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It
took me awhile to settle in after I arrived in India so I slept from
5 AM to 10 AM Sunday and then went out for a walk.
This is a view of the hotel from
the nearby road - with the stark contrast of the luxury hotel with
the tents of the very poor in the foreground. The roads contained
cars, bicycle rickshaws, people carrying huge burdens on bicycles,
women in saris sitting side-saddle behind men on motorcycles - an
amazing cross-section.
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| The vehicle at left is
a “tuk-tuk”- a small taxi, open at the sides, powered
by a 2-stroke engine. I once saw one carrying 6 people inside and
3 others standing on the back hanging on to the outside. For the average
person, transportation is scarce here. You take what you can get. |
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| The adventure really began
when I went back to the hotel, got a taxi and asked to be taken to
the Red Fort. Taxis were not allowed near the fort so the taxi driver
turned me over to a bicycle rickshaw driver. (I checked for the seat
belt. There was no seat belt.) As my driver pedaled me along, I watched
the kaleidoscope of bicycles, tuk-tuks, cars, pedestrians and the
occasional cow as we lurched through the traffic. This is a view over
the bicycle rickshaw driver's shoulder. Note that the driver ahead
of us had a double load. |
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| The Red Fort was commissioned
by Shah Jehan (who also built the Taj Mahal) in 1639. |
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The
buildings in the Red Fort were beautiful, many with inlaid
marble. Some formerly contined jewels imbedded in the walls.
The buildings included a mosque, a hall for private audiences
and one for public audiences. One building was the original
site of the splendid Peacock Throne, later taken in a raid
by the Persians. |
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It was a beautful
day to walk through the grounds - the many local families seemed
to have the same idea! Eventually, I rejoined my rickshaw driver,
who insisted on being paid only after he had delivered me safely
back to the taxi driver.
The taxi driver, being
a very helpful man, steered me right into a lovely souvenir store
where they tried to sell me everything in the store. I exited
with a hand-embroidered tablecloth, a salwar kameez (the local
dress, which made me blend in a little better at the office) and
a silk scarf. I hope the taxi driver remembered me fondly when
he collected his percentage from the store.
All in all, a great
start to my trip.
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