Delhi, New and Old

One of our last stops in India was the capital city of Delhi. It is a sprawling city that has an amazing history of both political achievement and tragedy.



The President's Palace, Parliament, and a variety of other government buildings are located in Delhi.



There are also the swarming, cramped streets of Old Delhi, with millions of people moving through the streets. Watching the scene pass by while riding in a pedal-rickshaw, it's amazing to think that only 25% of India's 1.1 billion people live in urban settings.



And yet, among all the millions of people, we still manage to stand out. In India, people have no shame when staring, particularly at Jessica. Once, a man on a bicycle passed us, then turned his head completely around to watch us for nearly a half-block instead of the road. Here, as happened on numerous occasions, someone wanted her picture. Granted, the silly pink gown she had to wear to enter the mosque probably didn't help either.



We went to the top of a minaret in the largest mosque in India. It gave us a 360 degree view of the sprawling city, and a nice aerial view of the courtyard as well.



We also visited the site where Gandhi was assassinated. The museum enables visitors to relive Gandhi's last few moments, walking beside his footsteps.



Here are Gandhi's final few steps and the location where he fell after being shot three times. A Hindu extremist killed Gandhi because of Gandhi's ideas about India and Pakistan; Gandhi strongly supported the idea of one united India which would include both Hindus and Muslims, while many believed that separate Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan states should be created.



We were in Delhi for Holi, the Festival of Color, which celebrates the arrival of spring. During this festival, people go out and throw color on each other. This color is in the form of powders or liquid dyes which are often made of chemicals that can not only burn the skin, but stain your hair and skin for months. When asking people about what should we do to celebrate, most people suggested locking our doors and staying inside. It would have been impossible for us to walk around and observe; someone (or a large group of someones) would have definitely approached us with paint. And as appealing as it sounds, Jessica didn't want to look green or pink the rest of the trip (sorry, we know this would have made for some more interesting pictures here on out). So instead we decided to celebrate at the American Embassy, where they had a safe celebration using natural dyes and waterguns. Lots of water guns.



Shortly after the time we arrived, many people had already run out of color to throw. Instead, they resorted to a water gun fight. Ten minutes after this picture was taken, Justin had been attacked by multiple kids and was completely soaked.



Finally, we couldn't resist this including this shot of Justin doing what he does best: taking all signs literally. We came across this sign at the Lodi Gardens, which has beautiful grounds and several tombs.