India: Day 2 (Part 2)

April 25, 2010

The next part of our tour was to the heart of New Delhi.  We first stopped at the enormous India Gate.  It is the national monument of India and commemorates the loss of 90,000 Indian soldiers.

The roads that extend from it are the most important in the nation, as they lead to both the Parliament House and the Presidential Palace.  Very few cars are allowed on these roads due to terrorist threats in the past.

We then visited the Parliament House and the Presidential Palace.  Being there felt like we had temporarily left India.  There were hardly any people or cars; two things that are synonymous with the country.

The grounds were beautifully landscaped with flowers and fountains.

Then while the others made a quick stop at a carpet store to shop, I made friends with an auto-rickshaw driver drinking his afternoon chai.

Afterwards, we began our drive to Agra, the next city on our itinerary.  However, before we could leave, the local monkeys came out to say goodbye.

My last memory of Delhi was the the Bahá’í House of Worship, otherwise known as the Lotus Temple, which we drove by as we departed the city.  It truly is an architectural work of art!  Bahá’í temples are open to people of any faith, thus my kind of place (and apparently for many others as well, because it is one of the most visited monuments in the world having attracted over 50 million visitors).  When I return to Delhi in the future, one of the first things I will do is to have lunch there.  I heard the vegetarian meals served are delicious.

Obviously, a day and a half in the pulsing capitol is simply not enough time.  While, Delhi is an ancient and historical city with more than 60,000 identifiable monuments, it is also quiet modern and I really enjoyed that mix.

The drive from Delhi to Agra is around five hours of stop and go traffic.  Not really conducive to sleeping or reading.

But that was okay, as I just entertained myself with thoughts of tomorrow, since tomorrow I would be seeing THE Taj Mahal!

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Andi Perullo de Ledesma

I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.

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59 thoughts on “India: Day 2 (Part 2)

  1. SpunkyGirl

    Your photos look fantastic Andi! I can only imagine what it would be like to wander the the streets of Delhi and experience the crush of people. It’s something I look forward to, with a wee bit of nervousness! haha

    Reply
  2. Earl

    This is perfect! I get to feel as if I’m still in India by reading your posts…the above photos have me hooked already.

    And the Lotus Temple is definitely worth a visit, but that’s the problem with India, everywhere you turn there is something that is worth exploring!

    Reply
  3. Sofia - As We Travel

    Loving the photos as always.

    The mixture between old and modern is crazy in Dehli.
    I remember coming from the old part of town to the new one, it was such a contrast seeing all these kids on their way to school in their clean white shirts listening to their iPods, when you’ve just passed these 5 year old kids begging for food….

    Reply
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