This past weekend was our first holiday weekend in Delhi, which meant that about half of the city was gone. We considered leaving as well, though it turned out to be quite advantageous to stay as there was less traffic and fewer people to fight for the weekend sights. Saturday was a holiday called Raki- or Brother/Sister Day. On this holiday, sisters tie red threads, or rakis, around their brothers' wrists. The brothers then give the sisters small gifts and vow to protect them. It's a very festive day with lots of family, love, and gift-giving. All of the markets have been filled with stands selling rakis, which have become more and more ornate and are now sometimes quite fancy, made with different jewels and charms.
For our Saturday we went to Humayun's Tomb, which was the precursor to the Taj Mahal and almost as large. It's amazing that this huge structure with expansive grounds is just sitting in the middle of south Delhi!
After Humayan's Tomb, we beat it to Khan Market where we picked up some new books and enjoyed a leisurely late-afternoon coffee with our exciting new reads.
Sunday night we went to a comedy show, of all things! Apparently, stand-up comedy has only recently begun to pick up steam in India, mainly Delhi, and there was a series of acts billed under the "Cheese Monkey Mafia" performing in Gurgaon, a sort of satellite city southwest of Delhi. The acts were, for the most part, really entertaining and mostly in English. We certainly felt on the outside of a few cultural inside-jokes, but overall it was really fun.
On Monday- Independence Day- after meeting up with a former professor of John's for lunch, we stopped by an amazing temple, Mata Ka Mandir, and then hit another big site- the Lotus Temple.
The Lotus Temple, or Bahai House of Worship, was built in the shape of a lotus flower in 1986 by an Iranian-Canadian architect. There are 27 white, marble "petals" in all!
For our Saturday we went to Humayun's Tomb, which was the precursor to the Taj Mahal and almost as large. It's amazing that this huge structure with expansive grounds is just sitting in the middle of south Delhi!
After Humayan's Tomb, we beat it to Khan Market where we picked up some new books and enjoyed a leisurely late-afternoon coffee with our exciting new reads.
Sunday night we went to a comedy show, of all things! Apparently, stand-up comedy has only recently begun to pick up steam in India, mainly Delhi, and there was a series of acts billed under the "Cheese Monkey Mafia" performing in Gurgaon, a sort of satellite city southwest of Delhi. The acts were, for the most part, really entertaining and mostly in English. We certainly felt on the outside of a few cultural inside-jokes, but overall it was really fun.
On Monday- Independence Day- after meeting up with a former professor of John's for lunch, we stopped by an amazing temple, Mata Ka Mandir, and then hit another big site- the Lotus Temple.
The Lotus Temple, or Bahai House of Worship, was built in the shape of a lotus flower in 1986 by an Iranian-Canadian architect. There are 27 white, marble "petals" in all!
In the Mata Ka Mandir Temple
The Lotus Temple
After all of that, we of course flew a kite, just like all the little kids of Delhi. Or I should say that John attempted to and briefly succeeded at flying a kite while I watched. A very good, albeit rainy, weekend for the sites of Delhi!
Taylor, I love your blog! It's so much fun to read about the good times, and I feel your pain when monkeys invade your life! Thank you for writing!
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