India Day 2

We were up early today to tour Delhi....both Old and New!  The new part of the city is the part build under  British influence since 1947.
This city of 13 million, was the site of the Commonwealth Games recently, and is still undergoing construction at every turn in the road.  Delhi is a city of many cities.  They say that to be able to handle the chaos of this place, you have to let your self go.  Just be part of it, otherwise, you would go stir-crazy.  The people, being mainly Hindu and then lots of Muslims, have some strange beliefs.  It is ok to "piss" in public but not ok to "kiss".  The crime rate is very low, not because of the laws, but because of religion.  The populace believe in reincarnation.  Your behaviour in this life determines what you will come back as in the next life.  If you are bad, you might come back as a fly or maybe a mosquito.  Yikes!

The highlights of the day were Qutub Minar which is a victory tower and as a minorette to the adjacent mosque.  It is 72.5 meters high as is the highest stone tower in India.  It is adorned with elaborate carvings and inscriptions from the Koran.  The wild green parrots love it as much as the people.

We removed our schools and dressed in flowered nightgowns and entered the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India.  It hosts 85000 people for Friday prayer in temperatures of 45 degrees C.  It took 60 years to complete by 1650 A.D. and the smell of marble and royalty is everywhere.  A Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan had it built.  People pray quotes from the Koran.  Young boys, hand in hand as friends, pray on tourists.

As the bus jockied through the streets, competing with all forms of transportation, the division between the rich and poor was so evident.  People will do anything for a rupee.  Thanks to the roundabouts otherwise we would still be in the traffic.

We ended the day by flying from Delhi to Udaipur.