Day 2!

After breakfast on the roof terrace of the hotel we set off on foot through the bazaar to New Delhi station and got ourselves a bike rickshaw to drive us to Jama Masjid. It was during this trip that I decided I would NEVER drive in Delhi - there are no rules on the road here at all. We're talking 100 cars/motorbikes/pedal rickshaws trying to go around a roundabout all at the same time. We were so close to a bus at one point that I touched it without even stretching my arm. Horns blaring constantly, traffic jamming around bends, even dad admitted it would take an entirely different mindset to drive here and survive. I also realised that Delhi is split into districts for whatever you want to buy - a few streets only selling sheet metal, another few exclusively selling greetings cards, a whole street selling car bonnets and tail lights. It's completely bizarre but at least you know where to go when you're looking for something specific! As we arrived at the Jama Masjid the call to prayer started - I've never actually heard it before so to hear it coming from the largest mosque in India was really quite special. Seeing people suddenly flock into the mosque was wonderful to watch. Fact from my guide book for you: 'the red and white Jama Masjid was built by a workforce of five thousand people between 1644 and 1656. A feature that's particularly special is a white shrine that protects a collection of Muhammad's relics, including, his sandals, a hair from his beard and his "footprint" embedded in a marble slab." It really is an awesome structure, so simple and pure. Decorative elements are to a minimum, it really is all about the prayer without the pomp and ceremony that we usually associate with religion. As we entered we were dressed in some flowery robes (I thought I was covered up already but apparently not!), dad's sarong was particularly fetching! Once inside, the sheer amount of space for worship really is apparent - the courtyard alone can fit 25,000 prostrate bodies in it so it's pretty big! It was a little strange walking around whilst men were praying against the wall but interesting to see how little effect our presence had on them, it was like being invisible which isn't the case usually in India. We climbed one of the towers and found ourselves looking out across the whole of Delhi, a really spectacular site. It was a little crowded but we managed to get ourselves a spot to get a proper look. At this point I really should explain about India's attitude towards health and safety - they don't really have one. We were in a space that could hold around 15 bodies uncomfortably and all of us were trying very hard not to fall back down the very steep stone stairwell that just ends in the top of the tower. I'm talking about a proper 7 foot drop onto stone steps - no barrier, no hand rails, no maximum capacity. Dangerous as it may have been it love that it's like that here - people just have to watch where they're going! From the top of this tower the view was staggering, you got a really good look at the three domes of the mosque from the south and a panoramic view of the city. Honestly, in the chaos that is Delhi it really was a peaceful place to be.

We left Jama Masjid and ventured into the surrounding streets heading towards the Red Fort. Trying to walk down the street is so difficult here - you're constantly looking behind you to check you're not about to get run over by a rickshaw, people are everywhere and everyone talks to you. I've never said hello or my own name more times in such a short space of time! But mainly people just smile at you, it really is a friendly place. We got an auto-rickshaw to take us over to Raj Ghat to see the cremation/memorial sites for Mahatma Ghandi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Ghandi and Rajiv Ghandi. Raj Ghat is so beautiful - acres of perfectly kept grass and trees, a lake covered in (what looked like) swans and just a feeling that can only be described as serene. There were plenty of people milling around but it was so quiet and there's so much respect shown for the final resting places of these people who changed India. Standing a few feet away from the eternal flame burning for Mahatma Ghandi honestly does affect you. I can't really explain it but I'm so happy to have seen it. Also I'm apparently a celebrity in Delhi - during our time at Raj Ghat I had my picture taken multiple times, shook hands A LOT and even got asked for my autograph...incidentally this was all with school girls under the age of 11 but it was still pretty cool!

We've got an early start for our day trip to Agra tomorrow (catching the 6:14am train) so we're supposedly being good tonight. Dad is here though so we'll see how long that plan lasts!