Delhi, from everything I have heard, sounded like the most unappealing city in India. Twenty million people, after all, is just too many, right? Well, much like with Kuala Lumpur, which I also dreaded, I was wrong. Not about 20 million being too many, but Delhi – at least New Delhi is much nicer than I feared and better than I could have hoped for. Its tuk-tuk drivers are as unscrupulous as anywhere and the air is hazy with pollution, but all in all….
Mrs. Singh at the helm
Mrs. Singh rules Prem Sagar Guest House from her lobby desk like a maharani. Our location in Connaught Circus is great, our room is clean and comfortable, the wi-fi works, breakfast is served in our room and everyone speaks understandable English. There is even a MacDonalds next door – no beef but the fries are up to Ronald’s standards.
Sunday is a good day for first impressions, “easy like a Sunday morning” as the song goes. There were few vehicles on the roads as the cold air whipped through the open autorickshaw. We arrived at Mehrauli Archeological Park just as the tour buses began emptying their fares, both foreigners and Indians. This World Heritage site is best known for the Qutb Minar, the 12th Century, five storey victory tower which marks the site of the first Muslim kingdom in northern India, and for Quwwat-ul-Islam Mashid, the oldest mosque in the country.
Who's Burried in Huayan's Tomb?
I realized we had been in India too long as I relaxed on the ride to the Tomb of Huayan, a 16th Century Mughal emperor. One shouldn’t be complacent in a speeding tuk-tuk weaving through a mass of cars, trucks and motorcycles. One should be praying fervently to the deity of his choice, several if possible. Huayan’s Tomb later served as the blueprint for the Taj Mahal which we will visit next week. If we survive.
