Delhi

I lost a little bit of steam last week and this week when my mom came to visit, but I'm trying to catch up on our India trip a bit.

After Madras, we flew to Delhi. We got there in the late afternoon, and it was a huge change. Where Madras was sticky, hot and tropical, Delhi was cool, dry and dusty. It was like leaving the jungle and entering Arabian Nights.

Ragsy was miserable on the drive to my husband's aunt and uncle's house. He screamed almost non-stop until he had guzzled no less than a half bottle of milk and two full bottles of water (yes, I tried to give him a cup; no, he wouldn't take it). He was delighted to be cooler and quieter when we got to the house and quickly began his attempts to destroy the flat, without much success.

After playing for a while and eating a little bit, he promptly passed out and had his first truly good night's sleep since we had gotten to India. The next day, we relaxed most of the morning then drove out to the country to someone's farm for a party. It was really nice - it was a catered affair outdoors with lots of younger kids, too, who played cricket on the lawn. It was oddly British feeling - sort of like having tea on the grounds. But at least Ragsy got an opportunity to relax and enjoy himself while playing in the dirt with other kids.

On the way back we stopped by Qutb Minar, which was absolutely beautiful at sunset. The next day, there was more putzing, then a stop by the India Gate. It was quite a while before we got back and the plan was originally to go to a New Year's Eve "bonfire" (which would probably have been like the country party), but Ragsy was too tired, so my husband, son and I sat it out while the adults went out, which was actually really nice. We got to relax, sleep and generally sit someplace quiet, which was the first time we'd had the opportunity for a week or so.

The day after that, we went to the Taj Mahal in Agra, which was just stunning. We managed to get into the Taj just before the gates closed at 5 p.m. and stayed until just after sunset. We got some absolutely beautiful photos, too, then went to a pretty decent place for dinner, then back to the hotel where we were staying, the Agra Club.

The Agra Club was an interesting place. It's supposed to be really exclusive and very hard to get a booking of any sort, but my husband's aunt knows a member who got us in for free. Which was very nice, but unfortunately, the Agra Club also has an issue with bedbugs (probably has something to do with the army-issue blankets they include in the hotel) and lots and lots of mosquitos. All of us slept fully clothed, but even though I slept in a pair of pants, socks, a shirt and fleece, I still got the crap bitten out of me. So did my son, though my husband seems to be impervious to bugs in India, particularly mosquitos. Anyway, we lubed up with Odomos, an industrial-strength mosquito repellant after that.

The next day, we went to Akbar's palace, Fatehpur, then to Salam Chisti's (one of Akbar's advisors) tomb. Both were absolutely spectacular, especially Fatehpur, which includes five palaces - one for each of Akbar's wives and one for Akbar himself. Salam Chisti's tomb was also gorgeous.

The next day, we started our drive back to Delhi, which took four or five hours. More putzing around, then we went shopping. The day after that there was more site-seeing, then more shopping, then an exhausted *flop* into bed. The day after that one we did even more site-seeing, then met one of uncle and auntie's sons for dinner.

Then the next day, it was off to Rajkot.

Lessons learned in Delhi:

Ragsy has a lot more stamina than even I realized. And he's a lot more patient. Even I was getting sick of being dragged around constantly by our ridiculously-energetic hosts, but Ragsy only had a problem when he was expected to sit down for dinner, which is usually not until after 9 p.m. and therefore way past his bedtime anyway.

I act older than I thought. See above regarding ridiculously-energetic hosts. Jeez - I'm half their age and already turning into an old fogey!

If you can make sure they're clean enough, roadside stands can have some really awesome food like puris and hot, sweet milk (which I really didn't care for, but wish I did because it had tons of sugar and spice in it).

Recycling in India is truly a way of life. Everyone reuses everything. And those things they don't reuse are often made out of biodegradeable material, like the cups and bowls used at the roadside stands, which are made out of clay (but not fired) and leaves, respectively.

Eating dinner early is a good thing. While I appreciate the freedom of eating a later dinner, it's just not worth it to my stomach or my sanity. The former gets upset by eating too much too late at night. The latter gets upset by my son, who screams when dinner is delayed so long and he's forced to stay up long enough to eat it.

So, there you go. Two more stops to go.