I woke up at the crack of dawn to make the most of my last three days in India! I can’t believe I’m leaving so soon, it still hasn’t really hit me. I woke up at Janpath Guest House and demanded to pay less, considering the sink leaks, the door doesn’t shut all the way, and the toilet doesn’t have a seat. But it’s Delhi during December, so it’s cold, most hotels are filled up, and the location of Janpath Guest House in the heart of Connaught Place is literally the best of any hotel (from hostel to Five-star) in town. And what’s almost the best part? It’s a one-minute walk to Sarawana Bhavan (and obviously that was my breakfast). Since it’s Sunday, nothing was open. It was cool but sunny, like a crisp fall day. I walked around Connaught Place aimlessly, looking to run some errands, which wasn’t even possible, which was frustrating. Completing my sightseeing in Delhi, I took a bike rickshaw to Rajghat to see Gandhi Samadi, the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi. It was in a really clean, well-maintained grassy area, with a sandstone hill, looking over a black marble platform that marks the spot of cremation of the Father of India. It had an eternal flame and was adorned with flower garlands, and there were tourists galore. Then I walked across the street to the Gandhi Museum, and it was so good that I stayed for a couple of hours. The museum housed many relics of Gandhi; the walking stick he took on the Salt March, his round glasses, the microscope by which he studied leprosy, his books and original writings, sandals, his spinning wheel, clothes and bedding, and the blood-stained loincloth he was wearing during his assassination (which seems fishy because I saw the same loincloth in a museum in Madurai). It had great quotes that if I were Indian, I would be proud of. Speaking of being Indian, I think I’ve reached my ultimate peak. My skin is the darkest it’s ever been, people come up to me asking in Hindi for directions, I don’t get stared at by the locals, I think in Hindi and not in Spanish, I can carry on a Hindi conversation mildly satisfactorily, and people tell me that at first sight they thought I was Indian, I push and shove instead of wait in line, and I’m not surprised by dirty or hectic situations. I’ve also reached my peak in terms of bargaining ability. I managed to get sunglasses for 50 Rs while tourists pay 750. I get shawls for 100 Rs while tourists pay 15,000. I get pirated DVDs for 50 Rs while tourists pay 200. I went to the Shrikhande’s to pick up my luggage and go on the computer for a little while. I read my email, and apparently Seattle experienced the worst windstorm since the sixties, and Mercer Island has become an isolated fortress. Apparently you can’t buy gas and groceries are even scarce. A tree is in our driveway blocking the cars, and the power might be out for up to a week. In that case, dare I say: I’d rather be in Delhi than in my own house in Mercer Island? Am I saying the facilities and infrastructure are better in India, than in my home in the United States of America? Those are two questions I won’t answer because I don’t want to be quoted as ever saying ‘yes’ to them. I ended up spending way too much money, but at least I’m at the peak of my bargaining ability, and I was complimented by the shopkeepers for it. I got so much good stuff, mostly in Palika Bazaar; India t-shirts, shawls, womens’ Punjabi suits, Quiksilver sweatshirts, and of all things, a UCSB sweatshirt in a pile of college sweatshirts in a little stall in Janpath market. Afterwards, I visited the new park in the center of Connaught Place, which opened while I was gone on my last trip. It’s really nice and new, and has fountains, benches, grassy areas, and a photo exhibition. It’s beautiful, and the clientele is getting really bourgeois around Connaught Place, even since I first came in June. Delhi is becoming really expensive, less polluted, and a desirable place to live and work. It’s amazing the changes that the city is undergoing; installing a new Metro subway system, converting all public transportation to non-polluting natural gas, constructing ten-lane superhighways, building new green areas in the city, sealing of all unauthorized shops, and plans to get rid of bicycle rickshaws. All these changes are great for tourists and the affluent, but this may not trickle-down, and instead create wider gaps between rich and poor; unfortunately Delhi could become a Mumbai. Afterwards, I ate at Khana Unlimited for the last time and bid farewell to the really random place.
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