Delhi
Delhi
Since Mrs. SFO wasn't here, I told our TA that we wanted to see the real Delhi in addition to the usual tourist attractions. And wow, they sure delivered on that one. We started the day with a walk thru the tough area of new Delhi near the train station, an area where runaway/abandoned kids tend to occupy. The Salaam Balak Trust works with street children in Delhi providing them with a secure environment as well as health and education. The Trust has developed a city walk through the inner city, and the guides are the young people who have been rescued and know the area intimately. While introducing you to the heritage and the life of the backstreets of Delhi, little seen by the visitors, they also share with you stories of their life journeys. Our guide Ajay, who himself was abandoned at age 7 but nearly 10 years later, has turned his life around and is on his way to go to college in the next couple of years.
The sights and sounds of Delhi. As our guide said, there are three requirements to be able to drive in Delhi... a good horn, good brakes and good luck.
After a great lunch and a large Kingfisher, we headed for Humayun's Tomb.
A popular Delhi family vehicle.
Humayun’s tomb is the earliest example of Mughal architecture in India. Recently renovated with the gardens restored to their former splendor. Architecturally. the mausoleum drew its inspiration from the styles prevalent in Samarkand, and the design of the Taj Mahal is based on this tomb.
Men are pretty much the same anywhere in the world. 
Then to The Rashtrapati Bhavan, the residence of the President of India, up Rajpath or “Kings Way” and India Gate.
On the drive back to the hotel, a Ferrari dealership is another sign of the new Delhi.
Back at the hotel after a full day of touring, looks like another big Indian wedding tonight.
After we freshened up, we headed to the bar for some drinks and either cricket or field hockey on the TVs. Decided we like field hockey best no doubt because of the Star Sports on field reporter that made Erin Andrews look pretty plain. Got great laughs from the bartenders when they saw me take a pic of the TV. We all agreed this babe is hot.
Jr and I ate at The Spice Route, the hotel's excellent Thai themed restaurant.
After dinner, I crashed the wedding party, or at least long enough for some pics of the bride and groom and party.
Who said it doesn't rain in Delhi in the winter? Today is dark, gloomy and rainy day... indeed the biggest single day February rain since record keeping began. Today, we're off to old Delhi.
And Jama Masjid, believed to be the largest mosque in India and which was Shah Jahanâs last architectural legacy.
Next we boarded a cycle rickshaw and toured the narrow lanes of the 300 year old Chandni Chowk market, where shopkeepers sell an extraordinary variety of items â silver, jewelry, aromatic spices, leather, fruit and vegetables, home grown medicinal items, and roadside dentists display their bizarre array of equipment and false teeth... organized chaos which is quintessentially Indian.
More amazing electrical wiring and connections. How this functions is beyond me.
