Travels in India

My last big trip for sabbatical research this semester is India. I am here now, in Delhi. I am on a tour with Overseas Adventure Travel. I have traveled with this company before, and enjoy their approach to exploring the world. I am here with my friend Carol and thirteen other people from around the United States. We arrived yesterday in the early morning. After nearly 20 hours of flying, it felt good to get off the plane.















After a brief rest, we tok off to explore the old part of Delhi. We visited the Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India. I was thrilled to find that people do not mind having their picture taken. In fact, the minute you start to take a photo of one child, more arrive, and soon, you have the entire family. I love it! After viewing the mosque, we took a short ride by rickshaw through the crowded lanes of the Chandni Chowk bazaar. Then, we went to visit Raj Ghat, a serene monument on the bank of the Yamuna River. This is where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated and an eternal flame burns in his memory.








As my purpose here is to study Indian costume and textiles, you can imagine that I am thrilled with the color and variety of cloth that I see on the streets.















The best surprise of the day occurred in the evening, on our way home. We drove by a wedding, and our leader, Girish, suggested we crash it. So, we did. Here you can see the groom on his horse, waiting to be taken to his bride. You can also see the sunset we viewed on our first night in Delhi.