Delhi

With the residual effects of Agra pollution still lingering in my lungs (yes, Cam, this was probably as bad as the Kathmandu leftovers) I arrive in Delhi with relative ease. Surprisingly, the evening weather is hot and humid.

No, not surprisingly. I'm just testing you.

The next day, I wake up to explore the city. New Delhi houses government buildings, wide streets, lush gardens and "happy" trees, and numerous shopping venues and soon-to-be malls. Old Delhi is far less planned and has narrow streets roofed with electric cables teetering on sometimes rotting wooden poles. However, on the rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, I am constantly only a few meters away from brightly colored fabrics, rows of sparkling bangles, crunchy spicy goodies I gobble up with my eyes, and numerous other aromatic delights.

I see all the major sights, but am most impressed with a very new addition, the Baha'i "Lotus Temple." Outside, the ground floor is surrounded by several pools of water about which families lounge in the shade of the structure bearing remarkable similarity to the Opera House in Sydney. Inside, the apex of the ceiling, appearing open to the elements, is carved into an abstract form that glows as a golden star against the the geometrically organized ivory ceiling. Several birds fly among the rafters, pleasantly breaking the required silence that lends the temple its serenity.

I am also fortunate to meet up with a cousin of a friend who has work centered around renewable energy in India. India is facing an interesting battle in this regard. Watching television, reading the newspaper, and seeing public ads on billboards and street corners across the country, I see a portion of the population struggling to help India become more environmentally conscious. I also regularly see trash on the sides of the streets, people littering, and trucks billowing smoke. I scoff at one point at an article praising a high-powered Bollywood couple for planting a tree in Thailand, their photo sprawling across the front page of a national paper. However, if this act, seemingly staged to me, can prompt others to work just a bit harder to be better - to think and act more positively on behalf of the environment, who am I to be such a snob?

I leave India with quite a few new ideas about food, life, and culture, and look forward to my next trip back.