Day 2: Exploring Old and New Delhi

 

Waking up in Delhi reminds me of NY. Never ending traffic, ambulances, the honking of horns, the shouting…this is one crazy bustling city of 19 million people! Cows are aimlessly  wandering the busy streets, unchallenged.  They are regarded as sacred and considered as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.  However, ironically,  they have become a major factor in the traffic and road accidents. These creatures have the complete liberty to do what they want on the roads, which have now become their home.  Apparently you can only blow your horn at the wandering cows, but you cannot touch them.  Considering how congested the roads are in Delhi, we have a hard time comprehending the rationale behind this attitude. Holy cow! Indeed 🙂
Finally we made it to our first destination – Baga i, a house of worship that is inspired by the lotus flower, the exquisitely beautiful flower and symbol of purity that is inseparably associated with worship and religion in India. The Baha’i faith is a new, independent world religion whose purpose is to unite all the races and people all over the world in one common Faith. 1 odd basic is that they offer a spiritual solution to the economic problems 🤣 I’m sure that our world leaders will love this! Second on the list: India gate, a significant memorial site. (very much like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris). This is nothing less than the pride of India. The two massive columns have been carved with the names of Indian soldiers of the British Army who were killed during the First World War and Afghan War.  Recently, it has been converted into a war memorial.
We had a lovely late lunch: murg tandoori with rice, massala and naan bread – 😋 ! Third: Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial.

 

In the afternoon we visited ‘old Delhi’ by rikshaw, we saw the Red Fort, the Presidential Palace (decorated with Canadian flags, since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited last week – according to the Indian press a not very successful visit 🤔). We ended with the
Jama Masjid mosque – the biggest mosque in Delhi where more than 2000 people get a free meal every evening. We visited the kitchen with volunteers preparing food in huge pans. After this busy and fascinating day, I showered off the dust and went to sleep😴…

 

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