The flights were fairly uneventful. Lots of movies, lots of sleeping (for me) and not much to eat. We informed the attendants that we had requested vegetarian meals, but they told us coldly and firmly, "No." No questions, no apologies, just a decisive ruling before they handed us each a dinner salad consisting of one piece of romaine, about the size of a business card, a cherry tomato, a black olive and two slices of cucumber. Livin' the raw vegan dream! We were on Aerosvit, a Ukranian airline, and they were less than hospitable. But the planes were comfortable, the flights were smooth and we arrived on time- to applause, no less, from the other passengers. We did have a five hour layover in Kiev, not enough time to get out and see the sights, but just long enough to feel how cold Kiev is in March- freezing!- and to see that the landscape was as warm and fuzzy as our flight attendants. We napped a bit, then happily climbed aboard our next plane, which was neon!
Once in Dehli, we had some samosas and channa (mmm, spice!) and found our friend and headed for Chandni Chowk. We found a hotel by 5am and settled in (after some really extensive paperwork by the desk guy) and then marvelled at the Jama Masjid as the sun came up, the streets already full of people, carts, cars, bikes, goats, sheep, dogs and vendors. As I readied myself for the cold bucket bath, I had a moment of panic. (And I mean "panic" in the most relaxed way possible.) I was confronted with a mildly grimy, tiny "bathroom." There was a non-functioning sink, a squat toilet, an old mirror mounted on the wall, and two faucets coming out of the wall, labelled "cold" and, incorrectly, "hot." Below the faucets was a big bucket and a smaller bucket. No towels, no toilet paper. So my thought pattern was something like, "Ew! This is kinda gross- Why am I here? Wait, I like dirt! Why is this bothering me? Because I like outside dirt, not inside dirt that came from other people's-stranger people's- bodies! Ah!! Maybe this was all a huge mistake! I should have gone camping, in the outside dirt! Not to a big icky city with people dirt!" Then I took a breath, realized that not only was I being a privileged asshole, but I also already committed so I better make the best of it. And I was wrong, anyway.
We had a lovely day, visiting the Jama Masjid, where we were given garrish robes to wear, to cover our arms, and distracted from our meditation inside the mosque by other (Indian) visitors taking pictures of the white people. The whole taking pictures of, and with, the white people went on all day. We were swarmed by a class of school children on a field trip to the Red Fort, yelling "hello" and wanting to shake hands. Then they asked for a picture with us and cheered like they'd just met rock stars. It was hilarious, and we must have taken at least ten other pictures with random people that day, too. (Including one at night with a guy and his family, but his camera was bad in low light, so he asked me to take one with my camera and email it to him. I did.) In the seemingly unending little streets that make up the sprawling markets, cars, pedestrians and rickshaws fought for the right of way as flies buzzed in and out of pots of rice and dal and locals stared at us like they'd just seem a new species. We got a papaya and asked them to cut it in half, which they did, though they seemed pretty confused. We walked the rest of the way carrying the papaya halves and eating with forks, now being stared at like a clinically insane new species.
We ate at Karim's, famous for their biryani, none of which was vegan, but dinner was spicy and delicious nonetheless. We walked through more markets, saw some kids playing cricket at some point, and even caught some of the sound and light show at the.Red Fort, which was mosquito-y and not terribly impressive, but the dollar ticket got us in at night for some amazing views and an almost deserted fort. There were also adorable, filthy puppies. Seriously filthy. I played with one and my hand was black when I walked away. On the way home I tried to buy a sari (but walked away when I realized the guy wanted me to sew it myself), we got lost in the market streets, met three bulls and saw a cat chasing a huge rat, and then, right as she was about to catch him, she stopped and walked away. But we found our way back, and are nestled in our tiny room, with its three twin (or, is there something smaller than twin?) Beds, with wood frames, pushed side by side and taking up almost every inch of floor, but still with a few inches of wooden frame between each.mattress, so it isn't quite the "one big bed" it might have been. And yet... so glad I came here, no matter how great camping dirt is.
We had a lovely day, visiting the Jama Masjid, where we were given garrish robes to wear, to cover our arms, and distracted from our meditation inside the mosque by other (Indian) visitors taking pictures of the white people. The whole taking pictures of, and with, the white people went on all day. We were swarmed by a class of school children on a field trip to the Red Fort, yelling "hello" and wanting to shake hands. Then they asked for a picture with us and cheered like they'd just met rock stars. It was hilarious, and we must have taken at least ten other pictures with random people that day, too. (Including one at night with a guy and his family, but his camera was bad in low light, so he asked me to take one with my camera and email it to him. I did.) In the seemingly unending little streets that make up the sprawling markets, cars, pedestrians and rickshaws fought for the right of way as flies buzzed in and out of pots of rice and dal and locals stared at us like they'd just seem a new species. We got a papaya and asked them to cut it in half, which they did, though they seemed pretty confused. We walked the rest of the way carrying the papaya halves and eating with forks, now being stared at like a clinically insane new species.
We ate at Karim's, famous for their biryani, none of which was vegan, but dinner was spicy and delicious nonetheless. We walked through more markets, saw some kids playing cricket at some point, and even caught some of the sound and light show at the.Red Fort, which was mosquito-y and not terribly impressive, but the dollar ticket got us in at night for some amazing views and an almost deserted fort. There were also adorable, filthy puppies. Seriously filthy. I played with one and my hand was black when I walked away. On the way home I tried to buy a sari (but walked away when I realized the guy wanted me to sew it myself), we got lost in the market streets, met three bulls and saw a cat chasing a huge rat, and then, right as she was about to catch him, she stopped and walked away. But we found our way back, and are nestled in our tiny room, with its three twin (or, is there something smaller than twin?) Beds, with wood frames, pushed side by side and taking up almost every inch of floor, but still with a few inches of wooden frame between each.mattress, so it isn't quite the "one big bed" it might have been. And yet... so glad I came here, no matter how great camping dirt is.
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