Back in Delhi

Lost a lot of steam today.  I got back to Karuna's around 8:30 after another night on a bus.  I didn't leave her place until after noon.  I went to lunch at a swanky restaurant in Connaught Place and had some tasty Northern Indian food (I don't know what the difference is yet).  Then I went to Cafe Coffee Day for some caffeine.  I wandered toward my next destination, and saw Sacred Heart Cathedral on the way.

Sacred Heart Cathedral

I got a little lost after that, but eventually made it to Birla Mandir.  It's a Hindi temple that is dedicated to Laxmi (the goddess of prosperity) and Narayana (the preserver).  The temple was inagurated by Mahatma Gandhi on the condition that people of all castes will be allowed to enter the temple.  (at least that's what delhitourism.gov.in says)

Birla Mandir

Then I went back to Karuna's and chilled for a bit before heading to the train station to see if we could get on to Varanasi.

Delhi day 3 and Amritsar

Woke up and went adventuring.  Hopped on the metro and went to Cannaught Place.  Naturally, my first stop there was Starbucks.  I was determined it would be.  Even though that meant wandering for 30 minutes looking.  After CP, I walked to India Gate.  India Gate is a memorial to the over 70,000 Indian men who died fighting for Great Britain during WWI. (Pictures of India Gate are trapped on my good camera).

Teddy at Starbucks

Auto Rickshaws at a stop light

I left India Gate and walked to Khan Market for some good grub at a place called Khan Chacha.  Then I continued on down the road to Lodhi Garden.  I saw Shish Gumbad and Bada Gumbad, a couple tombs within the garden.

Chicken masala... mmm

I kept walking and met Karuna's friend, Emily, at Humayun's Tomb.  It's the first substantial example of Mughal architecture in India.

Humayadun's Tomb

 Then I walked with Emily and Courtney to Nizamuddin Dargah on our way to where they live.

Nizamuddin Dargah

I ate dinner with them, but had to leave before their weekly prayer night because I had to catch my bus to Amritsar.

Waiting for my bus to Amritsar

After being on the bus for 12 hours (it was supposed to take 8.5), I headed straight for the Golden Temple.  It was super foggy, but I walked the whole way around anyway.  People stand in line for up to an hour to go into the temple and then get a free handful of food.  I had to gear up for that and didn't do it on my first time.  Then I wandered around Amritsar.  I knew where the coffee shop I wanted to go to was, but apparently I didn't know where I was, so I wandered.  I eventually found it and just sat and watched for a while.  I also happened to see some sort of festival, so there were elephants in the street.

Teddy and the Golden Temple

Golden Temple through a gate

Elephant!

Then I wandered a bit more before heading up to the India-Pakistan border at Wagah.  Each day they do a crazy ceremony each day just before sunset, open the gates between the countries, lower the flags, shake hands, and close the gates.  It was a good time. (Pictures trapped on camera until I get home).

Then I went back to the Golden Temple to see it lit by night.  It was super pretty.  I had pumped myself up during the day, and the line was shorter, so I went into the temple this time.  It's super ornate.  Then I got my handful of awesome food.  I lost my token for the bag check (I think because I was trying to take a picture of a fish with my phone) and had to do some convincing to get my bag back.  Then I went back to Cafe Coffee Day (for the third time) and killed some time and watched some people.  After a bit of chilling at the coffee shop, I got back on a bus for another 10 hours.

Delhi Day 2

Day 1 was spent walking.  Day 2 was spent braving the tuk-tuks to see some sights.

Inside a tuk-tuk / auto

They drive mega crazy around here.  I have video footage to prove it.  Karuna was even in an auto that got swiped by a car today.

Lotus Temple

First, I went to the Lotus Temple (Bahai House of Worship).  I wish I could have taken a picture inside because it had some amazing architecture that created different chambers that made it seem like there was a whole choir when there was only one person singing.  It was super cool.

Kate and Qtub Minar

Then I went to Qtub Minar (admittedly got ripped off on the auto ride there).  The tower, which is 73 meters tall, began being built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak, who was the first Muslim ruler of India.  Additions were made for the next couple hundred years to the complex.

After Qtub Minar, I went back to Karuna's for some resupplying (food and money).  Then continued on...

Teddy went to Market

I went to a couple different markets, INA and Dilli Haat.  It was pretty fun to wander around and see different things.  I bought some souvenirs for people back home and just sat and people watched in general.

My first chai in India

Then I went to an outdoor mall-type place to meet Karuna for dinner at her friend's house.  She's got a pretty cool community of people here.

Dehli

First order of business, wander around Karuna's neighborhood, Haus Khaz.  It's apparently known for it's little shops and old ruins.

These ruins are from the 1300s

Cool little park around the ruins

TR likes ruins

I had some strangely curry-like Cup Noodles for lunch, then wandered some more.

Dadi-Poti's Tomb.  Dadi Poti means grandmother-granddaughter.  It is believed that they are called that because one is bigger than the other.  No one knows who is buried there.  Poti, the smaller one (38.7' x 38.7') belongs to the Tughlaq period (1321-1414).  Dadi, the bigger one (52' x 52') is from the Lodi period (1451-1526).

Inside the Poti tomb

Poti tomb's dome

Then I went back to Karuna's for a nap.  When Karuna got home from work, we walked some more (farther than I did earlier in the day) and had some Nepalese food for dinner.  Then I had some gelato. After dinner and dessert, we headed back to Karuna's place and planned out a bit of what might happen in the next two weeks.  

Morning in Delhi

My bags made three stops, just like me -and we were reunited after just over an hour in the Delhi airport.  I'm pretty sure my bags were just about the last ones off the conveyor belt.  But they made it, and so did I.

India welcomed me!

Karuna met me at the airport and we took a slightly scary (apparently scarier than normal) cab ride to Karuna's apartment about 20 minutes away.  The noise took some getting used to, so I didn't sleep amazingly well, but I did ok.

Morning haze

It's pretty hazy in the morning. Karuna said it burns off most days. The yellow and red tent in the picture ended up being the entrance to a wedding that happened later in the day.

Amsterdam

The airport is cool enough... Had some tasty little pancake thingers.

Tried on some wooden shoes

But the really exciting thing is that, I, Kathryn Laura Maxwell, will be doing something I have waited 28 years to do... I will be flying on a plane bearing my initials.

Layover 1

Landed in Seattle last night for a 12 hour layover. In the daylight outside looks like this...

Makes for "fun" landings. At least we landed on the first try. Soon it's back to the airport so I can get to this...

More fog!! At least it's warmer fog. What is really weird to me though is that it's still warmer at home than in Seattle.