Delhi

March 10 - Unlike Mumbai, Delhi is a wonderful metropolis to spend as little or as much time as you can spare. Our first day in Delhi started in the old city where we visited Jama Masjid — the largest mosque in India. Not only is it a beautiful place of worship, with a large courtyard and pigeons that swoop around every few minutes, but it also has a view of the Red Fort, another Mughal fort. That was followed by a cycle-rickshaw ride through the very narrow streets of the bazaar. We also stopped by the site of Gandhi's cremation. Our tour guide warned us that if we were to take a photo of ourselves at the cremation site that it would cause us extreme sadness and she would refuse to take a picture of us because we were her friends. Our final stop on that first day was the Bahai Temple, which is shaped like a lotus flower. It was built by the same person who built the Opera House in Sydney and it is a house of worship designed so that anyone can come to pray or meditate according to their own religion.

We also saw rain for the first time in Delhi. According to CNN and the locals we talk to, it is abnormal for India to have rain at this time of the year.

Other sites in Delhi included the India Gate — a memorial to Indian soldiers who fought abroad and in certain domestic wars. It was raining that morning, so we couldn't take a paddle boat ride along the small lake beside the memorial. We had lunch one day at the Imperial Hotel, which has been the home base for several of the parties that have ruled over the country over the years. It was also a nice meal!

Photos of Delhi