Riding the Metro

After getting the tube during rush hour I naively thought the Indian train network would be pretty much the same. Hmmm…firstly you have to go through what is essentially an airport security check to get into the station. Secondly they have a women only carriage. Form the outside you would think that's a bit weird, why would the women have their own carriage? However, it turns out to be a wonderful idea, as during the busy times you are pretty much standing on top of each other, and the men starring is weird enough; I don't think we want to be adding touching to that! Thirdly when you get off the train you join what can only be described as a sea of bodies. 3 or 4 people wide and probably 100 long, all moving and pushing towards the exit. On either side of your river of people, there are another 2 rivers of people moving and pushing to get on the trains. There would be absolutely no chance to stop or pick something of the floor.

Jama Mosque (Great Mosque)

Jama Mosque is the principal Mosque in Old Delhi, the best known and largest in India. Everyone must remove their shoes and all the girls are given a gown to wear as you enter. The gown is a typically Indian coloured, full length, wrap around overtop. It was a beautiful site with a massive courtyard and inside room for worship. During busy times of the Muslim calendar there would be up to 50,000 people coming to visit the Mosque, so they will sit on the steps, hold on the sides, stand on the roof, anywhere they could. There was a tower you could climb up to get a view over the city. But there was a sign saying women and children could not go up unaccompanied!

Gurdwara SisGanj- Sikh Holy Site

A beautiful place where we could go inside and observe the people who had come here to pray. There were people sitting, people singing and people going to the front to pray and release their sins. It was lovely to see lots of people coming together to share in their faith. We saw a family with a young child about a year old arrive and the child crawled over to a man sitting not to far away but they clearly didn't know this man, and he picked up the child and they sat together. It was lovely to see that sense of family and safely within a community. Attached to the Sikh Gurdwara is a type of Soup Kitchen, where 3 times a day they provide food for anyone, of any religion, from any country. This is where we got to try at making chapattis, with the other volunteers that help out.

Walking the Streets

Walking down an Indian street is an experience in itself. Most roads seem to have pavements on the side but they are not necessarily used. The roads are filled with cars, rickshaws, motorbikes, bicycles, horse and cart, cows and pedestrians. The only rule seems to be if you get their first you have right of way, and if you sound your horn you want someone to move. So in busy times it is quite an event just to cross the road. When you get to the smaller side streets, they would appear to be for pedestrians but there are still bikes of all sorts coming down, so you have to keep your wits about you. If you look up you can see all the power cables for what looks like the entire area, but it's probably only for that street. The streets are filled with noises and smells of the good and bad variety. There are shops selling all kinds of things from spices to saris, from coca cola to tyres. They look like a series of garages lines up and men just hanging around, maybe looking after their shops or just chatting. It would appear most of the men in India just sit around and hang out with their friends and this is confirmed when our guide says 'To be a man in India is to have a good life'.