Delhi - Part II

Humayun's Tomb - where many Mughal's are laid to rest, an early model for the Taj Mahal.
One of the other buildings on site showing glimpses of how beautifully adorned it once was.
Allah!
Some of the brilliant tile work has endured the looting and dirty air of Delhi.

The gate to the tomb complex.
One of the many stone screens.
View from the tomb back to the gate.
The entry to the tomb- lovely red sandstone embellished with marble inlay.
A few ewes passing the time. The guy in the background is wearing a sweater made of their cousins....

A fruit vendor in the goat parking zone.
The fellahs inside the butcher shop eye a passing goat who may perhaps be part of their next delivery. The narrow alleys of Nizamudin. Park your shoes and buy your offerings for the tomb of the famous Muslim saint.
We like this shoe park because they cave our claim checks. Only 10 Rupees!
The Mosque and some lucky souls with tombs close by.

Day two we started off by going to Humayun's tomb. Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor back in the 15oos. His tomb has been said to be the inspiration for several later monuments including the Taj Mahal. According to my wise brother Noah, Humayun died by falling down a flight of stairs. My inside India sources agree and add the further explanation that he was headed down some steep stairs to his mosque for prayers when the come to prayer music began, He quickly turned towards Mecca on the stairs, slipped, fell and eventually died. Anyway, the place was really beautiful. The tomb, some of the other historic buildings on the grounds were all worth a look. There are so many Mughal bigwigs buried there that they call is a dormitory. Even old Humayun's barber has a special place to rest. When Gus the barber's time comes I wish him the same tribute as the Emperor's Hair Developer.

Next stop was the Nizamuddin complex. One of the most revered Muslin saints, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia is entombed there. He died in 1325 but is still a huge draw. Approaching the tomb you have so walk down a narrow winding lane lined with shops selling flowers and other memorial things to buy and lay on the tomb. there are also about 50 places where you are asked to check in you shoes as they need to be removed before entering the holy parts of the complex. I must admit I was a bit nervous and unsettled as we entered the narrow street. I wasn't really sure what we were supposed to do - the religious and cultural customs and practices there are so foreign and unknown that it was extremely unsettling. We checked our shoes and I bought a couple of flower garlands. We got in line for the tomb with the many followers, devotees and disciples and a few odd tourists. The guy at the door motioned me to enter and also allowed Sophia in. the tomb houses what looked like a coffin, covered with cloth and flooded with flowers, spices and other apparently significant items used to pay homage, Sophia was allowed to look into the small area though lovely marble screens along with other women devotees. Men were kneeling, praying and touching the coffin and cloth. I respectfully laid my flowers on the coffin and made my way around it. On the way out I signed the guest book and made a small donation. So I've got that going for me.... which is nice....
We looked a round a little longer watched people in the mosque area found our shoe guy (not too many shiny white sneakers on the pile) got the shoes and headed to Ashook and then to the hotel.

After a shower and a rest we headed to the other really good restaurant in our hotel - Bukhara. http://www.theworlds50best.com/2007_list.html Our friend Roopank joined us for dinner. He took over the menu and we feasted on lamb, chicken, Dal and some amazingly good Nan. After dinner we sampled paan. A bunch of stuff folded into a a leaf. Roopank said there are about 10 degrees of paan from mild to knock out. We sampled the mildest and it was still a mouth explosion to remember as the flavours of cardamon, anise, pepper, leafy taste, mint and more overload the taste buds with flavour and texture. http://www.food-india.com/ingredients/i026_i050/i028.htm

India - Part 1 - Delhi

Ashook - driver extraordinaire
Sophia looking cool at the India Gate
Me looking less cool
Looks good but not worth the Delhi belly risk

Street dogs can sleep anywhere
Shades off
Lahore Gate of the Red Fort

The pedestal that once held the Emperor's jeweled throne
Example of Mughal architecture
Arches and arches
Pay no attention to that man in front of the screen...
Green space in the Red Fort

The Lahore Gate
Mysterious gold door monkey temple
Gold monkeys say hello
Snoozing between rides
Face in the crowd

Crouching to cook tasty street treats
Hustle of the lane
Activity to tickle the senses
Flower street

Sari lane

Colorful clutter
Fruit on the run
Not enough traffic in this lane...
The kid will let you check your weight for a few Rupees

Delhi is the capital of India. It is like Washington DC as Mumbai is like New York City. A huge sprawling city, Delhi is a blend of old and new. There are areas with broad avenues, large green spaces, beautiful homes and hotels and a mall like that in DC surrounded by Colonial buildings and monuments. These areas contrast with the tightly packed old parts of town with narrow winding streets, barely wide enough for a bicycle trishaw to fit onto, colorful shops, street food, carts, livestock and commerce of every kind. We were lucky enough to see all of this and more during our recent three day stay there.

First of all, thanks need to go out to my friend and former Philip Morris colleague Dhamey Norgay for lending us his car and his excellent driver Ashook. Ashook's skillful navigation of the crazy Delhi streets was like a work of art. Weaving, honking, cutting off and being cut off every inch of the way. They say in India the average driver honks the horn 7 times per kilometer. I will take the over on that number. Also thanks to our friends Shailish and Ruchira and my Kraft colleague, Rajiv, for their lists of things to do and see in Delhi. We were able to plan and see many historical sites as well as do some great shopping and eating.

Arrival in India is always a shock and a thrill. The Delhi airport makes LAX look like a nice place. It's old, dusty and seemingly disorganized. We did manage to get through customs rather quickly and as we stepped out of the relative solitude of the airport we were lucky that Ashook held his "Tod and Sophia" sign prominently at the front of the pack of the waiting throngs of people. It looked cloudy as we approached the runway but it was only smog - Sophia says worse then she remembers in LA when things were really bad there. Ashook whisked us out of the airport and into traffic. Cars, Trishaws, bikes, tractors, trucks and hundreds of walking workers crowded the streets. Traffic was heavy as always and we made our way to the lovely ITC Maurya hotel.http://www.nivalink.com/maurya/index.html.

We hit the road early the next day taking a ride through the very well appointed Diplomatic area of town. We passed embassies and residences of many countries including the US, France, UK, Qatar, Thailand and France. The route took us to the mall area where the many colonial area buildings stand. Buildings that formerly served as offices for British Viceroy's, military officials and other Colonial Rulers of the British India Company era now serve as home to the President, Prime Minister and other top governmental agencies of India. The ornate buildings , most made from red sandstone serve as a memory of India's past. The wide avenues were being readied for India's

Republic Day which is on January 26th. We took a few pictures by the India Gate where tourists from all over the world and other parts of India stopped for a visit. Vendors sold toys, balloons, offered to take pictures and prepared very good looking (but most likely not good for foreign tummies) street food. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Gate

The weather was sunny, cool and comfortable as we headed away from India Gate on towards the Red Fort. the Red Fort was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (yes, the same dude who built the Taj Mahal) in 1639. It took 9 years to build and was the seat of Mughal power until 1857. It was at the Red Fort where the Indian flag was hoisted for the first time when India became an independent nation in 1947. The fort is huge and many of the structures inside still stand. there is a very interesting gallery of little shops as one enters the main part of the fort. We went through the small museum inside and learned a bit of Indian history form the old displays and very crude (and sometimes graphic) life size dioramas. We lucked out because when we entered the fort there were about ten people in line and when we left the line to get in was at least a block long.

While waiting for Ashook we fended off many pleasant, but annoying guys trying to get us to ride on their bikes or rikshaws. Hawkers and beggars are everywhere and very persistent but usually relatively pleasant. Sophia was good at ignoring and I had a small issue with engaging with everyone too much. I also think on a few days, my clearly western, a little too bright, clothing made me a street urchin magnet.

Ashook basically took us across the busy street to the oldest section of Delhi, Chandi Chowk. The extremely narrow, twisty and busy side street there are lined with shops, some about the size of a small minivan inside. the shops sell saris, bangles, jewelry, nick knacks, street food, books, spices and other wares. Like a movie set only real, this area is so colorful and full of activity that we both experienced a touch of sensory overload. We wandered around for a few hours taking it all in. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297603-d311613-Reviews-Chandni_Chowk-Delhi_Delhi.html

By this time the call of nature was upon us. India is not know for its public bathroom facilities. where they do exist they would not stand up to western standards., even what you might expect at a gas station would be a tremendous upgrade. the one benefit of being western in India and looking like a tourist is that one can walk into any hotel and use the nice, plush facilities without getting a second look from the doormen or security guards. So when we needed to go Ashook pulled in to the nearest 5 star. We got to go in luxury and got a chance to see the inside of all the nice hotels like the Oberoi, the Taj and the Intercontinental.

That night we dined at one of the two really well known restaurants in our hotel, Dum Pukht. I had a little issue pronouncing the name - somehow it didnt come out sounding like it was supposed to, if you get my drift. In spite of the name issue the food was really good. Sophia wisely opted for bryani which was spectacular. It is cooked and served from a special enamel dish where the lid is sealed with dough before cooking. Mmmmm bryani.
http://www.fodors.com/world/asia/india/delhi/entity_40487.html

After our busy day we slept pretty well that night.

Top 10 Albums of 2007

Before I delve into the volumes of cool India pictures and a description of our holiday trip I thought I'd share my top music selections of 2007. Not that anyone cares, or can tolerate my tastes but it's my blog!

I flew about what seemed to be 1,000,000 miles last year and I had my iPod on most of that time. I do have a need to listen to good tunes. In 2007 I was in a kind of nu-jazz, hip hop, Latin, chill lounge, electronic, girl singer, R&B stage. While it is hard to find all these genres in each CD I do usually get a good blend of at least a couple in each.

My top ten CDs (not that I've bought an actual CD in while thanks to iTunes) of the year are-

1) Skye - Mind How You Go (2006)

Voice of the band Morcheeba this smooth Brit singer/songwriter is easy on the ears. The orchestration is a subtle and smooth of electronic and organic. Still good after 100 listens. For added pleasure there is a nice live at KCRW set available on iTunes.

2) Lambchop - Damage (2007)

My favorite band. A blend of country, folk and soul that is hard to describe. Kurt Weber's singing is not for everyone (Sophia hates them), but his songwriting is awesome. I can't say I understand it all but no matter. The 17 musicians are superb. Their album "Is a Woman" is on my top 5 all time list and this one is in the same ballpark.

3) Ceu - Ceu (2007)

Ceu is a Brazilian singer. Cut from the mold of Astrid Gilberto she may or may not be able to succeed on her voice alone. What makes this so great is the music. Traditional Brazilian Samba meets modern lounge, jazz, reggae and R&B. the mix is fresh and hypnotizing. There are also a few good remixes available on iTunes.

4) Pacha Massive - All Good Things (2007)

A Dominican and a Colombian in NYC mixing urban, Latin, Hip Hop and even some big funk sounds. These guys rap, sing and rock in English and Spanish. Danceable and also very listenable on the pod. A live in Soho set is available on iTunes (I sound like an ad for iTunes...)

5) Wilco - Blue Sky Blue (2007)

Probably the most mainstream on my list and the only straight forward rock band on the list. I knew of them from WXPN in Philly but always seemed to avoid listening much or becoming a fan but this is a great CD. Lots of energy and surprisingly fresh sounding songs even though you can hear hints of many other bands including the Beatles. I like it!

6) Imogen Heap - Speak For Yourself (2007)

She got me hooked with her singing on a CD by Frou Frou and her solo effort is a big hit. Great lyrics, a unique voice and a good mix of musical sounds make this an A+ must have.

7) Club 8 - The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming (2007)

A recent discovery of mine, this Swedish duo make some really clever pop music. I think this is about their sixth CD but it's the first one I've heard and it is really quite good.

8) Lisa Shaw - Cherry (2005)

I tracked her done as she is the singer on many of my favorite club/lounge CDs like Blue Six and Miguel Migs. She has a great R&B, soul voice and her solo effort is filled with really good tunes.

9) Spiral System - In Your Dreams (2006)

Each song has a slightly different sound and features different singers. A bit of reggae some hip hop, a jazz cut and more make this a great variety pack of sound from start to finish.

10) Natalia Y La Forquetina - Casa (2005)

I've had this for over a year but it still looms large on my play list. This Mexican group is fresh sounding. The tunes are really good and Natalia's nice voice is clear enough for me to be able to listen and improve my Spanish at the same time - which I need to do to survive here in Singapore.

Honorable mention go to two things my brother Noah got onto my play list. The first is Flight of the Conchords. Their stuff is hilarious (as is the HBO show) and the music is really good too. they only have an EP with a few songs but most of their tunes are on YouTube. The second extra is Soul Position - Things Go Better With- hop hop rappers RJ and Blueprint - spin some intelligent (albeit a bit crude) rhymes and rhythms that break form the gangster rap norm.

So, not that you care, but I hope if you chose to listen to any of these they bring you pleasure.