Bye bye, Delhi!

Today was our last day in Delhi, and it was a real delight. We felt more confident that we knew the appropriate fares for our rides and for general bargaining, and it was a nice mix of tranquil and hectic.

After breakfast, I fulfilled one of my travel ambitions: riding in a bicycle rickshaw! My pretext was going to a pharmacy to get eucalyptus oil. I had seen one further up the street: just far enough away that I could "justify" riding in the rickshaw, but not far enough that I would end up on a busy street. We arranged 40 rupees per rickshaw (of course, the kids wanted to go, too!) for a there-and-back, and off we set. Well, bummer. The main destination wasn't yet open. Nothing daunted, the sweet fellows found out about another nearby pharmacy. He was open, but no eucalyptus oil. I told my pedalers that it was fine...we could just return to the hotel. But wait! On the way home, they found another pharmacy! They waited patiently for me to dismount again and inquire. No luck. So, in the end, my pretext didn't come to fruition, but I DID ride a bicycle rickshaw (and I later found a large-ish bottle of eucalyptus oil for $2 in the Main Bazaar).

One of the main metro stations

Having breakfasted and packed, it was time to set off. Tuk tuks to the metro, then back through the metro mayhem. We discovered something interesting, though: the metro has a women-only carriage! There is even a security guard to tell men to scarper, and the announcements say that violations are "punishable" (whatever that means). It was a WHOLE lot less crowded and nicer, and I am a complete fan.

Note the rails to prevent falls...it gets plenty crowded!

Base of India Gate...pretty flowers!

Love the older cars!

Can someone explain this?

Exiting the station, time for another tuk tuk. Off to the India Gate, a bit more walking, and then Humayun's Tomb. It was an amazing complex of tombs, rather than being the single building I'd expected. Really fantastic. The architecture and decorations were unlike what we had seen before, and I was impressed by the complete peace inside the gates, particularly considering that we were in the middle of busy Delhi.

Having had enough of the Tomb, it was time for the Lodi Gardens. Whoa, was that a surprise! A huge park, not crowded, with green parakeets and other nifty birds, park benches, green space, and more tombs! It was a delight to hang out people watching, sipping masala chai from the wandering vendors (they had an all-in-one pot that had chai in top and coals in the bottom to keep the chai hot!), and then later wander in the tomb structures and bonsai exhibit.

Off to the chaos of the Main Bazaar. Having previously visited, we felt much more comfortable with the utter mayhem. And, yes, I use the word mayhem advisedly. However, we knew some of the purchases we wanted to make, and were prepared to wander for browsing purposes once the main purposes had  been fulfilled. Eleanor, Ashley, and I had henna done on hands (the girls) and arm (me). A few more shawls MAY have made their way into my stash, and little objects here and there. We found a man who handmade boots, and he happened to have a PERFECT pair for Florence's archery costume that actually fit (!) for the princely sum of $30. Outstanding!

We went back to the hotel for our last meal (we'd made friends with our darling waiter, and wanted to wish him farewell), with a little stop on the way to pick up some gulab jamun from a roadside stand. We are now sitting in the lobby awaiting the taxi.

Love,

Alexandra

p.s. Bonus picture of the kids in the Indira Gandhi International Airport