India. Delhi

  Main Bazaar Street is a cult place for backpackers (crazies with backpacks on their backs, just like us:)). Our first impressions were connected with this place. Arriving by taxi at the Vivek Hotel, located in the middle of Main Bazaar Street, we truly felt the beginning of our journey. We immediately recalled everything we had read before the trip on various forums on the internet. And here we are!!!!! Without much thought, we settled in this hotel because, after a long flight with a transfer and a time zone change, not to mention a completely different atmosphere, we wanted to recover, take a shower, and sleep. We managed to check into our room around 8 a.m... Waking up closer to noon from the terrible noise of the street, we gathered our thoughts and set off to explore the capital. Leaving the hotel, we were hit with a mild shock from the amount of movement and the cacophony of sounds...

  Most of the shops were already open, and the street had completely transformed compared to its morning appearance. We were not yet mentally ready for shopping, as our plan for the second half of the day included visiting two temples - Akshardham and the Lotus Temple...

 We reached these religious and tourist spots by metro, after passing through a metal detector and a police check, which is common for the local subway. In the metro, we were very impressed by the huge number of Indians, among whom we clearly stood out. Moreover, we didn't see any other non-Indians at all. I immediately remembered how, for the first time in my city, I saw a black person and how unusual it was for me; now I felt, perhaps, what he felt... In such moments, you really feel like you're from another reality. The Indians, however, behaved very kindly and constantly tried to help us orient ourselves. Exiting the metro, we headed to Akshardham...

   The main entrance was somewhat reminiscent of a prison...

   You can only enter the temple grounds with documents and money; all other things had to be left in the storage room, in a very interesting and unusual way. The procedure is as follows: we put all our things in a basket, approach the window of the storage room, where an employee takes each item from the basket and shows it to the video camera, then places the basket with our things on the corresponding shelf, and gives us a number tag. After this procedure, we really felt that our camera was safe :). But that's not all; we still had to pass through a metal detector and a search point, and only then were we fully granted access to this truly stunning place. This temple was definitely worth all the procedures mentioned above, very cool!!! And the fact that we had to leave the camera in storage was a small minus. We weren't distracted by choosing good shots and fully enjoyed what we saw. By the way, Akshardham is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest Hindu temple in the world...

  The grandeur of Indian culture is clearly shown in the pomp of their temples. Three hours flew by unnoticed, and, filled with impressions, we were drawn to the next attraction - the Lotus Temple, the entrance to which was more lenient and peaceful. We walked along the fence past a line of people waiting to enter the temple grounds without even noticing it. We couldn't have imagined that for three hundred meters, people were crowded to get into the temple. This realization came to us only when we got closer to the entrance... But then luck smiled on us, and a man who was overseeing order at the entrance gates came up to us and indicated that we could enter without waiting in line...

  The Lotus Temple is the main Baháʼí House of Worship in India and neighboring countries. The Baháʼí Faith is one of the youngest religions, the core principle of which is the recognition of the common source and undeniable unity of all major world religions. Interestingly, the architect of this creation was inspired by the world-famous Sydney Opera House...

Before approaching the temple, we took off our shoes, and just before entering inside, we were given instructions, the main idea of which was the need for silence while being in this sacred place. After all the procedures, we experienced a peaceful and friendly atmosphere inside...

  

 After the Lotus Temple, we headed back to Main Bazaar. In one day in Delhi, we managed to see a lot and get used to many things, gaining our first experiences of riding the Indian metro, finding accommodation, and many other things so different from our own customs. We arrived at Main Bazaar when it was already dark, as the sunset in India starts after five in the evening...

   The next morning, we were scheduled to visit the Sikh Temple. Taking the metro to Patel Chowk station and emerging from the underground, we headed down the avenue to our first destination of the day. Along the way, our attention was drawn to parrots and chipmunks, which were so unusual to see on an ordinary city street...

  The flowers with aromatic coals hanging on some trees also caught our attention... This is India for you, the most impressive things are often found on the way to the attractions...

    Reaching the temple, we took off our shoes and, feeling light and still at peace, set off to explore its grounds...

   To comply with the dress code of this place, we had to wear headscarves. Ideally, it should probably look like this...

   We tried our best with the scarves provided at the entrance, but still couldn't match the colorfulness of a real Sikh...

   The temple grounds had a very good aura. Walking around the artificial pond located next to the temple, we went inside. Here, we truly felt cozy. It was very pleasant to sit on soft carpets and listen to the live prayer performances of the Sikhs. The sense of calm and serenity was exactly what we wanted to experience in India!!!! This temple, in terms of energy, touched our souls the most...  

   Afterward, our path lay towards the "India Gate". Walking a bit down the avenue, we approached a rickshaw driver who agreed, without even bargaining, to take us for 20 rupees. The catch was that he was traveling with his brother, who practiced his conversational English with foreigners during the trip. In the end, the driver didn't take any money from us; the fare was a conversation :). By the way, this was our first ride on a rickshaw...

   Next, the India Gate came into view...

  Strolling through the park area, from the India Gate, we walked to the administrative part of the capital...

    And this is the view from the side we came from. The India Gate is obscured by smog and it's difficult to make out in the photo...

    The building where the Indian government sits is reminiscent of a sandcastle in its color... 

   The government cars here are not as flashy as the car fleet of our political figures...

   The official residence of the president is also done in the "sand" style...

  Next, we headed to the Safdarjung Tomb, a marble mausoleum of the prime minister of the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, built in 1754 in the Mughal architectural style...

 After a well-spent day, we had a delicious dinner on Main Bazaar. Today we were going to try Indian cuisine for the first time. Our order included: masala tea (black tea with milk and spices) and thali (a set of several Indian dishes). First, they served masala tea...

   Later, they brought the thali, which included the following dishes: dal (a soup made from peas and lentils), vegetable curry, yogurt (fermented milk in lumps), vegetable salad, and lots and lots of rice:

   Thali also came with chapati - unleavened flatbreads made from whole wheat flour...

  The café's location on the roof of the Vivek Hotel offered very interesting views...

    This is life in the capital, specifically, above Main Bazaar...

   After dinner, we strolled a bit along the evening street of Main Bazaar. The atmosphere of the approaching festival of lights, Diwali, was already in the air...

  Next, we had a night train to Khajuraho and a journey through the rest of the planned places in India. We managed to walk around Delhi a bit more on the last day before our flight home. We had some unfulfilled desires to see certain attractions, and we decided to fill this gap before leaving. First, we went to visit the tallest brick minaret in the world, Qutb Minar, which stands 72.6 meters high...

  

  Here we also saw the famous iron pillar, which has remained virtually rust-free for 1600 years. There is a theory that this pillar is made of meteoric iron...

    Next, we took the metro to the Chandni Chowk area. By the way, I forgot to mention that the Delhi metro is at a very high level...

    Then a cycle rickshaw took us to the Jama Masjid mosque, which I didn't manage to enter because I didn't want to pay for a dirty cloth to cover my legs, as it was forbidden to enter in shorts. They also charged for photography there... This mosque was the complete opposite of the Sikh Temple. Irritable people, an unpleasant atmosphere, and they wanted money for everything. Spirituality was left far behind by greed...

    Next, we decided to stroll through the colorful streets of Chandni Chowk...

   

   Then we decided to take a cycle rickshaw to the nearest metro station. The rickshaw driver turned out to be extremely accommodating, agreeing to our first suggested amount of 20 rupees without bargaining. We rode for about 20 minutes, and when we reached our desired station, we paid him 50 rupees instead of 20, which made him very happy. This emotion was doubly pleasant for us. It was clear that the rickshaw driver really needed the money and was ready to take us for any price without bargaining, begging, or cheating, unlike most others. Naturally, this person became our last rickshaw driver in India. We spent the second half of the day on Main Bazaar, trying to haggle for something. So, our journey began from the cherished Main Bazaar, and it logically ended there...

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