Delhi Day 3: Samosas & Sights

We are blogging one or two days behind. As we write this post, it’s Christmas Eve and we are at a beauty salon having hair and make-up done for tonight’s ring ceremony and Sangeet.

Yesterday, Emily and Michelle returned to West View for breakfast, and Jen ordered room service because she had a hankering for samosas. But, as we all know, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Jen overdosed on Samosas (what’s wrong with eating 10 samosas for breakfast? They were mini after all!) and spent the rest of the day suffering from heartburn. However, it didn’t stop us from getting out and exploring Delhi.

Abhi and his family were busy with wedding prep, so the Carmans + Colby were on our own for the day. Abhi’s family sent a friend, Manpreet, to be our driver and tour guide for the day. Manpreet, if you are reading this, thanks again for a wonderful day! Manpreet drove us through some nice parts of the city: the diplomatic enclave, India Gate, India Habitat Centre, and Humayan’s Tomb.

Our hotel is located in Chanakyapuri, an affluent neighborhood and diplomatic enclave established in the 1950's in New Delhi. Manpreet gave us a thorough tour of the neighborhood, as we hadn’t really seen it in daylight. Chanakyapuri plays host to the majority of foreign embassies in India, and is home to many staff members of these consulates. It has numerous parks and open spaces, and suffers few utility disruptions. We drove past the President of India’s estate, as well as the Parliament.

The India Gate mimicks the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was built in 1921 and serves as a memorial to the 82,000 soldiers in the Indian Army who were killed between 1914-1921. It is a tourist destination and was very crowded (like most everywhere in Delhi!). Everywhere you turn, someone is trying to sell you something! The vendors are persistent and do not like hearing “nehi!” (aka “no!”).

The India Habitat Centre (IHC) is a modern building with beautiful gardens and art exhibitions. We are still a bit confused as to what it actually is, but we really enjoyed walking around. It spans over 9 acres and reminds us of a community college campus. According to the IHC website, it is “A city within a city, it is an intellectual shopping centre that provides cheap green curry, great theatre, cutting edge art, etc., and wonderful outdoor spaces that are comfortable even in summer.” We stopped in the IHC food court where Manpreet introduced us to Pani Puri. Photos below of Emily and Colby trying it out! (And much to our mother's surprise, did not get sick from eating food outside of the hotel!) ;)

Humayan’s Tomb was breathtaking and the highlight of our day. It is actually the inspiration for the Taj Majal, which we will visit next week. The tomb is the first distinct example of proper Mughal style, which was inspired by Persian architecture. It is well known that Humayun picked up the principles of Persian architecture during his exile, and he himself is likely to have planned the tomb, although there is no official record.

All in all, a great day exploring the city. Thankful for no Delhi belly, yet!

In Collaboration with Jennifer Carman