Limited Tour of the Sites of Delhi
Old Delhi
We only spent one day in Delhi, the capital of India, which also happened to be the day that George Bush was on a state visit to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi. We weren't sure ahead of time whether that was going to be good or bad - turns out it was bad. Most of the city was closed so our options were limited. We were able to take a rickshaw ride through the Old Delhi area, which is noted for its small and packed streets, great silk spice and silver markets, crumbling 16th century structures and hazardous electrical wiring. It was a little reminiscent of the Hutong in Beijing, although more commercial than residential, and a little scarier.
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New Delhi
While most of New Delhi was closed, we were able to see the India Gate, which is a British-built monument to all British and Indian soldiers who died in World War I.
We also got to see the outside of the Presidential Palace, which is still in use today, and the Parliament.
And the National Gandhi Museum, the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat (Street of Kings), complete with a wreath laid on the memorial by the Bushes earlier in the day. Gandhi was the leader of the non-violent movement for independence from Great Britain in 1947. His memorial is adjacent to the memorials of the three members of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty who have led the nation as Prime Minister for most of the nation's independent history and all of whom were assassinated: Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi's hand-picked successor; Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi (unrelated to Mahatma); and her son Rajiv Gandhi.
Neemrana
On the drive from Delhi to Jaipur, we stopped at Neemrana Fort-Palace, a fort built in 1464 that was restored as one of Rajasthan's premier hotels in the 1990s. The fort is perched on plateau in the Aravalli hills.
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