I knew my air luck would improve; my flights were clockwork-like. And so I descended upon New Delhi at 10:30 pm to be greeted by a sign with my name on it. After thankfully relinquishing my baggage and getting some rubees from the ATM, I emerged into the extraordinary heat of New Delhi--OH MY GOSH, it was so HUMID. I seriously swam to the awaiting air-conditioned van.
The streets of New Delhi seemed oh so familiar--Thailand has just about the same lack of sanity. They took me to the USEFI (the Indian counterpart of the Fulbright) guesthouse. This place is practically in the center of New Delhi, and I felt like I was in a compound. . . well, maybe I should say a palace compound. There was a big, white, iron gate in the front with armed guards 24-7. Then inside there were nice gardens and 3-4 story buildings, all white-washed and new looking. I stayed in a nice room with air-conditioning and hot water.
So I thought I really had the whole jet-lag thing beat. I was going to basically lose one good night's rest on the journey (I was allowed to sleep during the first half of the flights only.) Then, since I'd get in after midnight, I'd sleep in until about 9:30 and be on the Indian schedule. No problem! Well, India had another idea. Because this relatively nice guesthouse comes with breakfast; and in India, you have breakfast when they tell you. So, I woke up at 6:30 to vigorous knocking on my door. After quickly throwing on a sweater, I opened the door to try to explain that I had just flown in, and I needed to sleep more. "Could I have breakfast later?" The neatly dressed man frowned, smiled, and then indicated that I should sit down while he made me eggs and toast. I knew better than to argue, so I obeyed.
The problem with being in a compound is that it makes you scared to leave. I went to the building next door to meet the head of the Fulbright program in India, and she greeted me with a big hug. Then she listened to my plans for touring the country quietly before proceeding to warn me about all of the hazards that I would encounter. Then she directed me to her travel agent to help me with my plans.
The travel agent helped me find a train to Agra the next morning, and scheduled a car to take me around the sights of New Delhi. Of course, it was Monday so many of the monuments and all of the museums were closed, but I went around and saw some of the lesser-known sights. These included Qutb Minar, the largest stone tower in India and begun in 1193; Humayun's Tomb, whose design was to be refined later to create the Taj Mahal; a Sikh temple; and a Hindu temple.
The Sikh temple was my favorite. At the first two places, people harassed me constantly--offering to be my guide, wanting to take photos for me, or just simply begging. Actually, the begging usually happened while driving. Little children (always children) would run up to the car when traffic was stopped. Sometimes they would perform a little dance or show off their flexibility, sometimes they'd just look at me with little, sad eyes and tap on the window. I've read that it's always better to donate to a credible charity, but it's hard when these kids are staring you in the face.
Anyway, back to the Sikh temple. After building up an icy shoulder and a firm face, it was a relief to escape into a serene house of spirituality. People were chanting and clothes were being laid over the holy book. Before entering I took off my shoes and covered my head; then I found a place on the exotic carpet to kneel. It was a circular space and people would kneel for a time on the carpet before continuing around the circle clockwise. In the middle of the circle was a sort of shrine with the holy book as well as two people chanting. It was lovely.
New Delhi is certainly nothing like Bangkok. Bangkok feels as modern as New York, but New Delhi is much lower and no skyscrapers dominate the horizon. It still feels like India, but I was anxious to get out of the compound and feel more independent. And so I took a train the next morning.
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