Our second day in Delhi started
with an 8:00 visit to Delhi’s Sikh Temple. We entered the temple after checking our shoes, washing our
feet and donning headscarves. As we
enjoyed the architecture, large numbers of worshippers listened to prayers. Stan was the only one to get his
knuckles politely rapped for turning his back to the alter. Unlike the past, I did not make the
mistake of sitting straight legged with my toes pointed toward the alter. One stick rap on the feet years ago
ensured a lesson learned.
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We Are Now In the Market For Our Own Headscarves! |
It will come as a surprise to
some that very few people wear turbans in India. Back home we associate turbans with the Sikh religion but
Sikhs make up only 1.9% of India’s population and most Sikhs live in the state
of Punjab.
Our next tourist stop was the
National Museum. Lots of great
history was on display and like most things in India, the exhibits had English
descriptors.
We spent the rest of the early
afternoon sightseeing from the van.
Embassy row, national cricket grounds, more parks and tree lined boulevards
than one can imagine. New Delhi is
a very green city. It was mid
afternoon when we reached the saturation point for touring. Our driver dropped the women in the
shopping district while the boys found some large Kingfisher beers and returned
to the hotel for some pool time.
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President's Residence |
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Canadian Embassy |
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India Gate - Monument to Returning Soldiers. |
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India's Parliament |
While we were soaking up the sun
and alcohol, the ladies were experiencing a Delhi adventure of their own. They ended their shopping and began a
search for a ride back to the hotel.
After turning down a gentleman’s offer for a ride in his private car and
taking a rickshaw ride to the wrong hotel, they decided to take a tuk tuk
motorized three-wheeler. This is
when the real adventure began.
Kal, Doreen and Darshan squeezed into the only seat provided. Deborah joined the driver on the single
seat upfront. She managed to place
one cheek on the seat and one arm around his back. They don’t know if her familiarity was the motivator but he
took off at high speed. The ladies
were tossed hither and yon as he negotiated around rickshaws, cars, trucks and
cyclists. At one point he decided to bypass a long line of rush hour traffic by
laying on the horn and driving down the middle of the sidewalk. People jumped out of the way of the marauding
tuk tuk while the girls hung on for dear life. They finally arrived at the
hotel, a little shaken but with a great story to tell.
We spent our last evening in
Delhi celebrating Doreen’s 60th birthday. A nearby restaurant set up a special party place complete
with banners and ballons. Doreen
was completely surprised and while our singing was a little weak, we had a
great evening.
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Turning 60 in Delhi |
