My last week for work was spent doing one-on-ones with each of my trainees and preparing for our next steps for the learnings. It was so sad to say goodbye as we have become a very tight group in only 3 weeks. It made me happy to walk in every day, see the smiles and watch them get very proficient at our processes.

But, it was time to head to Delhi to meet Karen and Ken. So while I was sad to leave Bangalore, I was very excited to start our tour of Delhi, Agra, Ramthanbon National Park and Jaipur. We are packing a lot in over 6 days!

I flew Jet Airways from Bangalore to Delhi, which was delayed an hour. Instead of arriving at 830p, it was 930p and getting to the hotel around 1030p. I was able to get in a bit of sleep until Karen/Ken arrived around 330am. We all got settled and they both took a sleep aid to help them get some rest before we did some touring of Delhi.

After a restless partial night, we met Mallika our wonderful travel agent for some coffee around noon, where she gave Karen/Ken (now referred to as KK) an overview of India, its customs and what to expect. She then turned us over to Suez, our tour guide for the afternoon.

Our first stop was to get Ken a hat, as he had unfortunately forgotten his at home. With the hot sun, it was a necessity in keeping his head from turning beet red. The choices weren't exactly stylish, but they were functional and that was the important part. For $3 it was a deal.

Then, it was on to Old Delhi, which is what everyone thinks India is like. Craziness, loud, crowded and general chaos. Suez found two bicycle tuk-tuks and we were off into the street dodging buses, cars, tuk-tuks and people. We were heading to the spice market and we could tell when we were close due to the spicy smell.

We left our tuk-tuks and walked past stall after stall of spices, nuts, dried fruits and teas. The market is approx. 3k long, and it is hard to imagine that many shops all dedicated to spice. We walked down one alley that is focused on dried peppers and everyone (including us) were coughing due to the pepper dust that was getting into our noses. Karen laughed that we were going to need a sinus cleanse when we were done!

After buying some tea and spices to take home, we were back on the tuk-tuks and winding our way through narrow alleys, getting stuck in massive tuk-tuk traffic jams and seeing the local life up-close and personal. Certain sections were dedicated to optical, then bangles, then fabric, etc etc. The area with the saris was especially colorful and had some beautiful designs.

The most amazing part of Old Delhi has to be the wiring. It is the craziest and how it all works has to be a miracle. Wires upon wires are strung and tangled everywhere and we contemplated how someone would ever fix anything when connectivity was broken. It would be like one of those puzzles where you have to untangle a huge bundle of string.

Before we got back in the car, we visited the Jama Masjid Mosque, the largest in India. It was quite impressive in size and in décor, as Shah Jahan commissioned and built it in 1644. He was also the one who built the Taj Mahal and obviously had a flare for design. Karen and I had to put on a large garment to cover our arms and legs, while Ken got a sarong type skirt...we all looked very attractive!

Our last stop for the day was where Ghandi spent his last 6 months of his life and where he was shot and killed. He lived in a very spare room in a very large mansion owned by one of his devotees. The room only has a cot and a very thin mattress and shows his commitment to simplicity. There are cement foot imprints that lead from his room to the garden, where he was going to lead a prayer service. As he was starting the service, an extremist who felt Ghandi was against the Indian norms shot him.   Ironic that a person who preached peace and acceptance for all, was killed for those beliefs.

In the garden there were a large amount of monkeys hanging around the trees, sitting on the grass and rolling around playing with each other. They were so cute and we were having fun watching them. That is until a group started chasing us…Karen and I screamed and ran, while Suez and two workers were chasing them off. One actually got close enough to Karen bite at her ankle and caught her pants. Luckily he didn’t get anything but a piece of the pants, but that was enough to spook us and two French girls who stuck close, as we had to walk back to the car.

We got back to the hotel, enjoyed a small snack and hit the pool to rejuvenate. It would have been easy for KK to take a nap, but that would have made it hard to get moving….so pool helped! We went to Bukhara, which had been recommended by anyone who knew we were going to Delhi. It is ranked one of the top 50 restaurants in Asia and is focused on Tandoori style-kebabs baked in clay ovens. The inside was quite impressive and the food was good. We all split some Dal (lentils), fried cauliflower and naan (bread), while Ken and I split some lamb kebabs (Karen is vegi). All is eaten with your hands, which added to the intrigue.

Our day ended at the fancy chocolate shop, where you can design your own chocolate cup with yummy fillings and toppings. A nice end to a long day!