The Jetlag High

Whew! Today was crazy. Woke up, walked around the neighborhood with Ayush and Sloan. The realization that you are in a different world is immediate. We haven't walked a block before we come upon the neighborhood ironing man, ironing clothes under a small shelter. The women are dressed in bright, vivid purples and blues and often wear little red dots (bindis) on their foreheads. On the way to see the temple Ayush visits, we meet a coconut seller pushing a wagon attached to a bike. Ayush hails him, and the man chops the top off three coconuts, sticks a straw in each, and hands them to us. We have to drink fast because once we're done, he chops the coconuts in half and scrapes the cream off the shell for us to eat. The coconut water is good, even though I really dislike the coconut water thingies I've tried in the US. And the cream is an interesting, gelatinous but still firm texture.

The street is buzzing with activity--next to the coconut cart, some men are busy tying rebar for a construction project that's just starting. Near the temple, some cows mill around in a little field. A woman listlessly sweeps trash, and Ayush notes that there's no point to it... the trash isn't going anywhere. "She's just wasting the government's money!" But she perks up when she sees us struggling to open a gate, and suggests we just squeeze around it, which we do.

Back home we enjoy an amazing breakfast of parathas (pan-fried flour? pancakes, stuffed with potatoes, as opposed to rotis, which are not stuffed and baked in the gas flame) prepared fresh by the family's chef, Keke (no idea if that's the correct spelling). He brings them out fresh two at a time. Alongside the parathas is butter, a delicious cilantro sauce, and a bowl of sweetish milky stuff containing pomegranate seeds, some chilis and cilantro, and some "flour balls". With minimal encouragement, I put back 6 or 7 parathas. Sloan is a great conversationalist and we engage Ayush's parents with little questions about their trip to the US, Ayush's dad's job, where they've lived... Afterwards we drink chai from little cups (customary evidently) and eat some amazing sweets (although only one of them was really sweet, my favorite was stuffed with spiced lentils).

After breakfast, we're about to go out for a walk when Ayush's dad Rajan waves us down and shows us where we'll be staying tomorrow (at a neighbor's house (!)). Apparently a lot of the wedding guests are put up in friends' houses in the neighborhood, very cool. We meet Rajan's friend (also employed at a government power company, but coal instead of hydro), and his wife. They are amazingly hospitable and serve us sweet lassis and some snacks. (Ahh, names! The friend is Pooja Gupta?)

Crazily, we have our own driver! First we go out with Ayush's brother Ashwin to a local mall. The mall has a lot of American fast food, Domino's, KFC, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway... kind of a surreal selection. We eat kulfi (milk ice cream) on popsicles in the crazy "Paan" flavor and snack on some amazing buttered spiced corn kernels. The main event is getting ourselves fitted for "Kurta Pyjama" formal wear. I can't resist going for a bright yellow garment, which goes best with a white jacket. (Pictures coming soon...) Will have to be very careful not to spill food on it but it looks pretty insanely cool. Also hit up a grocery store and (unsuccessfully) an ATM. (Our cards work, but the ATM is busted. Fortunately we have cash from Ayush's family that we need to pay them back for.

The main adventure begins when we get back from the mall. We're going out again to explore Delhi, with our driver, and two of the other hired helpers! One of them is our cook Keke. Unclear if they are escorting us or if they have a break and want to explore Delhi too. (I'm guessing the former...) First stop, the Lotus Temple of the Baha'i faith, which at a high level seems to draw from Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism and has a broadly progressive agenda!

The (modern) temple is breathtaking from a distance:

As we approach in the (surprisingly manageable) heat, we have to take off our shoes.

We go in and listen to some ethereal singing in a weirdly high-modernist vast circle of pews. After goofing around a bit with Keke and the other man (I don't think I ever got his name (!) argh!), we head back to the car and drive a while to our next destination. Jetlag is hitting me hard and I crash in the car. Get outand make a harried street crossing while half asleep. We are at the Qutub Minar: a very cool stone tower (and adjacent buildings) built by Islamic rulers in the 13th and 14th centuries. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Sloan and I are planning to hit up a nice restaurant, the Bukhara, in a fancy hotel, since Sloan's friend Abhishek recommended it. The others evidently weren't planning on eating out, but they went along with it. I felt a little bad about that, although I guess Ayush thought it was normal. Having a driver is a pretty crazy experience! I'm again falling asleep at this point. Wake up again at the Bukhara and Sloan does a great job of negotiating our pick-up and making sure we have the driver's number. We try to offer them cash for their dinner (which is customary according to Ayush) but they insistently refuse (odd). Entering the hotel, my bladder is as full as it has been in many years, and I can barely walk. But we make a reservation at the Bukhara and find a restroom. At this point, it hits me that the whole experience is a lot like being stoned. I feel totally swept along by the situation, inasmuch as I can't speak the language and I'm passively following the itinerary. My mind is phasing in and out of exhaustion and I'm incapacitated by a bulging bladder. Finally, the experiences are wildly vivid from their novelty. Not to mention, the food tastes extra incredible. The Jetlag High! The food at Bukhara is every bit as insane as advertised. A candidate for the best spiced food I've ever eaten. Buttery lentils, their specialty, are unreal. Lamb kebabs dripping with richness and spiced brightly with coriander. Crispy butter naan and peppers stuffed with onions. Totally unreal. We talk a bit, but mostly distracted by the food.

It comes to about $100 for both of us (not bad, for a $$$$ restaurant, have I ever eaten at one of those before?!). We have to scramble out of there to meet up with the car again, since they are super slow to bring us the check. On the way home, I'm out like a light. Back at home, I get a second wind, do some logistics, and now I'm sitting here again typing this in the darkness as Sloan sleeps. I suspect I'm getting eaten alive by the one surviving mosquito in our room, but I'm not sure. Air conditioner feels great. Ready to crash! How was your day? ;)