Jama Masjid, Delhi
The driver was waiting in the station since 7 am but he was not so surprised by the delay. This is India and the time is passing. It was not too much time left so we drove directly to the large mosque in Delhi, Jama Masjid, that I could not see last time because of a festival. After haggling with the guy at the gate about the camera I convinced him to let me in after I paid the Rs 200 for it and entered the mosque, where surprisingly you can shoot anything you like, people being quite friendly. I climbed the minaret that was packed to the point that you could not stand on top, that is anyway tiny but filled with people some of them waiting on the steps to get their turn. From the top you can see a bird eye view over the entire Delhi. Red Fort was closed on Monday and after a very quick look in the Muslim Bazaar I got to India Gate, a photo opportunity for many Indians and up to the Government buildings that are up on the avenue. New Delhi is a far cry from the crowded Old Delhi. With large boulevards guarded by trees it has a very nice an airy atmosphere. The traffic is not congested, there are hawkers and it is a pleasure to drive and walk in the area. Here are the residences of many officials, the embassies, the government buildings, etc.
We drove to Conaught Place, a place that last time we were able just to see in the night, that was under major renovation, all the buildings being supposed to be repainted and the result the entire area was a building site. In India noting is done in chunks but everything all at once. So now because they want to revamp the city for the Commonwealth Games the entire city was in construction. In Conaught Place I did some shopping amazed by the great colors and fabrics of the materials brought from an entire subcontinent to be marketed here where the prices are probably higher. Time is always short, so going from shop to shop I was coming very close for my departure time to NYC and we rushed to the airport in a relatively decent traffic. The security in the airports is at least as tight as in the Hindu temples that I visited so after I told them that my luggage stayed with the driver all day they apologized but had to open everything. They did it in a very diligent way, taking their time that I thought I could not do the check-in but eventually everything went thorough and I got in the plane 5 minutes before they closed the doors ready for a 14 h 40 minutes flight to Newark, NJ in which I was able to sleep about 8 of them finally out of the heat, bugs, pressure, touts, smells, dirt, etc.
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