Jan 6-8 Air travel and arrival at the hotel

Qatar Airlines IMG 9047 dinner on Qatar airlines …probably the best business class we have ever flown.

• two guys that met us as we got off the airplane, see below for the experience in the hotel room.
• From the time we got off the airplane to the hotel there were 8 people involved, 2 as we got off the plane,(1 to take our bags, (we had carry-on only), and one to drive the 6-passenger golf cart in the airport, 1 porter to take our carry on to the person in charge, who took us to his driver who took us to the hotel where three people met us two of whom took us to our over the top room for a 15 min introduction to how to run all the electronics in the room. 😊

New Delhi January 9 M/S Samidta our guide for two days. She was great, Master's in History, well traveled including the US w/ grown children living in Australia and London

• Traveled to the old city Visited the Red Fort built in 1639 and only took 10 years to build 4 square KM in size. Built by the Shah of Jahan when he decided to shift the capital from Agra to Delhi & was the seat of Mughal power until 1857.

• “Mughal dynasty, Muslim dynasty of Turkic-Mongol origin that ruled most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid-18th century. After that time it continued to exist as a considerably reduced and increasingly powerless entity until the mid-19th century. The Mughal dynasty was notable for its more than two centuries of effective rule over much of India; for the ability of its rulers, who through seven generations maintained a record of unusual talent; and for its administrative organization. A further distinction was the attempt of the Mughals, who were Muslims, to integrate Hindus and Muslims into a united Indian state.”

• The 2nd part of the tour was a rickshaw ride through India’s largest Mosque Jamin Masjid. Then through the lanes and alleys of the Mughal era walled city and the largest market in India where you get an insight into the old culture but in the modern day.

From a website that best described what Sheron and I experienced.

• Stretching almost 1.5km west from the Red Fort, nearby Chandni Chowk is probably the old city’s most famous street. Named after a moon-reflecting pool and water channels that anchored its center, 17th-century bazaars boasted thousands of shops, among them many silver merchants. Grand imperial processions would amble down here towards the Fatehpuri Mosque at the other end.

• Chaos: people, rickshaws, bicycles, carts, and vehicles all clogged together, an almost comical stew where everyone had right of way so, of course, no one got anywhere at all.

We returned to the hotel where that evening we experienced our first Indian meal “Hold the red peppers please” It was still a bit spicy but had wonderful flavors and a great meal.

January 10 Samidta met us at our hotel

• We first went to the 1564 Humayun’s Tomb with examples of the synthesis of two of the great building styles of Asia the Persian and the Indian. Humayun’s red sandstone and white marble tomb follows the octagonal form of the Delhi sultans.
• This tomb, built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal and many other Mughal architecture and garden complexes in India.

• Then off to Delhi’s most famous landmarks, the fluted red sandstone tower of Qutab Minar, the tallest minaret in India. Started in 1199, the tower tapers upwards from the ruins, covered with intricate carvings and deeply inscribed verses.

• The World Heritage site was built as a tower of victory - possibly inspired by Afghan minarets - by Qutbuddin Aibak, the first sultan of Delhi, after defeating the Hindu rulers in 1192. The red-and-buff sandstone monument contains some of the earliest structures of Muslim rule in the country. It was expanded upwards and renovated by three successors - it is now five stories tall and 379 steps lead to the top. The fortified complex housing the minaret has a chequered history. Twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples located there were demolished and the debris was used to construct Delhi's first mosque at the site.

Lunch with Samidta at her favorite Italian restaurant.