Finally
sleeping longer! We got up at eight, had breakfast (the toast was not
good at all...) and got ready to leave.
Raghav was
already waiting in the lobby when I came down. It has been more than
a year since I last saw him at the Selection Camp in Switzerland and
it was good to be with him again. We waited for Annetraud, who still
packed some things and then left. If he hadn’t told me on the phone
before, I would have been really surprised that Raghav had his own
driver. The best way to travel in Delhi is by car. The public
transport is crowded and you really don’t want to take the bike,
believe me!
First, we
visited the India gate. Just when we got there, there was some
military parade practicing and we watched the marching soldiers a
bit. Then we walked down the street that led straight from the gate
to the president’s house. On the way we saw boys playing football
and cricket on the lawn left and right to the road. Delhi is really
green, especially here. We also saw the parliament which is a big
building too. It was interesting to see the mixture of British and
Indian architecture in the minister’s houses.
Next stop was
the Qutab-Minar. This is the name of a tower that was built in early
Muslim architecture style. It is 73 meters tall and quite impressive.
When we purchased the tickets, we were astonished to read the prices:
Indians – 10 rupees (less than 50 ct), Foreigners – 250 rupees (4
Euros)! But nobody would have believed me and Annetraud to be Indian,
so we queued for the expensive tickets. At least we got them fast and
didn’t have to wait long. Inside there were hardly any Europeans.
One Indian took a picture of me while passing by. That is weird to be
so special that strangers want to take pictures of you. I mean I’m
taking pictures of Indians too but either I ask first or I do it from
the distance. I don’t walk up to them, hold the camera to their
face, take a picture and leave...
It was getting
hot and we decided to use the midday to go shopping and have lunch.
Raghav brought us to a huge shopping mall. We bought some souvenirs
(I won’t tell you what exactly :-P) and had lunch at McDonalds.
Guaranteed not spicy if you take a veggie or chicken burger. But
there are many spicy burgers too.
We did some
more shopping and then left the cool mall to drive to the biggest
Hindu temple in Delhi. I was interested in seeing a Hindu temple as
well because most Indians follow this religion and if I am in their
country, I want to see that part of the culture as well.
When I saw the
parking lot, I knew this was gonna be really huge. The main building
already looked impressive from the far. But getting in is not as easy
as you think. First, there are loads of things you must not bring.
Weapons, cameras, all kinds of bags, food, drinks, electronic
devices,... To keep it short: you mustn’t bring anything but your
wallet. If you have something with you that is not allowed, you have
to queue for a locker to put it in. Luckily, we had the car where we
left our cameras and Raghav’s cell phone. So we just had to wait
for the security check. When we were divided by gender, I saw a
poster with another detailed list of what you must not take with you.
And found the words diary, note book and paper. I was afraid that
they might take my notebook that I use to write down difficult names,
numbers and timelines. So I hid it in the last pocket of my bumbag and hoped for the best. And it worked. The woman who
checked me didn’t even see that pocket. But Annetraud had forgotten
to put away the battery of her camera. They kept it and said that she
could pick it up again after 6pm.
The temple
complex is completely new. It was finished four years ago. There were
lots of buildings with beautiful carvings, all leading to the main
temple, which includes many statues. Everything is made with an eye
for the detail and it is a pity that I couldn’t take any pictures
of it.
We bought
tickets for two shows. One was a boat trip through Indian history. I
thought this was meant literally, but we really sat in a boat that
drove on wheels through water. Left and right we saw puppets that
represented important events in Indian history. It was interesting
but I couldn’t take so much information at once. But I do know that
many things were invented in India before Europe even thought about
it.
The second show
lasted for forty minutes and really surprised me because of the
amazing technique that was used. It was about Swaminarayan, whom this temple
is dedicated to. The tour started with a film and then we had to
change places quite often. We came into rooms where there were
puppets like in at the boat trip. Only these puppets moved! The
robots did realistic movements while the sound came via speakers.
Extremely well done! And the story was told in a very interesting way
too. As a young boy, Swaminarayan already became a Yogi master after doing a
long journey through the Himalayas. Then he became a spiritual
teacher and enlightened person at a still very young age. Then we
were told about his teaching which is based on love and compassion.
It is quite similar to Buddhism, I think.
I was really
happy that Raghav could explain to us what all the statues in the
main temple meant. There was also a big golden statue of Swaminarayan.
I was getting
late, so we searched for the exit. Before leaving, Annetraud got her
battery back. Funny thing that after getting it back, we weren’t
forced to leave right away. We could have gone back in and do
whatever dangerous thing you can do with a camera battery. If it were
a bomb, we could have blown it up right in the temple. They should
check their security checks...
Outside, Raghav
phoned his parents to ask about dinner. Annetraud and I were very
happy to be invited to eat with them because we were curious to meet
them. So Raghav was told that they were already in his dad’s club,
waiting for us. We could have gone there straight away, but I wanted
to wash myself (I sweat so much in this climate!) and we needed to
get the souvenirs we brought from Austria. Luckily, our hotel was on
the way and we did a short stopover.
When we arrived
at the club, Raghav first had troubles to get in because men are
supposed to were shirts with collar. Finally, he borrowed a shirt and
we were allowed in. Meeting his parents was very nice. I enjoyed the
dinner and I am happy to have met them.
Unfortunately,
time flew past and we had to leave. Saying goodbye was hard, this day
was much too short. But I think that we used it quite well. I now
know a lot more about Hinduism as well as about Delhi.
Thank you for
this nice day, Raghav! :)
