The Day I Almost Got Arrested

Java Chip Frapuccino FTW

I'm back in New Delhi for a few days before I move on to see the Taj Mahal / the rest of India. I've been feeling a little burned out from travel and didn't really want to be spending more time in New Delhi, but I just didn't do a good job of planning. The one place I really wanted to make sure I saw here was the Lotus Temple, so I booked a hostel within walking distance. On my way there, I passed by one of the train stations and found my first Starbucks in India. You have NO idea how much that frapuccino hit the spot right then and there - I was in some sore need of a little first-world comfort. On my way out the girl at the counter shouted out "Bye Vushan!" which I imagine they do to everyone, but still, the whole experience totally changed my mood for the better.

India Gate from afar

I continued on to the Lotus Temple and as it turns out, it's not open on Mondays. No worries, I'll just go to the other touristy thing nearby, the India Gate. So I get there and, you guessed it, closed on Mondays. Bad timing and missing attractions seems to be a theme in my life recently.

Humayun's Tomb. It's not my fault this photo is crooked.

I decided to try one last place, Humayun's Tomb and I was in luck! It's not as morbid as it sounds; it was actually one of the most impressive structures I've seen on my trip yet.

Humayun's Tomb is also surrounded by a huge garden and a bunch of other structures. One of them was another smaller tomb with a mosque built next to it. Apparently, it was a not-so-uncommon practice to build mosques next to tombs to give people a place to worship. The tomb itself was a pretty cool domed structure. When I got there, I found a closed gate, but no lock. So I waited for the security guard to wander to the other side of the building and quietly opened the gate to see where it led. (Side note: Lax security is a pretty common theme throughout India.) One big advantage of coming during the non-tourist season and on a random weekday is that there aren't nearly as many people at these attractions as you would otherwise expect. On the other side of the gate I found a stairwell that led me up to a place where I was actually on top of the dome! I had my doubts about the structural integrity is this super-old dome but that didn't stop me from climbing right on top of the center. There's probably a reason they don't let people up here.

View from the top of the dome
onto the mosque next door

I came down and found the mosque right next door. It's an open-air structure and had clearly not been used as a mosque for a really long time. Again, there weren't people around so I said my afternoon prayers there. As I was walking out the security guard stopped me and had clearly been informed by someone that I was up on the roof of the tomb (and I thought I had been so careful not to be seen!). Fortunately (and this is probably the one time I'll ever say this), his English wasn't good and he didn't know how to ask me if I had been on the top of the dome. I had no intention of lying to him so I just kept telling him that I couldn't understand him and he eventually got tired and let me go. I guess foreign ignorance can have it's advantages. On my way out, I also stopped by another smaller but still impressive structure, Isa Khan's tomb.

Isa Khan's tomb

On the way back home, I got into an auto and he used the meter to charge me. This might not seem like a big deal, but this was actually the first cab driver in New Delhi who didn't try to rob me blind. When I got out of the cab, I gave him the same amount that two other cab drivers had tried to overcharge me, and I wrote him a note that said "Thank you for not cheating me. - An American Tourist" He seemed pretty happy that I had paid him about 1.5x the fare and I really hope he finds someone to translate that note for him.

This is the first time I'm staying in a shared room. Up until this point, the places I've stayed would really be more accurately called hotels than hostels, but this is definitely a hostel. And true to what I expected, I met a couple of really awesome people. First, there was the Argentinian salsa dancer who was super friendly. I've officially decided that I'm going to LOVE South America. Literally. Then there was the older Indian woman who is actually a New Yorker. We went to dinner at Pizza Hut (which here is actually a pretty decent restaurant) and had a great conversation about living in and doing business in India. I'm coming to see that staying in hostels is 1) a lot easier than I thought it would be, and 2) a really great way to spend the first night in any future new cities I go to for the rest of the trip.