par Ganjh in New Delhi near Connaught Place. Such tight quarters. You walk along the lane; beggars follow you (Hello, hello), rickshaw drivers wheel in and out, horns honk, the occasional (no, I did not get a photo, story of my trip) cow wanders through. You go into a shop, beautiful shoes, purses and outside filth, poverty, crowds, flies, smells (some good), men surround you trying to sell.
After Suresh dropped us off, I asked Kim, "Are we going inside?" We weren't. This was it. This open air market is the place to buy shoes, purses, textiles, you name it.
Kim has got the bargaining down. Whatever the price is, she negotiates down further. And the ridiculous thing is, the prices are so low already. i came home with two pairs of shoes that, here in the U.S, would have set me back $100 (with markup, transport, etc) for $20.
Par Ganjh was fascinating. Bargains amid flies, dogs, chicken vendors, motorbikes, beggars (the familiar woman with baby racket was too much); all shop owners men lounging around under their fabric awnings.
Amazing to think of such lovely shopping in such overwhelmingness, for lack of a better word.
More to follow, but mostly, I am sad to be leaving. After Humayan's Tomb and Par Ganjh, we had a quick lunch at KFC in Connaught Place *(safe food, cooked to death). Beggars outside, small brown child splayed on the walkway, mother figure bent tiredly over him, yet, only tourists around. A constant problem.
More to come on my last day in Delhi (lots of shopping!). Nicest part? Back at Kim's place, Leila and Zola goofing and Kim and I clinking our wine glasses.
We had a lovely connection, even having not seen each other for three years. I felt so at home and so welcome. Maybe that's why India felt so comfortable to me.
Namaste!

Delhi, weekend recovery, April 4 and 5

After our long short trip to Jaipur, I took Saturday off. Kim had an Easter egg hunt and reading for kids in Lodi garden and was up at 8:30 a.m. I slept in, updated the blog and in the evening we went to a gathering hosted by some of her friends whom I had met previously. Nadia, who is Moroccan, served a couscous that was one of the best meals I have eaten.

Sunday after brunch we went shopping in Kahn Market, near Kim's house, at a place called fabIndia. Purses, pillowcases, a vase. I am determined to only carry back my suitcase, so this will be a lesson in packing tight!

I am going to leave this as a short entry. This has been a brief trip and I want to sit back and reflect and write a bit more about my sense of the experience, rather than just transcribe a day-to-day recap of activities.

I have seen just a tiny bit of this country: There is a lot that is sad and repulsive and a lot that is beautiful. The thing that is important to me is that I have met so many people from all walks of life, people who live in all over the world and consider it as normal as any American citizen would consider moving from place to place in the States. So even a short trip truly broadens your perspective on the world. In India, what's news is what happens here, what happens in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the States and then the rest of the world. It makes you realize that the American perspective on the world is by far not the only one.

One of the sad things you see everywhere is people begging; sadder still is some do it for a living and appear to be perfectly healthy. This woman does not look like she has missed many meals and the child may not even be hers.