LOCATION: DELHI, INDIA
8/29/04
Dan and I met up in Delhi, India. Dan, being British and a jolly good chap, met me bearing presents. He felt we both needed proper sun protection, so he handed me an umbrella, which would look quite at home in London. It made me smile to imagine us riding camels across the desert under black bobbing umbrellas. But thoughts of camels would have to wait as we decided to sightsee a little in Delhi.
We visited the Jantar Matar Observatory built in the 1600's. This is not your normal observatory. It is more like a giant puzzle. It is based on architecture that looks like something out of a madman's dream – a stairway that leads up at a 45 degree angle and ends in the sky; two structures similar to Roman Coliseums but containing floors that look like giant fans; a semi-circular building with stairs that lead nowhere; and odd buildings strategically placed around the edge of everything. This unique group of structures could be used to tell time, predict eclipses, and a variety of other astronomical phenomena, but all I recognized was a giant 30-foot (10-meter) sundial.
8/29/04
Dan and I met up in Delhi, India. Dan, being British and a jolly good chap, met me bearing presents. He felt we both needed proper sun protection, so he handed me an umbrella, which would look quite at home in London. It made me smile to imagine us riding camels across the desert under black bobbing umbrellas. But thoughts of camels would have to wait as we decided to sightsee a little in Delhi.
We visited the Jantar Matar Observatory built in the 1600's. This is not your normal observatory. It is more like a giant puzzle. It is based on architecture that looks like something out of a madman's dream – a stairway that leads up at a 45 degree angle and ends in the sky; two structures similar to Roman Coliseums but containing floors that look like giant fans; a semi-circular building with stairs that lead nowhere; and odd buildings strategically placed around the edge of everything. This unique group of structures could be used to tell time, predict eclipses, and a variety of other astronomical phenomena, but all I recognized was a giant 30-foot (10-meter) sundial.
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To get around, we rented auto and bicycle rickshaws. The first is motorized, the second is human powered. We made the wise decision to always have someone else drive us. The streets and driving patterns are wild. If you ever want to be in the bicycle X-games, this is a good place to train. The only rules we’ve figured out are to try to not get hit and to honk your horn at every opportunity. At times, I was sure we were not going to squeeze between two oncoming vehicles and when we did get through, there were only inches to spare on either side of our vehicle. As a way to keep my mind occupied on these daring forays into the streets, I started counting dents on passing cars. I never saw a car without dings, an average of 3 dents per side of the car. I think a driving instructor from the USA or Britain would last only a short time in Indian traffic. Come to think of it, an Indianapolis 500 driver would have a hard time on the streets of Delhi.
In our next journal entry, we will tell you about the man with a machine gun and our visit to the Black Market.