Jaipur - Goa, India

Let’s Go Jaipur… We arrived in Jaipur by chartered bus which was nice as we could stop as we wanted en route.  It also worked out quite nicely for me as I had started to feel much worse and was able to lie down in the back row.  We called the doctor when we arrived and it turns out my Delhi belly is actually an intestinal infection and he started me on a course of antibiotics and rehydration salts.  I felt almost completely better after taking them for only a day or so- though I have to say they are quite strong and I will not be operating any heavy machinery anytime soon.  I’m recovering just in time because Jaipur has a lot to offer.

In the meantime Stijn and the rest of the group were treated to a Bollywood film at the local theatre that seated 1200- it sounds like it was quite a sight to see and while there were no English subtitles Stijn was able to give me a full synapsis when he returned.  It was the premiere of the movie so it was a full house and the movie was about a cricket player so it seems well timed with the World Cup starting in only a few days.  The people get right into the movie with cheering and at times even start dancing in their seats and the aisles.  I was sad to have missed it but I’m glad that Stijn was able to have the experience.

We got up early this morning and headed to the Amber Fort- this Fort was particularly impressive with a lake on the front side and gardens emerging from the water.  The walls around the fort are often the most impressive part as they build a fortress-like wall for miles up and down mountains.  The majority of tourist entering this fort do so on elephants but we opted to walk as the animals are not treated well and have the markings to show for it.  It was horrible to see how painful the steep descent was for the massive creatures.  Similarly there were several ‘snake charmers’ who have cobras in baskets only they’ve cut out the snakes fangs and instead of charming them with their flutes, they smack them to make them stand up.  Our tour guide is quite passionate about animals and educates all of his groups about making responsible travel decisions which is really important and great to see as there are a lot of people who wouldn’t otherwise understand.

 We also took in the City Palace which for us was quite disappointing coming from Jaisalmer but is apparently quite well known for its architecture.  From there we headed to the Monkey Temple which is quite literally filled with monkeys.  You buy bags of peanuts at the bottom and then feed the monkeys all the way up to the top of a large hill where the temple sits.  The smaller monkeys were quite cute but the adult males were a tad on the aggressive side for me.  None the less it was really a site to see and Stijn got some really great shots of the very well fed monkeys.

The highlight of Jaipur and perhaps India thus far was one of sheer coincidence.   His Holiness the Dali Lama was in town and speaking this afternoon- and not to be missed.  Our tour guide was able to get us all in to hear him speak and it was amazing just to see him in person. He arrived with fairly light security and little fuss and spoke of the human morality and understanding that is needed in today’s world and among all religions and all people.  All of what he said was noteworthy, and particularly his laugh, but his forward thinking and true open mindedness was truly inspiring.  He spoke of India as being one of the few places where for centuries many different religions have coexisted in harmony and that we all must have compassion and respect for each other and our different religions as they do here in India.  I suppose that one of the reasons he has lived here since 1956 awaiting the day he can return to a free Tibet.

There doesn’t seem to be a fitting way to follow the Dali Lama but none the less we headed to the markets for some shopping before heading back to the hotel for the night.  We once again leave bright and early for our next destination which is Agra- home of the Taj Mahal.  How fortunate for us that we’ll be at one of the most romantic places in the world for Valentine’s day-coincidence yes- but we’ll take it!

Let’s Go Agra… We arrived in Agra in the afternoon and our hotel was conveniently next door to the only proper coffee shop we’ve come across since landing.  India is not known for its coffee and for the most part it’s instant and really terrible. We only had to order it once to find out that tea was definitely the way to go. We’d given up hope until we ventured into costa coffee- a Starbucks type café- needless to say we took full advantage and loaded up on caffeine while we could.

Aside from the great coffee, we were eagerly anticipating visiting the Taj Mahal which is best seen at sunrise so instead of rushing through it that evening we took in the Baby Taj which is also made of white marble but is on a much smaller scale but too was built by a Mogul to mourn the loss of a wife.

Bright and early the next morning we headed to the Taj which was in walking distance from our hotel.  When you walk into the courtyard from anyone of the three entrances you are greeted with massive red sandstone gates that perfectly block the view of the Taj until you’re ready to cross through at which point the gleaming white Taj appears in perfect contrast.  No matter how many pictures you’ve seen, nothing prepares you for its beauty- it is truly stunning and surreal.  Goosebumps and all, we entered and just marvelled at the amazing creation.

From the main platform at the front, our guide told us the touching story of the Mogul who built the magical monument after his third wife died giving birth to his 14^th child.  They were very much in love and she had made him promise that if she ever died he wouldn’t take another wife and that he would build something in her honour that would show the world of their love.  After seven days of solitary mourning he emerged a different man- the once young and proud Mogul was instantly grey and old.  But true to his word, he dedicated the next 22 years to making the completely symmetrical wonder in her honour complete with a mosque on the left and a replica building on the right simply so that it looked exactly the same from both sides.  Her tomb is directly in the centre of the building where he too now lays.

The architecture and immense thought is evident in every inch of the solely marble building- the main structure is surrounded with four minarets on each corner which were built slightly slanted so that should an earthquake hit the area, they would each fall away to the gardens and not in on the Taj itself. Every inch is perfectly crafted and delicate inlay stonework surrounds each of the four entrances to the tomb. Sadly, he didn’t get to enjoy his masterpieces long as he was imprisoned by his youngest son who overthrew him and took over the army after having killed his three older brothers.  But don’t feel too badly for him- he had done the same thing to his father so it would seem that karma had his number.

But the Taj wasn’t all beauty and romance- we were very sad to see the gardens littered with garbage and the four large fountains and water unkept.  It’s hard to imagine having such an amazing building that brings people from all over the world and not having staff making sure that the garbage is removed and the water stays clean.  But as they say… TII… ‘This is India’ and anything is possible in India!

After the Taj Mahal we retreated to our hotel and prepared for the night train which will take us to our last destination on the tour- Varanasi- where we’ll explore the Ganges River.

Let’s Go Varanasi… We arrived very early to Varanasi and had to sleep on the lobby couches until our rooms were ready… or so we thought.  The hotel we were supposed to stay in lost our reservation so we had to relocate to another hotel and continue waiting for our rooms to be ready. 

Varansai is most well-known for the Ganges River which is considered to be very holy for the Hindu people.  The first night we arrived we took a boat ride to see a daily ceremony that takes place.  There are a series of dancers performing.  Five that represent the elements of the earth and Seven that represent the seven days of the week.  Along the river are two main crematoriums where they burn the bodies of their loved ones on piles of wood to be purified before returning the ashes to Mother Ganges. Children are never cremated as they are already pure and are instead floated out and placed on the bottom of the river.  It was quite traumatic to see bodies being burned along the shore and I’m not sure I was quite prepared for that but the Hindu’s strong beliefs and rationale make it a bit easier to bear. 

The next day we had a free day to explore the City so Stijn and I headed out to the streets around the hotel.  We stopped in at a barber shop and got Stijn a haircut- it was amazing to see the elaborate process that they go through, from straight blade to head massage, it appeared to be a really relaxing and pleasant experience.  We’ll have to see if he’s brave enough to get a shave next time.

After that we headed out to the market to look around but we didn’t last long- Varanasi was surprisingly one of the loudest cities we’ve been to yet and you have to be pretty loud to beat some of the much larger cities like Delhi.  We weren’t very impressed and retreated back to the hotel for some peace and quiet. 

The next morning we were scheduled for a morning boat ride on the Ganges to see all of the Hindus that start their morning by taking a dip in the river to cleanse themselves.  Again we had to pass the crematoriums and to be honest it was just not necessary.  Perhaps it’s a bit too soon for me and perhaps other people didn’t mind it as much as I did but I found it unnecessary.  Luckily we were able to salvage the day by heading to the Saranath where Buddha is said to have given his first Sermon and the tree under which he received enlightenment.  The site is filled with ruins dating back to the second and third century, but were only discovered in the 18^th century by the English. 

After Saranth we heading to the silk factory district where 7 kilometers of cooperative silk factories operate.  We were given a tour of a few of the factories where the men worked tediously on each scarf, bed covering and pillow case.  It was amazing to see how delicate the process is and just how intricate the work is.  We were taken to the store where all of the factories send their wares and one man sells them all for the entire area.  We were inundated with such amazing pieces and even ended up buying a few items that we’ll have to ship back home-some of which are gifts so I won’t detail them here.  A bed cover can take months for one person to make and scarves up to a few weeks.

That night we headed back to the train station to take an overnight train back to Delhi where our tour concludes.  It’s amazing how quickly the three weeks has gone and how well you can get to know people in such a short amount of time.

Let’s Go Delhi… again… After a series of cities and long over-night trains we’ve decided that it’s time to hit the beaches and two overnight trains via Mumbai won’t do.  As soon as we arrived back in Delhi we booked flights online direct to Goa along with a couple other people from the tour.  We then headed to the train station to refund our train tickets and were delighted to be able to get all but about four percent of our money back.  Across from the train station was a market that we have not yet explored so we meandered our way through the tiny backroads and alleyways passing children and men playing cards and cricket.  The older parts of Delhi are filled with these tiny winding streets that are hundreds of years old.  Every square inch of frontage is utilized with tiny store fronts and the family homes in the back.  You can find just about anything you could possibly imagine in these tiny stores and each one has something different and interesting to look at.  As we made our way to the main street the local feel is immediately exchanged for the hawking of anything and everything that might catch the eye of a tourist.  There is more variety in Delhi than in some of the other smaller cities and more ethnic variety.  Items from Tibet and Nepal are offered here- seemingly a strange fit with their heavy toques, jackets and other wool items- but beautiful none the less. 

With a taste of local fulfilled we headed to India Gate, a large war memorial in the centre of New Delhi, to try and find more tiny toys similar to those that we found on our first day at the start of our tour.  Stijn has started quite a collection of toys that we will give to the children when we make it to Africa… if he can manage to fight the urge to play with them himself!  After some haggling we are able to add to the collection and then head to the Imperial Hotel- a seven star hotel aptly named and dating back to when the English ruled India.  It is a stunning site and in complete contrast to the majority of the Delhi that we’ve seen.  Bentley’s, Jaguar’s and other stunning cars, both new and antique, fill the parking lot and as you walk in the grand entrance, we are greeted with a Channel store.  The room rates are for most people, out of range however, lots of people come to dine in the elegant restaurants. Unfortunately we only have time to look at the stunning buffet and to salivate over the sushi and other delectable treats before having to head back to the hotel in order to head to the airport.  The promise of sand and sun make the lavish spread seem irrelevant and off to the airport we go.

Let’s Go Goa …  We arrived in Goa late in the evening and have to walk around a while before finding a place to stay for the night, or at least one we were willing to stay in.  We didn’t think we’d need reservations but we were wrong- it’s Saturday night and all of the hotels along the beach are full.  We are shocked to find the whole town filled with mostly Russian’s and while there are of course Britt’s dotted amongst them, they are mostly older and not the young backpacking crowd we were expecting.

The next morning we spent a few hours trying to sort out our accommodation for the next few days and it was not without frustrations.  Customer service is something of a mystery at times here in India- even if they have rooms available but you don’t have a reservation, they will not let you stay at the hotel.  We had to go to an internet café, make reservations online, and then come back with them before they would book us in.  None the less, we booked five nights at the resort since it’s on the beach and location is definitely important here- the main streets are filled with inns and guest houses and while they’re in walking distance from the beach, they lack charm and serenity.

For the most part we spend the next few days relaxing on the beach although we did have to take a few days off after having bought local sun screen that was either long expired or just completely useless.  Needless to say in weather reaching 34 and 35 degrees- we were burnt.  We did manage to take in a weekly market in Anjuna and a day trip to a beach about two hours south of where we are called Palolim.  This beach is more in line of what we were expecting- though still a large contingent of Russians- all of which are very large and appear to have no age limit to wearing a bikini nor taking their tops off (surely not the topless experience Stijn was hoping for)!  Overall though, a much quieter and remote beach with only beach huts as accommodation that are taken down each year after the tourist season.  We were a bit sad that we hadn’t stayed here but none the less enjoy exploring it for the day before heading back to our resort.

Today we are checking out of our hotel and saying goodbye to India and heading to Bangkok.  We had hoped to be able to head to the Maldives from here however it was much more difficult from India particularly because once we leave India, our visas do not allow for us to come back, and Bangkok is a much better hub so we will see what we can find from there.

As we depart India and reflect on our time here we are pleased with the vast majority of experiences we’ve had here.  Thankful that we joined an organized tour knowing full well that left to our own devices we wouldn’t have lasted a week.  There are many more parts of India that we would have liked to take in but it’s much too large of a country to devour in one trip.  We have enjoyed the people and the culture immensely, though there are certainly aspects we could do without, namely the loud burping and the inexplicable idea that every square inch of this country is a suitable toilet, but we are humbled by the simplicity and yet complicated way of life that exists here that is steeped in rich history and the warmthness of its people.  And while the country has kicked our butts repeatedly, it is truly an amazing country and far more enjoyable than we were expecting. We are grateful for our time here and for the memories we’ll have.

Now to the familiar Bangkok to start the second leg of our journey.

Jodphur-Pushkar, India

Let’s Go… Jodphur - We arrived in Jodphur after a 7 hour bus ride on a local bus- we were quite frightened about what the local bus might entail but we were pleasantly surprised.  They have sleeper cabins above the seats and it seemed like half of India was up there.  At every bus stop more and more locals would climb out only we hadn’t seen them get on the bus- it was wildly entertaining.

Arriving at our hotel was a breath of fresh air- the hotel was a royal property and had an amazing garden court yard as well as swimming pool and our rooms were just as majestic.  We settled in before heading out to the Fort.

This Fort, while no longer a living fort, it was really quite spectacular.  There was an amazing audio tour that took us through life as it was in a fort for the many centuries it was occupied- through all the customs and traditions and through the artefacts and royal rooms.  The Fort was designed and built to keep all intruders out and to this day as never been breached.   Leading up to the main gate was a very steep hill and polished stone making it slippery and difficult for elephants to gain momentum.  If they were able to make it up they were greeted by a right angle which would bring even the largest of animals to a halt.  One inside there were several courtyards with views of the city and the very throne where centuries of kings had their coronation.

The next day we went on a village safari which took us just outside of town.  The first village was that of a pottery-making family.  Pottery is a craft handed down from generation to generation with the children starting to learn at age ten.  An elderly man transformed clay mixed with sawdust into beautiful vases right before our eyes.  In the span of ten minutes he had created a number of beautiful pieces before he had his grandson, who was just thirteen show us what he had learned.  Formerly, this would have been the family’s only education and means for earning an income however, now the children also go to school and learn the pottery in their spare time while the elders continue to make and sell their wares.  Had we not been travelling for so long there would have been a number of items that would have been mine! 

From there we headed to a seven-person village where they demonstrated how their traditional opium drink is made as a sign of respect to guests who enter the village.  The opium is very diluted and cannot be bought at full strength.  We didn’t taste that but Stijn and some of the others were treated to a traditional smoking pipe.Stijn really looked the part as he sat on the carpet, turban and all!  We also visited a village of traditional carpet makers- it was really interesting to see how much work and time goes into each of the carpets. I was quite pleased to hear about the cooperative with they had started with the villagers near-by.  Their village was by far the nicest and the cleanest- so I expect they are doing quite well with it.  

Tomorrow we head out early by bus to Udaipur.

Let’s Go Udaipur…sadly the bus ride was far less than enjoyable this time around- what was supposed to take five hours ended up taking us nine and a half- and every hour was pretty brutal.  Our bus driver yelled the whole way- he clearly thought it was an acceptable volume for conversation.  On top of that the roads were under construction and extremely bumpy the majority of the way.

By the time we arrived, Delhi belly had officially set in. I regret to report that we didn’t see much of Udaipur other than the hotel room and the pizza place across the street.  We did manage to wander out one night to the market but turned back after a short while.

The rest of the of the group was treated to what sounded like a great time- a show that highlighted all of the various traditional styles of dance, a cooking class and a palace built in the middle of the lake- the one that was filmed in the James Bond Movie Octopussy (it feels very wrong to type that).  We hope that the next stop in Pushkar will cure our stomach’s.

Let’s Go Pushkar…  We arrived in Pushkar after taking a 6 hour train ride where 6 people are seated per cabin knee to knee in fairly tight quarters.  Luckily for us, two of our group members in our cabin managed to find seating elsewhere so we were able to stretch out somewhat. 

Our hotel was very nice once again and considering we booked a ‘basic’ trip we have been very spoiled with the quality of hotels that we’ve been staying in.  This one, complete with spa (though I use the term loosely) and pool served as a good resting place for Stijn and I who were still trying to get over our stomach issues.

We managed to join the group for the evening orientation outing where we went to the holy lake and took part in a Hindu offering ritual.  The priest provided us with plates filled with grains of rice for good food, granules of sugar for sweet life and red and orange coloring which he then marked our foreheads with.  Each offering was made with a Sanskrit chant and in exchange you ask for good karma, health and happiness not only for yourself, but for your family as well. 

There are three main Gods worshiped in Hinduism, the Brahman God can only be worshiped here in Pushkar making it a very auspicious town where Hindu’s travel to and wash themselves in the holy lake and go to the Brahman temple.  For this reason no eggs, meat or alcohol is allowed.

The next day I decided to rest my stomach and sit by the pool and read all day while Stijn wandered the streets and markets.  There is always an interesting story or two when you wander around the markets of India and this time Stijn found himself at the brunt of the story quite literally after a cow decided to try and gore him with his horns.  Luckily Stijn moved out of the way but not before receiving a few pretty good bruises.  Here of course, cows are holy and are pretty much everywhere.  Traffic goes around them and they are able to go wherever they please.  Our tour guide was telling us that if a cow hits you there is nothing you can do except say sorry and apologize for having done something bad in another life- not quite the answer Stijn was looking for but amusing none the less!

That night we went out for dinner on our own and were delighted to have some Israeli food complete with pita and hummus.  We love Indian food but it is far too heavy to have every day and have been diligently seeking out other alternatives for the past few days.  This definitely hit the spot.

We'll be heading out tomorrow morning to Jaipur which is a much bigger city than we've been in the past few days-there's over 4 million people and is very well know for its shopping-needless to say we are looking forward to it.

Jaisalmer, India

Let’s Go Jaisalmer… We’ve survived the train ride and even enjoyed it!  The cabins were cozy but comfortable and provided an interesting way to see the drastic change from Delhi to Rajasthan Province.

Jaisalmer is a stunning place made almost entirely of yellow sandstone with extremely ornate architecture and breathtaking views.

After settling in at our hotel we headed out with a few members of our group to explore a bit of the village and managed to find ourselves a little boy to help guide us through the meandering streets to the top of the hill.  The homes here are much cleaner and better cared for than in Delhi- though still quite basic they have a bit more flare and design.  From the top of the sandstone hill you can see the entire village including the Fort which is the only living Fort in the world.  We continue to be very taken with the kindness and warmth of the people of this country. 

In the late afternoon we re-joined the rest of the group and headed out on tuk-tuk’s to a lake that at one point provided the people of Jaisalmer with drinking water but now is a place of reflection and beauty for the Indian people.  Looking out over the horizon it felt as though we were looking over the Serengeti and at any moment we might see a pride of lions pass by.  This part of Rajasthan is not at all what we expected.

We continued on to a memorial for women who during a war with a Muslim leader from Afghanistan got word that their husbands had lost the war and had all been killed and that the warriors were on their way to Jaisalmer for the women and children.  Rather than be captured, murdered or raped they decided to jump into a mass fire.  Tragically, their warriors had won the war and returned only to find their family’s ashes.  In memoriam, amazing pagoda like structures were erected in their honour. 

Apart from the tragic story and amazing architecture, the sunset was stunning from the hill top.  There are few nicer I could imagine.  And the views only got better- our guide arranged dinner on a roof top restaurant above the market in town.  The building itself appeared to have been a palace at one point with beautiful courtyards and intricate corridors.  Our table faced the glowing fort and a local family band played music as we ate.  It was a truly surreal experience and to-date the most magical setting for a meal.

Camel Safari

We continue to be mesmerized by the people, culture, sights and smells of India- yes smells!  If you’ve ever seen Russell Peters stand-up routine you know what we were expecting in terms of smell and thus far it couldn’t be further from the truth.  Incense and spice fill the air as we stroll through tiny alley ways and streets among the colourful people, dogs, cows and pigs.  For the most part we are left alone and not hassled by shop keepers or beggars.  The children wave and the adults greet us with ‘namaste’ which means much more than hello and honours the light and life in another person- and you almost always know they really mean it. 

We spent the night at a camel safari tent which was much more luxurious than we were expecting- more similar to a yurt only we had our own private bathroom and proper beds and electricity.  The weather has been extremely hot so when we first arrived at camp we had to wait until closer to sunset when it had cooled down.  The camel ride was quite an experience- we rode out to the dunes and watched the sunset over the desert.  Locals from the herding village near the India-Pakistan border entertained us with music and dance before we headed back to camp.

We headed back early the next morning to our hotel in Jaisalmer and spent our afternoon trying to arrange our train tickets for after the tour ends.  It took us a while to sort out the system but we managed and will be heading to Mumbai on the 20^th and then to Goa on the 22^nd.  Two girls from our group will be joining us on the train and exploring a bit of Mumbai with us before we head down south to the beaches.

As I write this we are en route to Jodhpur on a local bus that left at 5:30 this morning and should arrive sometime around 11:00 a.m.   The landscapes are amazing and ever changing- the country is so large and there is so much to see- we are already talking about coming back at some point to see and experience more of what India has to offer.

Delhi, India

Let’s Go Edmonton Fairwell!  What a great night and a great chance to see some of our family and friends before heading off.  Maria and Lonneke made Nasi Goreng and brought a whole feast over to our house and we were joined by Ulco and Kelly and Sjoerd and Candace.  We had a great meal and even greater company!

Mike and Katie also stopped by to see us off- and of course to indulge in the Polish Buffalo Urine Vodka that Mike bought Stijn for his birthday!  And our dear friend Maryam also came by and true to her sweet self, had hand made a card from our Thailand trip together where she promised her and Jazzy would meet us somewhere along our journey- which we will hold them to! 

The next morning came fast (and with a twinge of hangover) but we made it the airport thanks to Ulco and Maria and were off to Vancouver for the first leg of our journey!

We were so happy to get to see our friends and family over the past few weeks before leaving- missing the people in our lives will of course be the major challenge of this adventure but we look forward to hearing all about life in Edmonton and all of the other places our loved ones are.

Au Revoir… for now!

Let’s Go India!  Arrived in Delhi almost 12 hours later than expected after having to turn around 3 hours into our original flight from Beijing for technical difficulties.  We spent the night in a hotel in Beijing before starting the flight to Delhi all over again.

We got to take in some of the city as we headed by prepaid (now post- paid) taxi to our hotel which is the middle of Krishna market which was bustling when we arrived as it is a holiday for the Indian people.  Our hotel is quite primitive according to Stijn but it’s clean and when you’ve been in transit for over 24 hours and crossed the International date-line, anything resembling a bed will do! 

We explored a bit of the market last night which was filled with mostly tailor shops to buy sarees and jewellery for woman.  The colors and detail are incredible- Stijn really likes them and thinks I should be able to get away with wearing them at home! 

Maryam will be proud to know that our first meal in India was at McDonalds- sad I know but we didn’t wander too far and given that the majority of the food within the market is street food- and knowing my history of sensitivity to foreign food- it was the sensible choice… for now!  Not usually a fan of McDonalds, I have to say this one won me over.  Half of the menu was vegetarian with the other half being chicken.  I opted for the delicious McVeggie and Stijn had what is called the McAloo Tikki which I think is the equivalent of a regular hamburger but made without beef- he said it was very similar to a broodje kroket in Holland so we were both pleasantly surprised!  

After dinner we wandered the market a bit more before heading back to the hotel room to try and rid ourselves of our jet leg- though as I type this its 6:20 a.m. and I’ve been awake for several hours!  The time difference is 13 hours from home so it’s been a difficult transition but we’re getting there thanks to sleeping pills and a little bit of luck!

We will meet up with our group this morning and start exploring both new and old Delhi- we missed the meeting last night so we will be meeting everyone this morning for the first time.  Hopefully we will meet some great people to share in this first leg of our journey with!

Let’s Go Old Delhi… We have officially fallen in love with India!  This morning we met up with our group or so we thought- apparently our tour starts tomorrow but we were able to join another group that was starting today and explore old Delhi with them.  The group was a great mix of young and experienced and interesting middle aged travellers- most of the group was doing a few months of travel so it was very interesting to hear all the other places that the other people were heading and where they had been. 

We started our journey by taking the metro – the most populous metro in the world.  It wasn’t quite as busy or disorganized as what you see on TV, but it wasn’t far off either.  At times there was no need to hold on as you were held up by the mass of people around you, but there were queues, great security and all the platforms were very clean .  We headed to a monument where a Persian King had invaded 11 times and on the 11^th time he ordered his warriors to kill as many people as possible so that as the King stood high above the streets on the edge of a mosque, he would be able to walk down on the backs of bodies as punishment for refusing to convert to the Muslim Faith.  

From there we headed to a mosque built out of red clay that was brought from over 250km away in the 16^th century. It was originally built for Friday worship- in India there was originally a different temple or mosque for each day of worship- but is now open for worship throughout the week.  The area for worship is high above the streets and had fantastic views of the amazing chaos going on below. 

From the mosque, we made our way to the Sikh Temple.  Before entering we had to leave our shoes in an information centre near by then cover our heads and walk through water to clean our feet as we entered.  There are two parts to any Sikh temple- first is the place for worship where there is a man dedicated to the temple who watches over the holy book.  The holy book was a book of principles from all 10 gurus and their learnings as well as all of the best part of the other religions in the world.  Each guru added to the book and would pick a proceeding guru before his death.  The 10^th guru decided there would be no more gurus and gave the book to his disciples.  There is a room underneath the front of the worship area where a replica of this book is safe guarded.

The second part of the temple is a community kitchen and housing area where anyone is welcome, no matter their faith or wealth.  We were able to tour the kitchen where all the food was being prepared and Stijn was able to charm the ladies into letting him help flip the chipatties!

Next stop was lunch in an old market where the royal women and their harems used to frequent to buy their wares.  We ate at a restaurant that was opened in the 1800s and has been owned by the same family ever since- the food was incredible and we both had more than we could possibly eat for only $2.  For the rest of the afternoon we were free to wander the more modern part of Delhi on our own- we headed with a few other people to India Gate and to the Parliament as well as the President’s Palace before heading back to the hotel.

After a much needed nap, we went to meet our real tour group and had or orientation meeting.  Our group is much younger than the one we were with today- mostly Aussie’s and a few Europeans.  Hopefully it will be an interesting and fun group to travel with.

Tomorrow we’ll set out for Old Delhi again but with a new leader that will have his own spin on things- we are very much looking forward to the experience of the train.