Back online!

Hey all - We've been offline for a few days as we have not had Internet access since we left Delhi. Since we last posted, we've had a great time in Haridwar (wait til you see the pictures), Rishikesh, and Corbett Tiger Preserve (no tiger sighting, but we did see wild elephants - and we got the picture you wanted, Marcia!). We're back to Delhi now for more big city stuff, so we'll post more stuff in a few hours. More soon...

Shafts of light - Safdarjung's tomb

Bahai temple

Purana Quila (Old Fort)

Tangle of electrical wires in Chandni Chowk market

Bird Hospital in Jain Temple

Carved marble screen in Humayun's Tomb

Qutb Minar

Step Well on Archeological Walk

Food Stall in Dilli Hat

Unnamed tombs in Lodi Gardens

Our Hotel

This is our hotel, the India International Center (IIC), built in 1962 (you can tell from the architecture). The rooms are nice and clean (and quiet), although it was hard to figure out all of the light switches. We've been able to use a plug adapter to charge our various electronic devices in the rooms, and the hotel even has WIFI access (which is why your able to see these pictures), and a computer in the lobby for general internet use. We've had some very good food in the hotel lounge and restaurant (including some truly excellent fish curry). It can be hard to find good places to eat near some of the places we've visited, like the Qutub Minar, so it's nice to know we can always at least get a good meal at the IIC.

Dilli Haat

This market reminded us of the People's Fair in Denver. All sorts of artisans and food. It was a lot of fun, the temperature was perfect, we found lots of great stuff to buy and had a great meal. One of the booths was selling hand carved walnut boxes that were gorgeous. Devi and I bought silk scarves to put over our heads when we visit the mosques and we had our hands done with the henna dye. The only thing we didn't like about this visit were the beggars - mothers carrying their babies would walk up to your car and pound on the windows - even the baby was pounding and saying "hello, hello, lady, hello"! It's so hard to see that and not give them everything you have even though you know it won't really make a difference. Such a contrast of lifestyles.

Safdar Jung's Tomb

Safdar Jung's Tomb within walking distance from the Hotel. An example of Moghul Architecture. It has the same layout as the Taj but a lot smaller and built with different materials. We figured out how to cross the road without getting ourselves killed. I think the driver's here all seem to have the same recessive allele for colorblindness; they can't tell red from green. Stop lights are merely a suggestion. But they do seem to be able to get around quite well. We did not see any accidents yet.