Two Weeks Ago Today

Dr. H came over last night and told me that the punjabi dress I bought two weeks ago today was perfect and didn't really need altering. She said that it shouldn't be too tight, although maybe it could use some work around the bust line. While I was happy that I made a good purchase, I also was a little frustrated that I didn't wear it while I was in India because I was afraid it didn't look right. Then again, it is some sort of silk material, and I would have sweat right through it, so it's probably for the best.

I bought the punjabi dress in the morning on Monday, March 26. In the afternoon, we went on a rickshaw ride through Chandni Chowk, which is where many markets and bazaars are, in Old Delhi. Rachel and John rode together, so I went with someone else in the group.Brian turned out to be super delightful, and we had a fantastic time discussing subprime lending practices and credit card debt issues in the US while holding our breath as we went down precariously narrow streets in absurd amounts of traffic. We also saw a monkey.(For another view of the street scene, see my post from March 30.) Incidentally, I did feel a little bit like a British woman from the 1920s in colonial India with my ridiculous hat, but it was excellent in keeping the sun off my face and neck, and most people who saw it found it amusing. I even received a few compliments on it, despite the fact that I duct taped a piece of lace into it to serve as a chin strap so that it would not blow away in the wind.

The rickshaw ride ended at Jama Masjid, the last architectural undertaking by Shah Jahan before his son usurped power and imprisoned him. Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India.I posted this strange picture of it because I feel like it captures India well. In the back, you have this gorgeous mosque. In the front, a garbage pit of some sort.

We ended the day, and the group's time in Delhi, at Rajghat, which is a large park where Gandhi was cremated as well as many other famous Indians.This is Gandhi's cremation site. It was beautifully understated.

And that is what I did two weeks ago today.