My family came to visit me over Thanksgiving break! Woo hoo!
They went through the time-consuming tasks of getting recommended shots, finding a good flight (Emirates Airlines had decent deals despite being a fancier airline) and procuring visas. Hopefully, the visas will be not a big deal in the near future.
The thing I was most concerned about organizing was accommodation. Although they could have stayed at a hotel while in Delhi, I wanted them to stay with me because it would be easier, cheaper, and also because I have this big ol’ 2-bedroom apartment; I should get maximum use out of it. But I only had one smallish bed…
My neighbors gave me some ideas, but in the end I got exactly what I needed from Google when I discovered this furniture rental place. Although I’d never heard of the concept, I was able to *rent* three mattresses, sheet sets, blankets, and pillows for the week and have them delivered to my door, all for the price of one night at a hotel. Exactly what I needed. Exactly what I had been concerned I wouldn’t be able to do ever since I turned down the 3-bedroom fully furnished apartment way back when. (I could have gone even further and rented bed frames, lamps, anything I needed to fill a whole apartment. Wild.)
There is always the nervous moment when you wonder if this company you found on the internet and gave money to is going to follow through. But they did, and were super polite. The only complication was delivery timing. Most of the times available were late at night and I had to coordinate with the gate people who didn’t like to let deliverymen in after dark. (I had already turned one late time down because my neighbors were adamantly against it.) But the delivery went smoothly. Everything appeared clean and was wrapped in plastic. Perfect!
When I went to the airport to pick up my sister, I learned three more things:
- You can in fact enter the airport to greet a passenger coming out. You don’t have to wait outside like I had been assuming you had to all this time. The catch is that you have to buy a 100-rupee ticket ($2) and go through security at the entrance. That keeps out most everyone.
- Visa miracles can happen!
- That MegaCabs is more expensive than MeruCabs despite that their similar names, similar logos, and nearly identical little desks outside the airport. (Though in other cases, Meru has often not been available during unusual times while EasyCabs has been my best friend.)
The taxi ride back in the afternoon was great. Good views of Delhi and even some cows in the road to welcome my sister to India! After we made it back to my place, it was starting to get dark. We went for a mini shopping spree at Needs. (I would have done the shopping earlier, but I find that when I visit a foreign country – and when others visit me – checking out the local supermarket is one of the more interesting experiences.) Then we had a spicy kadhai paneer from Cinnamon Kitchen and talked before going to bed.
The next morning, we did a Delhi tour despite the fact that I had what I’ll call the closest to “Delhi Belly” I’ve ever had here. Not sufficient to keep me from going out – and the excited adrenaline counter-balanced the tired – but enough for me to notice that I was a bit off. (I’ll use this an excuse that I sort of went a bit off on the dude who was behind me in line to get our shoes back at the temple. He was polite enough, but he essentially asked to cut in front of me. I was lingering politely and waiting for the current people to finish, but apparently I was too slow and he could get to the two dudes minding the shoe station and retrieve his shoes faster if I just moved my arm out of the way.)
We left the apartment after a nice omelet for breakfast. My sister’s first auto ride followed as we took the 10-minute journey to the metro station. (Yay for first autorickshaw rides!) But the station was packed. I’d never seen so many people! Luckily, as it turned out, we did not have to wait in the really long line (there was sign having to do with some festival or market) and just in the normal ticket line. We rode in the ladies car the whole way there and alighted at Lotus Temple.
Lots of lots of people took our photograph. Well, let me re-phrase. One person asked to take our photo. And, as soon as passersby realized we were photo-friendly-foreigners, we ended up in one place for quite a while, having our picture taken by one passing party after another. Together, apart, with the people asking in turn. And so on. It’s amusing and flattering, but is a little weird and can get mildly irritating after a while.
We waited in the organized line and went inside to hang out on the pews for a while. This is my favorite part. It’s quiet, peaceful, and not very crowded thanks to the limited number of people they allow in at a time, a number far fewer than capacity.
Since the “HoHo” bus stopped at Lotus, we made a half-hearted attempt to wait for it. It is the tourist “Hop-on Hop-off” bus that takes you around Delhi in air-conditioned comfort, stopping at the various landmarks. I found out later that it only comes every hour or so. We didn’t wait that long and instead walked to Iskcon nearby.
Iskcon Hare Krishna Temple
(Complete with Robots)
When we saw the sign above, our curiosity was aroused. So we paid the tourist price (I assume) of 300 rupees to see what the heck a “robot” show consisted of.
What it consists of is actually an animatronics show! A bit like a tame Disneyland ride, you walk through elaborate displays consisting usually of dramatic lighting, movies, or animatronic figures accompanying a narration explaining the history and mythology behind the Hare Krishna faith. We were the only people on the tour. (I think the Hindi one is much more crowded.)
Afterward, I was reminded that the proper term for facilities in India is “wash room” and not “rest room”. I kept wondering why the woman I asked was directing me to a restaurant. But finally, she pointed me in the right direction.
We rode the metro back (I was too tired to try for Akshardham today) and we enjoyed some dosas from Vaango for dinner. The major has provided me with his best driver who will accompany me – late tonight – to pick up everyone else…