Headed home

I can't say that I'm not glad to see this time finally come.  It's been an amazing trip but I'm happy to see it come to an end.  I'm definitely ready to get back to my routine.  I thoroughly miss my amazing wife, the unconditional loves of my three pups, and sleeping in my very own bed.

We're sitting at the Mumbai airport right now.  Immigration and security are pretty easy here.  Security was a bit silly as they're terribly disorganized compared to the US but far less thorough.  This ends up with a search that takes longer but can't possibly be as effective.  Pardon me but I'll go ahead and say that I prefer the US methods.  We should be boarding the plane in about an hour and departing from India another hour thereafter.  I'll be collecting my thoughts on the trip home and will likely take some time to update the blog after I get home and have had a chance to decompress.  I really want to spend some time recapping my favorite moments of the trip and close out the excursion with just the right words here.

Anyway, I'll post more for you guys soon.  Thanks a ton for following me on this adventure.  I think I'll keep writing in this blog somewhat regularly but it will most likely be random musings.  I may try to think of a topic to keep things on track going forward.  Perhaps I'll convert this into a food blog?  Dunno... I'm open to suggestions.

Last dinner in India

We've eaten what I will call our last dinner in India.  As usual, this one was something to remember.  We went out with Dhaval's family (several folks including his awesome uncle Rajesh and his family from Houston... and I'm not just saying this because he's going to read this!) for a meal at a roadside stand.  These are called dhaba and would equate to a food truck in America.  All I can say is WOW!
The cart that we went to served exclusively eggs as the main item.  We had eggs prepared in 6 different ways, I think.  I'm not entirely sure as I'm so stuffed that much of it seems like a blur.  Everything was cooked on little propane burners with a pan that looked somewhat like a wok.  They used oil very liberally.  I really wish they had used some butter or ghee (Indian for clarified butter) as a substitute for some of the oil but that wouldn't exactly be authentic.  The first dish was like french toast just with spicy instead of sweet.  The bread was also something that looked like mini hot dog buns.  The second dish was like a scrambled egg pile seasoned heavily with green garlic and other seasonings.  The third was a sunny side up-style fried egg seasoned heavily with garlic and other seasonings.  The fourth was a three-part dish that took a fried egg, a heavily seasoned fry-up of chunky cut tomatoes, and a fried seasoning component.  The fifth dish was a fry up of seasoned tomatoes and garlic with a bunch of grated hard-boiled eggs.  I think they called this one Indian stir fry.  The sixth and final dish was something they called Australian stir fry.  Not sure why they call it Australian or stir fry as they don't appear to relate at all.  The sixth was similar to the fifth but it incorporated chunky sliced boiled eggs instead of grated eggs.  We washed it all down with one of my favorites, Thumbs Up!  On top of this, we made friends with an Indian guy from Canada (sorry, I didn't catch your name but I certainly hope you read the blog!) who was filming all of the preparations and was discussing the possibility of taking the techniques home and opening up a food truck (I'm all for the idea, by the way!).
All of this was served from this cart:

Additionally, we stopped earlier tonight at another little stand for some fresh roasted corn.  This was absolutely awesome.  They roasted it over fresh coals until it was perfectly cooked then seasoned with lemon and some kind of chili powder mix.  It was freaking awesome!

After we finished eating, we walked next door to another dhaba station.  This one was more like a small open-air kitchen restaurant as it wasn't a cart like the other.  I think it was called King's Corner or something.  They had a nice tandoori oven and were cooking roti.  The guy (his name was Ahmet, I think), who I can only assume owns and/or runs the place, was insistent that we eat more at his restaurant.  Apparently it isn't in Indian culture to take no for an answer.  We repeatedly refused and thanked him for his desire to feed us but we couldn't possibly eat any more.  Despite our insistence, he sent a dosa to the table.  While this was being prepared, he showed us around the kitchen and let us have a look at the oven and such.  He also managed to talk me into taking a bag of some kind of dish which he insisted we bring back.  I'll have to talk to Dhaval to find out what it was but he was insistent that it will be good for three months without spoiling.  Apparently Dhaval is willing to corroborate this so I'm just gonna go with it.  I doubt it'll go that long before I eat it, though.  In all honesty, this is the best that India has to offer.  The quality of the people here is simply outstanding.  I'm not sure if they're trying to impress the best upon us as visitors to their area or what but they certainly have done an amazing job.  This is just one in a long line of stories that I'll tell to my children and grandchildren.

After eating, we said goodbye to several of Dhaval's family members as they are leaving soon and we won't see them again before we're gone as well.  I'm sure that I'll see many, if not all, of these folks again eventually but the warmth and fondness with which we, as outsiders, were embraced here will not be forgotten.  I have made friends that I will undoubtedly remember forever.  These people that make up Dhaval's friends and family just cannot be summed up in words.  There is nothing that I could write to make anyone reading this ever understand.  I always knew he was a special guy but the quality of people that surround him is truly outstanding.  If it's said that the measure of a man is the people with which he surrounds himself then these people are truly an outstanding class.  I'll talk more on this subject later when I return home and can recap this trip but truly I'm out of superlatives.  Put that into perspective.  For those of you that know me, you've heard it here first.  I'm actually speechless.  For those reading this who do not, trust me when I say that it doesn't happen with any regularity.
I do know this.  I'm stuffed to the gills from an amazing meal and it's time for bed.  Tomorrow we begin the trek home.  Plans have changed again and it looks like it'll just be me and my dad being taken to the airport by our favorite driver, Ranjit!  This should be a lot of fun and a fitting way to end our Indian experience.

The wedding... OMFG THE WEDDING!!!

I apologize for my absence.  In preparation for all of the wedding festivities and the massive amount of guests here at Dhaval's house, we were moved to a nearby hotel.  The accomodations were okay but they lacked wi-fi... and hot water.  I wouldn't choose to stay at a place like this but since our host put us up there I would be remiss to complain.

So let's hit the highlights of the last few days and the events...  Bear in mind that there were a LOT of little rituals and events held within the context of the "wedding festivities" that I cannot possibly cover in their entirety.  I HIGHLY encourage you to attend a true Indian wedding yourself and have a local explain it to you as you go along.  I am only going to cover the basics or you will get bored very quickly.

WEDNESDAY - January 18
This officially began the wedding events.  There would be a total of four events, beginning with the puja (or pooja) in the morning.  This was a religious ceremony mixed with a backyard feast.  The mandap (see the shutterfly site for pictures, it's a large tent-like structure with fabric sections strung over it to provide an area for guests to accumulate) was set up in the days prior and guests filled in underneath.  There were a bunch of tables and LOTS of plastic chairs all over the area.  Tables were set up around the perimeter and food was served to all in attendance.  Inside of the grounds at the house, the ritual was performed.  I didn't get to see much of this as I didn't realize that anything was going on.  Dhaval pulled me aside afterwards and told me to make sure that I stick close by during the coming days so that I could experience as much of the wedding rituals as possible.  All in all, it looked like they fed around 300 people, possibly more.  After eating and completion of the religious ceremony, the party broke up and we returned to our hotel.

After a rest and a shower, we changed into our shervanis and were ready for the night of entertainment - the sangeet.  This is the big music and dance night.  Again, this was a large catered event with a wide variety of foods.  This was attended by even more people than in the morning.  I'd venture that there were 500+ here.  This was also the big night for all of the dance performances, including mine.  Typically this event would be performed by professional entertainers but this one was full of performances by friends and family.  Ruchika, all of her sisters/cousins, lots of family members, and several friends on both sides were involved.  This gave the whole event a great personal touch.  There was also an amazing fireworks display during Dhaval and Ruchika's big performance!

Dhaval surprised me enough by including me in the introduction dance for his performance.  On top of that, he told me just one day prior that I would be playing the role of the Hindu Pundit (or Priest?) for the dance routine.  This entailed me walking out on stage (IN FRONT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE!) and sprinkling Ruchika with rose petals after her dance then ringing an imaginary bell.  Apparently there were a lot of people surprised that the white guy was chosen for this role (I was surprised as well!).  After that, we did our short intro for Dhaval's dance.  It was over in a flash.  I was so nervous but I think we all did pretty well.  Dhaval, on the other hand, KILLED his routine!  I've been watching him practice and this was definitely his best round and it came at just the right time.  This was an amazing experience to see and participate.  I can't tell you how many people went out of their way to tell me how good of a job that I did and I didn't really even do anything.  It was so much fun and I can't thank Dhaval enough for allowing me to be a participant in one of the most meaningful events of his life.

I've always known Dhaval was a very smart and talented kid.  After seeing this, I'm left wondering if there isn't anything that he CAN'T do?!  His work ethic is second to none, he's one of the smartest and most humble people I've ever met, and the dude can sing and dance like a pro!  He is truly an extraordinary man and I'm proud to call him a friend and blessed to have him as a part of my life.  I really do see him as a brother and I always will.  Okay okay... enough of the sob story, there will be more later.  The sangeet wrapped up and we returned to the hotel for a night of rest.

THURSDAY - January 19
 The next day, we awoke to prepare for the wedding ceremony.  We arrived at Dhaval's at around 10AM and saw a professional band (think medium sized marching band) outside of his house.  All of you from New Orleans (or those that have visited during Mardi Gras or a jazz funeral to see this) would feel right at home during this event.  It was basically a big second line!  The significance of this event was huge.  Dhaval emerged from his house dressed to the nines!  Dude looked like a damn prince!  He got into a car that was decorated with flowers and was driven behind the procession.  It was explained to me that the very first song played was that of the coming of the Maharaja.  This is the music played to extoll that the king (essentially, not exactly) is coming through.  We proceeded to walk behind the band, stopping often to have a display of firecrackers and dance.  These people really like to dance.  They repeatedly invited me to join the front of the parade with the dancing group.  Being in a festive mood (and knowing that I would never see many of these people again) I happily obliged.  This was a whole lot of fun.  The story behind this event is that it is supposed to be a procession from the groom's house to the bride's house where the ceremony would be performed.  In older times this was the case.  In modern times, it was too far to parade so we went a few blocks (over the course of an hour) then jumped in cars and moved closer to the hotel where the ceremony was to be held.

When we got to the hotel, we all staged a couple of blocks away.  Here, Dhaval was loaded up onto a horse (yeah, you read that right!) that was fully decorated.  He was escorted in a similar fashion to the parade where the band and dancers led in front of him.  Also, there was someone walking beside him holding a highly decorated umbrella to shield him from the sun.  While parading to the hotel, some of the other guests decided to have some fun.  I was draped with some kind of cloth/scarf thing Dhaval2 (yep, we met another one and he was a pretty awesome guy.  I'm not just saying that because he's going to read this blog either!).  Interesting story behind this and it will be a momento that I keep forever.  Next, one of the other partiers decided to take a parade hat from a band member and put it on me.  They were apparently getting a kick out of the white guy dancing and cutting up with them.  At some point, Dhaval2 and Bhavin (Ruchika's cousin, damn good guy as well and quite the dancer) came up with an idea to pick me up on their shoulders.  I'm not sure if they failed math class, though, as I weight about as much as both of them combined.  Fortunately, Vedant was standing right behind and helped to make sure I didn't get dropped on my head.  All I really remember is Dhaval's (don't get confused with my notation here, this is the original Dhaval) face when he was me lifted up above the crowd.  Yet again, it was a moment that I'll never forget.

After the parading, we arrived at the hotel.  Dhaval made his grand entrance on the horse.  Apparently, as he dismounted, a "ritual" where someone steals his shoe was done.  It was quite funny to see grown men fighting over a shoe and, as it turned out, several of them were on the same team and didn't realize it.  Dhaval2 actually ended up with the shoes!  Inside the hotel, several rituals were performed before Dhaval could enter the hall (this would normally be the bride's home but modern circumstances and such call for alterations to old traditions).  At one point he ended up getting hit in the eye during one ritual (a member of the bridal party was trying to grab his nose)!  Everything went along and the wedding was kicked off.  Dhaval2 did a great job of explaining as many of the rituals as he could while the proceedings moved along.  This was a beautiful ceremony and I was informed that this one in particular was more "over the top" than a typical Indian wedding.  The food was outstanding as well!  I would say that, again, there were 500+ people here.  One peculiar thing, though, was that most of the guests were milling around and eating while the ceremony was taking place.  Apparently this is typical but it was quite different than what I am used to seeing.  The morning ceremony, the official wedding ceremony, wrapped up.  At the end, the shoes that Dhaval2 stole were returned but not before yet another ritual was performed.  Since the bride's sisters would be losing a member of their family (old times the bride would leave her home and move to the groom's house) they would require payment in return.  The shoes were the bargaining chip.  The final price wasn't much, 500 Rs per sister, but it was an amusing exchange and even though there were all speaking a language foreign to me I could feel the excitement and energy in the spirited event.  In the end, Dhaval's mom swooped in and paid all involved, including Dhaval2 who did everything that he could to not accept or pass off the money.

We returned to the hotel, took a nap, and prepared for the evening.  The evening event was a reception and this was probably the most attended event.  It was held on a parage grounds outside of the hotel.  The layout was incredible, the food was beyond delicious (they had a Mexican and an Italian station, I can't tell you how happy I was to not have to eat Indian food again!), and the proceedings were more lavish than I could have expected.  Dhaval and Ruchika were brough up from a hidden platform in a cloud of fog.  As they walked down this stage entrance, there were fireworks, sparklers, and lots of confetti cannons blasting off.  When they got to the end of the stage, a platform was waiting which lifted them high into the air.  During this they were showered with rose petals!  After a few moments they were lowered and got into a cage-looking thing for a procession through the grounds and up to the main stage where they would receive the guests.  I can only imagine their feelings through this whole series of events but it was amazing to watch.  I've probably been ruined on weddings now as this was so beyond amazing that I'm not sure any wedding that I see going forward will ever compare.  We ate our fill and talked to many of the friends that we made throughout the weeks here.  I can't possibly mention all of you but please know that each and every one of you will be remembered as this was an experience that I can't possibly forget.  The kindness, generosity, and caring nature of all of you is something that I will take with me forever.  After eating, we made our way through the receiving line to offer our congrats to the couple and their family.  Amazingly, through all of this, they were more concerned with how we were doing and enjoying the event than anything else.  It was a beautiful experience and I actually teared up talking with them.  I can't say enough kind things about Dhaval's parents and the amazing class of people that they are.  After spending time here, I am far less surprised by Dhaval as I now know exactly how he has become who he is.

FRIDAY - January 20
I was awoken at the hotel by my Indian cell ringing.  Ranjit was calling to let us know that he'd be there at 8 to take us back to Dhaval's house.  It was 7:30 and I couldn't be more excited to get up and pack my bags.  Along the way we stopped for breakfast at a roadside shop.  I ate a little but I'm growing tired of the constantly spicy food and breakfast was no exception.  Regardless, it was a tasty dish.  We arrived at Dhaval's place and immediately fired up the computers to get access to the outside world.  After about an hour of writing, I think I've finally caught up and can give it a rest.  The plan from here is that tomorrow we are to leave in the morning to pick up Vedant (he went back to his village outside of the city with his family) and begin the trip to the airport in Mumbai (aka Bombay).  We depart the airport some time around 3AM IST (3:30PM Central Saturday afternoon) Sunday morning.  We fly from Mumbai to Brussels, have a 3 hour layover, fly from Brussels to Chicago, have a 1.5 hour layover, then fly to New Orleans and arrive (hopefully) around 5:15PM Central!

Partying and Shopping

I missed the chance to post yesterday because we traveled outside of Gujarat to go to a party for the wedding.  Since Dhaval's state is a dry state, his family put on a cocktail party in a city called Daman that is about 1.5-2 hours away.  We left Sunday afternoon and returned on Monday afternoon.  I got to meet one of Dhaval's special friends, Srikanth.  Very interesting character.  We also met with another of their friends named Viraj.  Both were very good guys and we had a goot time at the party.  I met a ton of people at the party so there's no point in listing them all.  Suffice it to say that there was a lot of good conversation and LOTS of dancing.  I'm expecting a check from Youtube soon enough once some of the videos that I starred in hit it big.  The guy with the camera was pretty much playing film the white guy.  There was a lot of booze, a lot of food, a lot of dancing, and a great time.

Today we returned to Dhaval's house, ate lunch, and sat around.  We watched Reservoir Dogs to pass some time.  Once that was finished, we decided to go shopping for clothes to wear for the wedding.  Dhaval has convinced me to wear a traditional Indian outfit for the wedding.  We traveled to a "shopping center" which was basically a huge maze-shaped warehouse with hundreds or thousands of booths about the size of a typical storage unit you would rent.  We were looking for a particular unit - F-11 - inside the maze.  Once we got there, we removed our shoes and went into the shop.  Apparently, though, the front of the store is not where the magic happens.  We went up a TINY staircase in the back of that room to go up to the second floor.  Here there was a TON of boxes and clothes were strewn everywhere.  Apparently the shop works quite efficiently.  They show you different outfits and you pick which color you like.  From there they go find the one you want, you try it on and see what you think.  I've got to double check the name of these things but I think they're called Sherwanis.  You also get a scarf thing to match the outfit and this is called a Dupatta (again, gotta have this QA'd).  In keeping with my culture back at home, I picked out a bright purple sherwani and a gold dupatta.  This way I'll be sporting LSU colors at the wedding.  On top of that, I figure I can wear it out for tailgating in the upcoming football seasons!  Once the shopping was done, we headed downstairs to pay the bill.  Mine was fairly expensive... coming in at 4,245 Rs ($85).  My dad's was about half the price and, to top it off, Dhaval's mom bought it for him as a present since he's having such a great time here in India.

We made our way out of the maze, loaded up in the van, and headed back to the house.  Not long after we returned, they were setting up for dinner.  I have no idea what we ate but it was amazing.  It tasted almost like a veggie chili.  I think this was my favorite meal thus far in India.  After dinner the choreographer came by and we all practiced our dance routines for the wedding.  A few hours of this went by and it's pretty much time to call it a night.

I figured this week would go by quickly.  My time in India is nearing an end.  I have a feeling that time will only speed up as we go through all of the wedding festivities in the coming days.  I definitely miss my wife, my pups, and my bed.  Going home will be nice but this has been one hell of an experience that I am going to be sad when it comes to an end.

Anyway, here's a couple of quick pictures from the shopping trip.  They made me try on this other outfit (can't freaking remember what it's called) to take a picture.  I can say that I definitely had a lot of fun!

Kite Flying Festival = Amazeballs!

Yesterday was the kite flying festival throughout Gujarat (Dhaval's state in India).  Dhaval had been hyping this up like it was really something to see.  I wasn't so sure.  I mean really, how much fun can you have just flying kites?  I can say that you, my friends, have no idea!  Sri, you're really missing out on this one being from south India!

We got up at 8:30 and went to the roof of Dhaval's house.  Dhaval laid out a stack of about 50 kites.  These are just cheap little paper kits with two small sticks for a frame.  They're pretty delicate.  The kite string, however, is not for amateurs!  Dhaval said it is nine pieces of string woven together which are then coated with some kind of colored glass substance.  To combat against injury we wrapped our fingers (thumb and first two on each hand) with that white medical fabric tape.  Apparently unless you're used to doing this you can cut the hell out of yourself.  And Danielle, you prolly shouldn't read this at work or you might get in trouble.  Now that we were taped up, we were ready to fly.

When you look out into the sky there are literally hundreds of kites up when the wind is good.  Kids are everywhere on the ground and just about any rooftop that you can find there will be people flying kites.  Getting these damn things up was harder than it looked.  Dhaval got the kite up pretty easily and was off flying.  Apparently the game just begins with getting the kite up.  I watched Dhaval maneuver his kite near another in the sky.  When he got to just the right spot, he leaned the kite, yanked the string, shot the kite up in the air and immediately screamed LAPEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTT!  Apparently lapet (sounds just like it looks, LA-PET) roughly translates to roll up your string and get out of here.  He had flown his kite near another and used his to cut someone else's string!  And now I see the fun in the Kite Flying Festival!

After a few tries, I got the hang of it and was finally able to fly.  Not to mention these little kids putting up a kite easily were making me look foolish for not being able to do it myself.  And they were on the ground while I was on the 4th story of a house!  So the kite goes up, Dhaval's cousin from the US, Vedant, is holding my roll of string while I'm flying the kite out.  I'm trying to get the feel for flying these things.  It's really not bad.  Wherever the nose is pointing when you pull the string, that's the direction it will dive.  After a few minutes of flying around, I got close enough to another kite.  Some erratic movements and yanking on the string and BAM!  LAPEEEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!  I cut the other kite's string!  Ah, the glory!  The Power!  I ruled the sky!  And then 15 seconds later I hear the battle cry come from the rooftop behind us.  Dhaval's damn neighbor cut down my kite!  Oh well... time for breakfast.

After eating, we had another go at kite flying.  There were decidedly fewer kites up now as the wind was dying down.  We made some fun of cutting down others' kites and having ours cut down.  Rolling in your string after your kite falls really sucks.

The rest of the day was pretty easy paced.  A huge lunch was served.  This was a Gujarati special dish of winter vegetables.  As I've said all along, the food is pretty damn good here.  After lunch we watched a movie in the theater.  Hotel Rwanda.  Pretty good movie and it helped to pass the time.

After the movie we made another go at kite flying/battlingtothedeath.  The wind had changed directions so we now had the advantage over Dhaval's neighbors.  It was relatively low, though, so it was much harder to fly.  The same routine went on for a couple of hours.  Dhaval had family arriving all day so different people were coming to the rooftop to see what we were doing.  Some were intrigued and wanted to fly, others were laughing at our lack of skill.  After a little, as it was getting closer to dusk, I heard a BOOM like a transformer blew across the street.  So they mix fireworks in at the end of the day?  AWESOMESAUCE!  Kites started to diminish as it was getting too dark to see.  Fireworks, on the other hand, were increasing.  Lots of random booms from rooftops around us.  Then the bottle rockets.  Then the big stuff!  Quite a few displays went up from those artillery cannon fireworks where they launch way high up in the air and burst into a big display.  This made for a very relaxing end to probably one of the most simple and fun days I've had in India.

Oh... and since we don't do anything like this in the US, I'm thinking about starting the 1st Annual Kite Flying Festival in Baton Rouge next year.  I'll have to look into the weather/wind conditions this time of the year but I'm thinking it would be perfect for the second Saturday in January.  The Indian festival is always on Jan 14 but ours would have to fall on a weekend to get people involved.  I'm sure I can find the kites and string somewhere nearby like Houston.  Or I can see about getting Dhaval to have some shipped from India.  Regardless, we're totally doing this!

We've returned, triumphiantly, to Surat

The tourist enterprise has been completed.  I'll recap my feelings on the monuments later.  It's too late to fool with that now.

We got picked up from the airport by the family driver after our flight from Delhi to Vadodara this evening.  Everything went swimmingly.  He picked us up in a very nice Skoda too!  The ride back to the house was quite comfortable and I managed to sneak an hour or so of sleep on the way.

When I arrived, the dance choreographer was here at the house working with everyone.  I was informed that the bell now tolled for me.  After a short time watching Dhaval practice, I was brought up to work on my routine with the two other guys performing with me.  It wasn't bad at all.  Despite me being terribly white in the dance department, I was complimented on how quickly I picked up the routine.  I really can't wait to see how this whole thing turns out!

After spending several hours watching SEVERAL iterations of dance routines throughout the night, folks started to leave (several people were here... friends, relatives, etc.).  Dhaval's dad broke out several large bottles of beer and we sat around drinking for a couple of hours.  After all were gone aside from myself, Dhaval, his dad, and his cousin from the US, his dad broke out a bottle of vodka.  Under his dad's guidance, Dhaval mixed up a nice little cocktail and we sat in the theatre room enjoying a bit of dicussion.  Most of it related to work but life lessons were on the table and I enjoyed every bit of the conversation.

Att his point it's almost 3:30AM and I have to be up in about five hours.  I bid you adieu!

Delhi from the eyes of a tourist

Today was the Delhi day.  We began at 8:30AM, as usual.  Breakfast was included with the hotel and was typical of what we've seen at each of the hotels thus far.  Fresh fruit, cereal, toast, some Indian dishes that I can't identify, and some typical western food like pancakes, potatoes, and sausages.

We met with our tour guide for the day even though I was told yesterday that we wouldn't have one and our driver would be our guide.  Oh well.  He explained the difference between New Delhi and old Delhi.  Once you understand it's very easy to spot the transition.  Old Delhi is what you think of when you think India.  Very crowded, shops and people on top of one another, very old construction, and frankly very dirty.  New Delhi was completely different.  Lots of space, LOTS of green space in particular, beautiful buildings that appear to be well maintained, upscale shops and restaurants, etc. 

We first went to Jama Masjid, a very large mosque in Delhi.  I'm not a fan of leaving my shoes outside of places so we opted out of this place.  Not only that but they wanted to charge 200 Rs for every camera that you had, including mobile phones, and I wasn't about to pay for that. Next, we went to India Gate, Parliament House, President House, and the Government Secretariat Building.  This, according to my dad, is a lot like Washington DC.  The layout was beautiful.  As our guide said, unless you come to see this you wouldn't realize that Delhi was the capital of India.  Security was EVERYWHERE but apparently this was due to the upcoming Republic Day festivities on 26 January.  The India Gate is an amazing monument to the fallen soliders of the Indian Army from WWI.  We were treated to a marching/parade display from the troops presently practicing for Republic Day.  The government buildings were all beautiful.  Not much else to say about them, really.

Our next stop was Raj Ghat, the memorial to Mahatma Ghandi (Ghandiji) and the place where his ashes are kept.  This was a beautiful park with very well kept plants and scenery.  There are also trees planted here by each foreign president who has visited with a placard bearing their information.  There were a LOT of these trees!  In keeping with the Ghandiji theme, we went to Birla House, the location of his assassination and also a large grounds with memorial exhibits.  To put it simply, this was a powerful experience.  If you come to India, this is a must see!  The most prominent thing about the exhibit is a set of steps depicting the final steps of Ghandiji.  It is moving to see that the final few minutes of this great man's life are laid out in front of you.  They lead to the Martyr's Column in the garden.  Here we took a few minutes to walk around and take it all in.  After this we went inside the actual exhibit.  They have posters all over the walls describing as much about him as you would like to read.  I suggest that you plan to take your time here.  I could have spent several hours more than the 1 or so that we were there.  This exhibit was one of the most powerful I have ever seen.  On top of that, it was a great way to marry the modern history of India with the context of the very old historical monuments that we have seen here.

We then went to Qutb Minar.  This is an amazing minaret and monument park.  The pictures from this site should be incredible when you get to see them.  This site is another must-visit!  The minaret itself stands 238 feet tall and was built in 1199.  It is incredible to see a monument that has withstood for that long and looks practically brand new!  This place also housed the Iron pillar.  It is literally an iron pillar that was constructed likely some time around 375-413 AD but some, like our tour guide, claim an earlier time of 1000 BC.  Regardless, it is incredible to see a pillar that is aged to this degree that shows very little signs of deterioration.  The damn thing was even fired at by two cannons, yes you can see the dents in it, and still looks amazing.

We were told we were stopping for lunch shortly and for the first time in a week I was actually hungry.  The restaurant was a "global cuisine" restaurant that had nothing but tourists (dropped off by their guides, of course) inside.  Fair enough.  What do I do?  Order a damn fine batch of nachos and BBQ chicken pizza.  In freaking India.  Yeah.

After lunch we went to visit the Lotus Temple.  Lots of bleh here.  It is a very beautful building and the gardens surrounding it are very nice.  The speech that they give you going in is where they lost me.  Apparently it is a Bahai house of worship.  These folks believe that all religions are equal and they allow you inside to pray and worship silently to whichever deity you choose.  It's a bit refreshing considering all of the Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, etc. stuff that we've seen up to this point but I don't really buy this new age stuff.  Make what you will of it but whatever.

Our last stop of the day was, of course, a tourist shop!  By now we've gotten pretty good at navigating through these places.  Yes, you have beautiful scarves and sarees and carvings and jewelery.  Tax free you say?  Wow.  Your prices are the best around by 30 to 40% due to the backing by the Indian government and your fixed pricing structure?  Amazing.  Very pretty, all of it, but I've already bought all of my souvenirs for this trip and can't possibly fit another in my luggage.  You ship?  Damn.  Oh well, thank you for your time!

Now we've returned to the hotel.  I also found out that the damn hotel wifi is complimentary.  Nice of them, especially considering this is our last stop along the way.  At least I don't have to worry about my computer blowing up now!  Tomorrow afternoon we return to Surat to Dhaval's place.  I'm very much looking forward to what the rest of the trip holds as I've viewed this as pretty much the halfway point.  And now that we've got reliable wifi we will try to get some pictures up on the shutterfly site (I know, how many times is he going to say that?  This is likely the second to last time at worst).