Dog Days in Delhi

Let me start by just saying that Delhi is a completely different world than Agra. Unlike Agra, which has a much more rural, dirty atmosphere, Delhi is booming with a modern feel. Women wear jeans under their kameez, people use iphones, and the cars actually somewhat pay attention to the rules of the road. It's a major change, and we all agree that we like this city better. Also, it's easier to navigate because it's more metropolitan. Despite all of this, we absolutely do not regret going to Agra. It's still a must see when going to India... just visit Delhi too. :)

We got a late start to the day, heading to our first site, the National Museum, at around 12:30. On the way out of the b&b, we met the owners, who offered us a lift to an ATM and a nearby metro station. The metro here was extremely simply to figure out (especially because Lara and I have used metros at many other places). This was Faythe's first metro experience. In her words, the experience was "incredibly easy and convenient and efficient." The best thing about the Delhi metro is that it has two entire cars devoted to women only. Even though we feel relatively safe here, close quarters become much more enjoyable with the same gender haha.

The metro took us to a stop that was a ways from the National Museum, so we walked from there. Lara got scolded for taking a picture of a government building on the way there, but in her defense the airplanes outside were really cool. It took us a while to get to the museum, and we had to ask several people if we were headed in the right direction. (We did this many times today, and everyone was very kind and helpful). The museum was insightful; I enjoyed learning about the Harappan Civilization (Indus Valley), which was a contemporary of biblical times (Egyptian/Mesopotamian). Also, the Hindu and Mughal Empire paintings were fascinating.

The sauces and soup were delicious,
just spicy enough. mmm.

From there, we eventually found a restaurant from the guide book. We had southern indian cuisine. The dosai were good, and Faythe and I bought iced coffee with ice cream inside that was delicious. After lunch, we went to Humayan Tomb via the metro and a rickshaw. It was built by the wife of a Mughal emperor. This was my favorite thing today. Faythe and I almost like it better than the Taj Mahal, which is a little crazy, but the contrast in the colors of the marble and sandstone is beautiful! By the time we explored the area, and after taking about 20 pictures with a cute family that didn't speak much English, we headed back to the b&b. Even though we only saw two things today, we experienced much more by walking around, getting a tad lost now and then, and riding the metro and a rickshaw. Tomorrow, more sights and church in Delhi!

P.S. Besides the hot weather, the title of this blog is partly an homage to the creepy dog that followed us all the way home. Don't worry, I have rabies shots (but pray for Faythe and Lara). haha.

The tomb -- this picture doesn't do it justice...

A sweet family who took our picture and then wanted one with us. :)