Last Days in Delhi

Here are just a few of the many wonderful people I worked with in Delhi. Sherry Holden, Maria Pensabene, Suzi Persing, Marsha, and Mary Sarsi. Sorry Marsha I never did hear your last name. Can you even tell who was s-UA and who was s-CO? Not likely. We all got along really well and had a ton of fun together.

Friends old and new. Donna Wilson from Honolulu was my training partner for the Service Director classes. John Sandefur was my travel partner on the incredibly long trip from Salt Lake City to Delhi, and was roped into more than one adventure in Delhi by both myself and my Mom. And of course Elsa Pinillos came to visit John and so Donna and I also roped herinto a few adventures.

Her is Donna with our last class at IGT Delhi. My camera battery died right after this picture so although there are copies out there with me in them I don't have one.

We did a last trip to one of the local markets for scarfs and more scarfs. I couldn't resist taking a shot of this saree stall even if I can totally resist the idea of buying or wearing a saree.

I think these guys are supposed to guard the unsuspecting tourists from the vendors trying to take advantage of them. Somehow on this trip I ended up being pressed into service by a couple of others as the designated bargainer. How does that happen exactly to a woman who doesn;t even like to shop? Maybe that's why...I truly don't really care whether I end up with the item or not so I really can walk away if it's not the right price.

Chhattarpur Temple

It was a big deal when the Prophet announced that a second LDS temple would be built in South Jordan Utah. However in Delhi they are hundreds of Hindu temple large and small. The Chhattanpur complex has several all in one area, each with a slightly different look to it. The complex had lots if signs in Hindi and only two in English so I still don't know why they had a gigantic red monkey statue. You can see it from far away, so it is easy to find your way from the nearest metro stop. Maybe that is its purpose?

Look at the detailing on this building, even the fence and gateway.

Another completely different look.

Inside one of the buildings there was a little wax museum featuring stories from the life of the founder of this particular temple complex. Including his bed. All the pictures and the wax replicas of him show him as a simply groomed and dressed man yet he slept in this overly opulant bed. I thought it was a striking example of the contrasts always present in India. There are people living in tents less than a block from major modern shopping malls in the shadows of the modern and efficient metro system.

I thought this one was interesting. It was inspired by Southern Indian architecture but it made me think of Latin America. Inside it looked completely different from the outside. but there was not enough light for good pictures.

It is customary to remove your shoes before entering a Hindu temple. This was the first one we went to that required us to remove our shoes and then walk barefoot across the city street to the security screening entrance. I wonder what the point of barefeet is when they make you get them dirty before you can possibly get inside.

This adventure left a lot of questions unanswered.

Kingdom of Dreams

One of the last things I did before leaving Delhi was to go to the Kingdom of Dreams. It is a mini Disneyesque entertainment park there is a huge theater, a little area with shopping and food designed to reflect the different states of India, and live entertainers.

There are shops, restaurants, and bars on the first and second floors. They have everything set up to use a prepaid card at each seperate business or a credit card. Very differnt from most places we went to that only deal with cash.

All around the entrance area and outside the theater they had musicians in traditional garb and a few other performers dressed up to represent animals and mythical creatures.

This monkey was as mischevious as a real monkey. She enjoyed sneaking around and startling people, myself included.

Alot of detail went into decorating every area of the park. Each of the little niches had a light in it that reflected of the mirror mosaic inside. It was a very cool detail.

Cameras were not allowed in the theatre, so no pictures of the Bollywood spectacular we saw. Let me tell you though they danced and danced and sang and danced like crazy the whole time. There was one particular actor that reminded me of Justin Turpin, same stature and build and wow could that guy move. I have no idea if Justin can move that way, but I bet he wishes he could. It had amazing staging and costumes, it really was a spectacle, and of course all in Hindi.