Friday, June 20, 2014

Erik - Delhi, Week 5

Hello again everyone!

It's my second-to-last day here in Delhi, and today was my last day working at the girls' school (I have to go to the boys' home tomorrow).  I'm definitely excited to be going home on Sunday, but will definitely miss the city I've been a guest in for the past month and a half, and all the people I've met and grown close to here!

Last week at work was definitely more active than my fourth week in Delhi - most of the kids returned from visiting with their families, and they were all excited to see each other again.  Everyone was in the mood to play games with me and with the other volunteers, which was definitely an improvement from the boredom of the week before.  There were still some of the same issues that have been annoying me throughout my stay: fighting between the children, everyone wanting my attention at once, the Bollywood music videos the girls like (this wouldn't be nearly as annoying if they didn't play the same cycle of the same songs three or four times every day on full volume) - but the energy the kids bring with them was something I missed a lot.

I decided to got out on Sunday to see more tourist sites.  Even though I learned my lesson about not having a bottle of water on me at all times from the last trip, the heat makes extreme dehydration impossible to avoid - it finally makes sense why all the Delhiites I've met have said that during the summer it's too hot to sightsee!  I hadn't found that to be true whenever I was only seeing one thing at a time (or two with a break in between).  Nevertheless, due to the limited amount of time I had left, I decided to brave the extreme temperatures to go see Delhi's beautiful Lodi Gardens and then the amazing Humayun's Tomb.  The sights were definitely worth two bucket baths I needed to cleanse my skin of all the resulting sweat from the day's outing.

The Lodi Gardens were named for India's historic Lodi Dynasty during India's medieval period, preceding the famed Mughal Dynasty, whose iconic legacy remains today in the world-renowned Taj Mahal.  Within the gardens, visitors can see several different tombs of important figures from the Lodi Dynasty, similar in structure to some of the tombs in the Mehrauli Complex near the Qutub Minar (visitors are also treated to Indian couples making out all over and around said tombs - needless to say the awkward encounters I suffered by accidentally intruding on a few of them did not contribute to my enjoyment of these historical monuments, and even sometimes made it difficult to photograph unique or interesting parts of the tombs).  In spite of these monuments' beauty, as well as the natural beauty provided by the colorful flowers and vibrant trees, I think my favorite part of my visit was enjoying the tiny lake in the park.  There was a whole flock of white ducks near the edge of it, and it was fun watching them play with each other and just enjoy the afternoon.

One of the tombs at the Lodi Gardens

 The flock of ducks

Humayun's Tomb came next.  It is a beautiful red sandstone mausoleum in Delhi, near a few other tombs, built during the Mughal Dynasty.  It's one of the classical examples of Mughal architecture (a hybrid of Persian and Indian elements) in India today, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.  Like the Taj Mahal, Humayun's Tomb is dedicated to a lost spouse - this time however, it was the widow of Emperor Humayun who ordered it to be built in his honor.  I've actually heard somewhere that this particular building in part inspired the form that the Taj Mahal took during its construction.  I'm not sure whether this is true or not, but the less famous Humayun's Tomb definitely rivals the Taj Mahal in its elegance, though it opts for (relative) simplicity over the extravagance of the Taj Mahal.  This is definitely one of the must-see sights in Delhi for anyone visiting, and I'm glad I managed to see it before leaving this weekend!

Humayun's Tomb

Well, that about summarizes my second-to-last week in India.  I look forward to letting you all know about this week's events from the comfort of my home!

Until then, namaste!

Erik   

1 comment:

  1. Erik,

    You continue to write really great posts! Thank you! Sometimes I wished I had the energy that kids have! It seems that there are always the same issues with children... no matter what continent your on. It sounds like you're still really enjoying your job, though. That's awesome!

    I love your attention to detail. The picture of the ducks by the lake/pond looks so peaceful. I can see why you liked that the best. It's nice to take a step back from the grandeur and really enjoy the simple things.

    I'm glad that you are excited to go home. I can't wait to hear about your last week! Safe travels!

    Best,
    Tammy

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