Delhi/Day 3

After our crazy car adventure, we checked into our hotel and then crashed for a couple of hours. And I am not exaggerating here. We had to meet up at 6:15 AM to start our bicycle tour. We had read about doing this in several other places that we have visited, but it just didn't seem like the kind of thing that would work out with the kids. We took advantage of the kid-less opportunity to go on a Delhi by Cycle tour. I think that for Andy and I both this ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. This company has 3 tours to choose from, we choose one that went through Old Delhi and the Spice Market. 

Biking through the old, narrow streets of Delhi.

In the Spice Market. This is one of the largest Spice Markets in all of Asia. The workers behind our guide work for less than $0.50/day. They sleep, shower and eat in the open.

The inside of the Spice Market. The shops are on the other side of these buildings.

These men who are lined up here receive free meals and medical care daily from the Sikhs.  Most of them have leprosy or are HIV positive. The Sikhs are very well-known for their charity. 

After the tour we came back to our hotel to discover that they were still serving breakfast. We felt like Hobbits as we enjoyed our "second breakfast." We then rested in the room for a couple of hours then headed out to see some more sights. We decided to take the Metro (subway) to Akshardham Temple. The Metro was crazy crowded as it was a Sunday afternoon. It was even more crowded than the buses and subway in China! We jostled and made our way to our stop, but to my dismay when I got off the train I discovered that my wallet had been stolen. Thankfully, I did not have much money inside and we easily canceled our credit card. Andy had been carrying our bank cards, but most importantly they didn't get my passport! I was a bit shaken up, but my husband (true to who he is) was not upset at all and reassured me greatly. We walked the block to the temple and were in for a great surprise. We had thought this was an older temple, but it was more like Disney meets Hindu temple. It was slightly surreal. I kept waiting for them to start playing "It's a Small World" in the background. Turns out it was more like an amusement park. Gratefully, it was free to get in. We spent less than an hour there and then were onto Humayun's Tomb. We spent several hours there, watching the sunset and just talking. Another highlight of the trip.

We enjoyed some yummy Indian food and then set off walking to the Old Fort to watch a light show there. We walked for over an hour, asked various people with varying levels of English, and never made it to the Fort. Fail. After a while, it just didn't seem like it was worth the effort anymore. We opted for an early evening and were hoping to swim in the hotel pool. But then, double fail. The hotel pool was closed. We made the best of it, went to the hotel bar to enjoy drinks and dessert.

Humayun's Tomb

As the sun set, the sandstone became more reddish. We enjoyed just sitting, talking and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

This little girl spotted the birds and was determined to catch/chase them.

As she chased them, she was flapping her arms just like wings. Adorable. And her dad just watched on in amusement (much like us). I love watching dads of all cultures love their kids.

Some boys cooling off in the fountain by the Gate of India. And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, some are naked.

Gate of India