First off, sorry for the delay in this post. Of course, the hotel room I have been staying in happened to be the one that lost internet connection (this is pretty much the way my luck goes), so I have to wait to steal Amy or D.J.'s before I can do anything, and usually by the time we get back to the hotel we're all so tired I hate taking an hour or two to write this in someone else's room.
The majority of our mornings and afternoons are spent in the SDS offices preparing for our trip to Alwar. Dr. Lall will usually give one or two PowerPoint presentations (with of course the occasional tea break or two, which definitely is a practice which the U.S. should develop) explaining the previous work of the SDS in Alwar, the way life and work operates there and the things we should note and take into consideration. We all feel Dr. Lall is a brilliant man, and his strategies for developing and bettering the lives and work of these poorer people are completely innovative (and so far very effective). It has been a great privilege to be able to learn from him.
Wednesday night he took us to the restaurant at the top of the office buildings here on campus. There were many Indian dishes he kept telling us to try (with the names being so unfamiliar I cannot ever remember what any of them are called). Most Indian food consists of some sort of rice or noodle and a sauce with various spices, cheeses and either vegetables or meat (chicken, lamb or mutton). I have yet to come across anything I have outright hated, and we're all surprised that nothing has been too spicy to handle. By the end of the night we had all eaten so much we got back to the hotel and went right to sleep.
Yesterday after work at the offices Hari, the SDS driver, took us around Delhi to see some tourist hotspots. Our first stop was the Lotus Temple, which is a beautiful structure architecturally (it looks like the Lotus flower in design). The temple is of the Baha'i faith, which believes all religions fall under the same God, and encourages worshipers of all faiths to come pray inside. There were crowds of people walking for a ways (barefoot, of course) up steps and passed the pools of water outside to reach the silent inner sanctuary. I was very surprised that I had never even heard of this religion, despite the fact that so many people were there (perhaps they were tourists like us, but the far majority of them were Indian) and the structure itself so beautifully put together.
After the Lotus Temple we went to the Qutub Minar, which is a tall tower built by a Muslim king back in the 1100's. It was surround by ruins of similar age. There was also a solid iron column about 12 or 13 feet high that was built by a previous Hindu king in the 900's I believe (and it hasn't rusted at all). While there we also seemed to be an attraction to the locals. While I was looking at the tomb (the building in the bottom right corner of the pic) of the aforementioned Islamic king a guy in his late teens or early twenties came up and asked where I was from, and when I said America he had his friends take a picture of the two of us. Amy had a similar experience, but with an entire Indian family. It was quite funny for us, and I'm sure it was even funnier for them.
I'm typing this in the office at the moment (although I just lost the internet connection I was using, figures), so I don't have time to add links to this, and I may have to save this as a word document and post it later, so anything that happens later this afternoon (I think were are going out for some more sightseeing) will be included in my next post. Until then,
Namaste
The majority of our mornings and afternoons are spent in the SDS offices preparing for our trip to Alwar. Dr. Lall will usually give one or two PowerPoint presentations (with of course the occasional tea break or two, which definitely is a practice which the U.S. should develop) explaining the previous work of the SDS in Alwar, the way life and work operates there and the things we should note and take into consideration. We all feel Dr. Lall is a brilliant man, and his strategies for developing and bettering the lives and work of these poorer people are completely innovative (and so far very effective). It has been a great privilege to be able to learn from him.
Wednesday night he took us to the restaurant at the top of the office buildings here on campus. There were many Indian dishes he kept telling us to try (with the names being so unfamiliar I cannot ever remember what any of them are called). Most Indian food consists of some sort of rice or noodle and a sauce with various spices, cheeses and either vegetables or meat (chicken, lamb or mutton). I have yet to come across anything I have outright hated, and we're all surprised that nothing has been too spicy to handle. By the end of the night we had all eaten so much we got back to the hotel and went right to sleep.
Yesterday after work at the offices Hari, the SDS driver, took us around Delhi to see some tourist hotspots. Our first stop was the Lotus Temple, which is a beautiful structure architecturally (it looks like the Lotus flower in design). The temple is of the Baha'i faith, which believes all religions fall under the same God, and encourages worshipers of all faiths to come pray inside. There were crowds of people walking for a ways (barefoot, of course) up steps and passed the pools of water outside to reach the silent inner sanctuary. I was very surprised that I had never even heard of this religion, despite the fact that so many people were there (perhaps they were tourists like us, but the far majority of them were Indian) and the structure itself so beautifully put together.
After the Lotus Temple we went to the Qutub Minar, which is a tall tower built by a Muslim king back in the 1100's. It was surround by ruins of similar age. There was also a solid iron column about 12 or 13 feet high that was built by a previous Hindu king in the 900's I believe (and it hasn't rusted at all). While there we also seemed to be an attraction to the locals. While I was looking at the tomb (the building in the bottom right corner of the pic) of the aforementioned Islamic king a guy in his late teens or early twenties came up and asked where I was from, and when I said America he had his friends take a picture of the two of us. Amy had a similar experience, but with an entire Indian family. It was quite funny for us, and I'm sure it was even funnier for them.
I'm typing this in the office at the moment (although I just lost the internet connection I was using, figures), so I don't have time to add links to this, and I may have to save this as a word document and post it later, so anything that happens later this afternoon (I think were are going out for some more sightseeing) will be included in my next post. Until then,
Namaste
Nice trip. Thanks for sharing your trip experience. The city offers an unparalleled vibrancy and natural beauty for the tourists. Known for its attractive forts, rich culture and lovely people, Alwar (Ulwar) (Ulwar) makes for an ideal holiday destination. Check out all best hotels in Alwar also.
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