Wow I can't believe my trip is already halfway over! It seems like just yesterday that I was getting off the plane and complaining about the crazy heat. India is a crazy beautiful country that has shown and taught me so much that I will definitely miss it when I leave soon. This week we got the chance to go see some of the beautiful monuments of Delhi such as the Lotus temple, Humayun's Tomb and the Qutb Minar, along with some various markets in between in which I spent a ton of money on things I don't need oops. Everything is just so beautifully handcrafted I can't resist! Unfortunately pictures don't seem to be showing up on my ipad and I frustratingly can't figure it out why. The Lotus Temple was a beautiful white temple made in the shape of a lotus temple. It celebrates the Bahai religion, which embraces all different religions and believes that they can all be in harmony. It was very fascinating to read all about the religion and we had to take off our shoes to go into the temple. Sermons are never held at the temple, everyone is allowed to come in to pray to whomever they choose in peace and quiet. There are also no pictures displayed anywhere and while everyone is allowed to take as many pictures as they want outside, no pictures are allowed inside the temple. It was such a beautiful and interesting place to visit. Humayun's Tomb was massive and incredible. It looked more like a palace than a tomb to be honest. We had to pay 250 rupees as foreigners to get into the tomb while Indians only had to pay 10. I found that this price exists at most monuments and although I was aghast by the price difference at first, it made sense later on because my host mom explained that most Indians are poor and if they were charged a high price, they would never visit these incredible monuments. converted to dollars, it would only actually be around $4 and this is not so bad to pay to foreigners. We read about the history of the tomb and it's surrounding layouts and took many many pictures. I have noticed that when many Indians take pictures at monuments, they pose as if they are in model shots and it is quite entertaining because they do not seem to be embarrassed at all! Many also do not smile for their pictures which I.cannot fathom because I'm always grinning in mine and I can't help it. I hate solemn pictures. Next we took the metro to Qutb Minar, the 2nd tallest Minar in India at 73 meters. There are 5 stories and it was started in 1192 but not completed until 1368. People used to be able to go inside but there was an accident some time ago that caused a stampede that killed a bunch of children since the stairs inside are very narrow and public access has been denied since then. It is very unfortunate but still beautiful to look at on the outside. There are also a bunch of ruins surrounding it. It was quite a day of adventure and we are now masters of the metro.the metro is an inexpensive way to travel around and is also very fast because it doesn't get stuck in traffic. The first car is always for women only so that makes it a lot safer but many times it is extremely crowded. We are meeting up with another intern from umich today for tea and are excited to meet a new friend, as there are not really people our age around. I'm excited to start my homestretch!
Selena,
ReplyDeleteYou've been busy! I'm glad that you have been able to visit some sites. The temples sound stunning. It's so interesting that there are little to no decorations inside. It is very different than some of the common religions in the US with the stained glass, fountains, bells, etc. The temples sound very pure. So no one is allowed to go inside the Qutb Minar? Wow. I would hope you could at least peak inside or stand on the first floor without going up stairs.
Another on the interns mentioned the separate car for women on the metro. Who are you meeting up with? That's wonderful you can make a connection with "home"!
Best,
Tammy