"Why didn't you fly Qatar Airways?", or Day 54 in Delhi

I made it!

Last night, got to the airport a wee bit late and skipped some lines thanks to the quick thinking of Abdalla. So I got to the gate right on time.

As I checked in with the flight attendant, he asked to see my passport, my visa, and asked me a few questions. I was realizing at this point that the entire line (and entire waiting area) was full of Indian men. With that in mind, he pointed question of "Why didn't you fly Qatar Airways?" didn't seem quite so crude. (I am flying with Jet Airways, a lower budget company out of India.)

The red-eye not only was an awkward four hours long, but it served a meal (that I did not partake in) at midnight!

Again, though, the female priority allowed me to get to the bathroom without waiting for half a dozen guys in the aisle way.

And then, after the few hours of sleep, I landed in Delhi! It smelled different, looked different, and sounded different, but it is amazing how similar all cities feel.

Max met me after customs, and their driver picked us up and brought us back to the giant villa that is his aunt and uncle's house.

Not only do I get a spare bedroom for my stay here, Max and I also can use their drivers to get us around!

So a few more hours of sleep under my belt, and Max, his aunt, two of his aunt's friends, and I all went to the flower market.

It was just a dozen stalls long, and many of them were on their way to getting packed up, but we got to see different people stringing together the flower leis.

The tactics that I learned while in Istanbul are serving me well. Smile at the hawkers, if you want, but ignoring them is not rude, it's just necessary.

We got dropped off next at Qutb Minar. This vast complex was more than just the minaret of an old Mughal mosque. It was an entire acreage of buildings and random monuments, such as a sundial and a pillar.

All of the buildings were of this sandstone that I think is native to Delhi. There was also some white marble inlaid in the Minar. The stonework was amazing, and amazingly not eroded at all. I was impressed with how kept up the intricate work was, though the same can't be said for the entire complex. A many of the monuments had names scratched into the walls or the trees on the grounds. Owning a piece of history like that is clearly something to be desired.

The Qutb is also a place for school groups. I was approached by a few different groups of kids, asking in their limited English, "How are you?" and "Where are you from?" We shook hands, and I got pictures with a few of them.

We then got driven to Humayun's Tomb, via the Parliament building and the President's palace. Large, impressive buildings, but no monkeys by them today.

Humayun's Tomb is another of the Mughal leave-behinds, meaning that it Islamic-based and build in the 1500s. We spent another hour roaming those grounds, looking at more of the sandstone architecture and people picnicking and napping. The Tomb was built by his widow, and is one of the precursors to the Taj Mahal. Very grandiose, and yet, still going to be dwarfed by other tombs later in this trip.

The final destination of the day was Connaught Place, an underground (and rather stuffy) market with a park on top. We wandered through the Tibetian Market, where I spent my first rupees shopping, on jewelry. I also bargained for some bags, but we couldn't agree on a price. Better luck next time.

We crossed the crazy roundabout (going clockwise, of course) and got some mango popsicles for the dandy price of 5 rupees each (about 13 cents). We were going to people-watch, but the people weren't satistified to let us watch them, so we were approached by two ear-cleaners and a shoe shiner. After playing around with them, we ignored them enough for them to move along.

We went back to base camp, where I met the three kids and husband. Some pasta for dinner, some playing in the spacious yard, and a good old Bollywood movie (Lagaan) finished up my first official day in Delhi.

It's crazy... I'm in India!