3
Location: Delhi
Dashing up the staircase of Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, we hurried for cover as the rain came pouring down. We grudgingly waited for the rain to slow to a drizzle, but no avail. We eventually decided to run to the part of the mosque where our tour began. As I was appointed the job as the camerawoman, I attempted to cover my camera with my shirt while running in the rain, only to take out the camera for pictures. I constantly annoyed our group with pictures, being the paparazzi that I act like, and was able to record some great memories. Luckily for us, we were able to find a tour guide to help us around the mosque without much trouble. He gave us insightful information on the mosque, such as its formation over six years under the guidance of the same man who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal located in Agra. During our tour, we were able to go up one of the towers in the mosque, meant for announcing prayer, and were able to have a great view as well as take many pictures. One group of locals was asking almost everybody in our group for pictures, and we were able to make some friends with them as we bonded over the wonderful scenery and pictures taken with one another. Also, one person in our group was gifted some bracelets by one of the very kind locals, which taught us how there are many truly kind people in this world. After that, we took some more pictures and left as the prayer began to go on in the mosque. Then, we went to eat lunch in a hotel restaurant close to the mosque. Served on our table were many dishes ranging from mutton to paneer masala to garlic naan. We constantly asked for more and more food, as it was such a great meal that we couldn’t have enough of it! I loved the garlic naan and paneer, which were quite popular with the rest of the group as well. Afterward, the staff of the restaurant was nice enough to give us a tour of the hotel and even brought us up to the roof to see the wonderful view. Sadly, due to the rain, it was very foggy, so it was hard to see very far. After having lunch, we all rode rickshaws to get a glimpse of how locals live their lives. We rode through different alleyways containing many shops, restaurants, and locals walking along. We made a few stops to some stores and photo opportunities, and then made our way back to the taxi to see the spice market. Upon arrival, we rushed from store to store and somehow made our way through enormous crowds and thin sidewalks to see the highlights of the spice market. We browsed through few stores and then decided to head back for the night. It was a very long day, but I am super glad we were able to see some good parts of New Delhi before tomorrow’s trip to Dharamsala! We concluded our day with an orientation, discussing with one another the highs and lows of our day, and bonded over our opinions of Delhi. I hope we can have many more fun days like this one throughout our trip!