Day 1: Delhi

It is the end of my first full day in India and what a day it has been. I was a bit jet lagged and didn't get the best sleep, but I was able to get through the day easily. I woke up early this morning to find out the hot water for the shower won't work until noon. Thus said, no I did not shower today. I walked around Paharganj and took in what Delhi has to offer. Monday is probably the worst day to be in Delhi. The majority of the sites are closed. After asking why, the best response I receiving is that Monday is like the weekend and it allows workers to have the day off. I hired an auto-rickshaw for the day to take me around the open attractions. The first stop was to Lakshmi Narayan Temple. No one I talked to mentioned the site but it was a perfect start to the Delhi tour. It is a Hindu temple but it was constructed to welcome everyone. The building is very spacious with tons of symbols, 3D murals and animal statutes. I really like the fact that you have to remove your shoes in order to enter. I see it as a sign of respect as I entered  a house of G-d. I know the idea behind Hinduism but I really want to learn more on my trip.

  After the temple, I visited Humayun's Tomb. The site was spectacular. Humayun was the 2nd Mughal emperor. Constructed in 1562, the tomb resembles the Taj Mahal. It is surrounded by enormous gates, distinct walls, and other burials, including one to his barber.

The final leg of the trip was to government epicenter of India. It started with India Gate, a 42m arch which commemorates the soldiers who died during 3 of India's major wars, including WWI. It continued past the Parliament, all the way to the President's house, which I'm sad to say, puts the White House to shame.

The day ended with making a couple new friends. I joined up with a guy from Belgium and his friend from Holland. We went out to dinner, for my first authentic Indian meal, and then we tried out a couple bars  I had some Kingfisher, the local Indian beer. It was not good at all. Imagine MGD watered down to the point where it only had a small hint of taste. I originally thought the bar was screwing me over and it started getting to my head. Once I tried it again at the 2nd bar, I was fine. Final verdict, Kingfisher beer is horrible. The rest of the night was low key. I've got another busy day tomorrow so I'm heading to bed. Cheers! Yoni